Daniel Rottier dies at age 73

Daniel Rottier, president of Habush, Habush & Rottier, died Jan. 3, according to statement released by the law firm.

Rottier, 73, began working at the personal injury law firm in 1979. He handled complex medical malpractice and product liability cases, including one against the tobacco companies, which was the largest lawsuit ever prosecuted in Wisconsin. The win in that case resulted in a master settlement totaling more than $5 billion.

In his career, Rottier resolved more than 90 cases for more than $1 million, according to the firm.

“As we mourn his abrupt loss, we remember the intelligence, tenacity and conviction Dan brought to the craft of personal injury litigation,” Timothy Trecek, the vice president and chief operations officer at Habush Habush & Rottier, said in the statement.

“His legacy as one of the nation’s best trial lawyers will live on through the clients for whom he fought so tirelessly, and through the success of the hundreds of lawyers he mentored and developed through his nearly five-decade legal career.”

Rottier graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School. In the first 14 years of his practice, he tried 100 jury trials and was the youngest fellow inducted into the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. In 1992, he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers and was listed in the Best Lawyers in America for more than 25 years. Rottier joined the membership of Inner Circles of Advocated, which is limited to the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States, in 2009.

Rottier was the first attorney to receive Trial Lawyer of the Year award twice by the Wisconsin Association for Justice, in 2008 and 2019.

His other career highlights include:

• Served as president of the Wisconsin Association for Justice, as well as its educational arm, the Civil Justice Foundation.
• Joined the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice, Wisconsin Association for Justice and the State Bar of Wisconsin, where he also served as chairman of the litigation section.
• Served on the University of Wisconsin Law School Board of Visitors where he also taught trial advocacy and frequently lectured on trial practice techniques and the use of technology in litigation.

“Dan was an incredibly tenacious, industry-changing trial lawyer whose impact will be felt for generations thanks to the role he played in making everyday products safer for all of us,” former firm president Robert Habush said in a statement released by the firm. “Dan dedicated his life to trial law and to fighting for his clients. The entire legal community has suffered a great loss with his passing.”

With its headquarters in Milwaukee and 13 other offices across Wisconsin, Habush, Habush & Rottier is one of the state’s oldest and largest law firms.

The firm has recently made headlines. As previously reported by the Wisconsin Law Journal, lead trial attorney Benjamin Wagner and attorney Molly Lavin of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. represented a plaintiff in an assisted living death case. The jury awarded $4 million in damages.