Appellate Attorney – Nicole Masnica – Gimbel Reilly Guerin Brown

Nicole Masnica brings a balance of realism and determination to every case, knowing that appealing a conviction is always an uphill battle. Masnica, a partner at Gimbel Reilly Guerin Brown, where she leads the appellate defense team, specializing in high-profile criminal and white-collar cases.

Masnica approaches every appeal with a fresh set of eyes, refusing to assume that everything worth finding has already been found. That mindset has shaped both her practice and her teaching, reminding others that appellate work isn’t about revisiting what’s already been done; it’s about seeing what is still to be discovered.

She is an adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School, a litigation discussion group leader for the Association of Women Lawyers and has taught CLE courses on a range of topics, including criminal appellate practice.

“You have to keep learning. There isn’t a point in an attorney’s career where you just know it all,” Masnica said. “I’ve been practicing for 15 years, and there is so much I haven’t explored in the law, but that’s what makes this job so great.”

Masnica has previously been honored by the Wisconsin Law Journal for Rising Young Lawyer and Women in the Law distinctions.