Wisconsin Law Journal – WI Legal News & Resources Wisconsin Legal News & Resources

When Madison lawyer Jim Troupis decided to start his own firm, he took his time with the decision, resisting the urge to jump right in.

A while ago I realized that sometimes I’m a walking advertisement. The Nike swoosh on my running gear, the Bucky Badger sweatshirt and the Rolex crown on my watch.

Running a solo or small firm is not rocket science.

For attorneys who never have heard of the Financial Industry Regulation Authority before, now might be a smart time to learn the basics.

Opponents of mandatory arbitration clauses in consumer contracts have not given up the fight.

Brookfield attorney Dawn Drellos-Thompson realized a few years ago that her small business owner or minimum-wage earning clients could not afford most mediators.

Spinning yarn and thread gives Plymouth lawyer Thomas Gerleman the physical distraction his brain needs to focus on solving some of his most difficult case problems.

Law Librarian of the Year Maureen Burns Law librarian, Godfrey & Kahn SC “Maureen Burns has always been fascinated by law, but, in college, decided she wasn’t interested in pursuing a law degree. When an advisor suggested law librarianship as an alternative, Burns jumped at the opportunity. She earned a master’s degree in library science and, in 1994, went to ...

IT Specialists Professional of the Year Joe Bichanich Knowledge management/process improvement managers, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP Jason Milligan Knowledge management/process improvement managers, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP Last summer, the outlook for Michael Best & Friedrich LLP’s new document management system was bleak. Consultants who’d been working for several months to implement the iManage system suddenly quit. Then, the ...

Court Clerk of the Year Kelly Haag, Court clerk, Waukesha County Juvenile Court A bulletin board of photos of happy families — children and their adoptive parents — is Waukesha County Juvenile Court Clerk Kelly Haag’s daily reminder of the importance of her work. “We just try to make the legal process so much easier for them,” Haag said, “because ...

Human Resources Professional of the Year Mary Wilkes Manager, Quarles & Brady LLP Mary Wilkes is on the fast track. Wilkes came to Milwaukee-based Quarles & Brady LLP in 2008. She started as a manager of six secretarial leaders, who in turn supervised some 90 secretaries in 11 practice areas. A year and a half later, she was promoted to ...

Legal Community Service Provider of the Year Lori Zahorodny Program assistant, Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic When Lori Zahorodny started working for the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic it had one site, open one day a week. With Zahorodny’s help, the clinic now has four sites, open five days a week. The additional days and locations have meant even more people can ...

Firm administrator of the Year Bruce Wichmann Firm administrator, Axley Brynelson LLP Bruce Wichmann started his career as a CPA,  but after 23 years at Axley Brynelson LLP in Madison, the firm administrator cannot imagine doing anything else. He started working at the 12-partner firm at a time when Axley was anxious for growth and  technology was just starting to ...

An expert, per Oscar Wilde, is “an ordinary man away from home, giving advice.” He’s probably being well compensated, too.

The Wisconsin Court of Appeals can’t brand an attorney a liar without giving the attorney a chance to challenge that label, according to a Wisconsin Supreme Court decision Tuesday.

Attorney Eric Maassen plans to use a lot less paper clips and Post-its in the near future.

Milwaukee native Carlo Cotrone does not plan to retire anytime soon, but when he does, he’s got an active second career to fill his days outside the legal world.

When Milwaukee-based Rockwell Automation Inc. decided to retool the way it organized important documents, it was the company’s legal, not information technology, department that led the charge.

Glendale attorney Paul Junius is a professional defendant and penny-pincher.

Remember that unit in law school about legal writing for requests for proposals?

Have you heard about the cool media form attorneys are using to reach out to prospective clients? The one that brings in scads of new business?

The week before last, I wrote about a few lawyers’ impressions of being designated as “Super Lawyers” by the Minnesota-based publication of the same name (one I find slightly schlocky).

BranchOut -- the free, year-old professional networking app for Facebook -- just can’t decide what it wants to be when it grows up.

When a man asked Milwaukee Municipal Court Chief Judge Derek Mosley recently what it would take to get his drivers’ license reinstated, Mosley had a quick answer for him.

As Tim Yanacheck approached the finish of the 26.2-mile Paavo Nurmi Marathon in Hurley a few years back, he realized he had a choice.

Summer is the time of year when select attorneys are informed that they’ve been designated as “Super Lawyers” by a publication of the same name. But are they really the best lawyers in our metropolis?

Clients of BadgerLawyer.com LLC in La Crosse don’t have to wonder what solo practitioner Chris Doerfler charges; he puts that information right on his website.

Milwaukee attorney Francisco Javier Vasquez is always looking (and thinking) forward: both on the job and while leading the Construction and Public Contract Law Section of the Wisconsin State Bar.

Early on in his career, Chris Dodge was assigned a defining case representing a contractor in a defect dispute.

David Anderson gets a warm feeling when he drives by projects he’s helped bring to life.