Kathy Pakes has made a career out of understanding the troubles and needs of the people she is working with at any given moment.

Laura Sette went to law school to be a prosecutor. Instead, she became a public defender in Brooklyn after graduation before coming to Wisconsin.

Combining a problem-solving mind with a customer-friendly attitude, Chandru Solraj offers the best of both worlds.

David Dickmann’s transition from being a police detective to a public defender turned out to be a smooth one.

The Madison man was facing allegations of killing two people while under the influence of cocaine.

Sandra Peterson has learned during 35 years with the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office the importance of understanding defendants and her duty to protect their rights.

Enku Edgar Lin realized he was pursuing the right practice area while interning as a 2L with the State Public Defender’s Office in the Milwaukee Trial Division.

An attorney has to be tough to succeed in indigent defense.

Jean La Tour fought her first legal battle when her brother began the fight for his life.

Mary Wolfe uses her undergraduate degree in secondary education, but not in the usual way.

For many working in the legal field, success is gauged by how much money is awarded or if a conviction is overturned.

Public defender Nicole Masnica proved her worth just two months after starting her legal career.

A University of Wisconsin Law School tradition holds that students run down the field at Camp Randall Stadium and toss canes over the goal post.

Attorneys who are appointed to cases by the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office are paid $40 per hour.

Deja Vishny, Wisconsin State Public Defenders Office Law degree received from: University of Wisconsin Law School, 1980 Deja Vishny does not shy away from hard work. In her first year as a Racine public defender in 1980, Vishny tried about a dozen cases. “It was a small office, only seven attorneys,” she said. “But it was a real go-getter office, ...

Rose Oliveto requires no frills in working to improve the legal community and justice system. The organization she helps run, Southwestern Wisconsin Women Lawyers, is “not a group you’ll find in any book,” she said, but a basic networking and support group for female attorneys in a five-county area. They eschew splashy galas in favor of person-to-person connections.

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 ...

More than 350 judges, lawyers, family and friends attended the Wisconsin Law Journal’s ninth annual Leaders in the Law Event in Milwaukee Wednesday. The evening event, held at the Hilton Milwaukee City Center, recognized 27 attorneys and judges for their contributions to the legal profession. Four leaders – Bruce C. Davidson, Hon. Charles P. Dykman, Robert L. Habush and Joseph ...

Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, with offices in Madison and metro Milwaukee, announced that Anne Schacherl has joined the firm as Of Counsel. Schacherl’s practice focuses on estate planning and administration. Schacherl earned her law degree from University of Wisconsin Law School and she has been practicing law for more than 30 years. Prior to joining Stafford Rosenbaum LLP, Schacherl practiced law ...