Wisconsin personal injury Super Lawyers 2010

Wisconsin personal injury attorneys Pasternak & Zirgibel are again honored in Milwaukee Magazine via Law & Politics in its annual Super Lawyers issue (December 2010). I am again honored as one of the Top 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers and Jeff Zirgibel is again honored as a Wisconsin Super Lawyer. Super Lawyers attempts to identify Wisconsin lawyers in the top 5% of all Wisconsin attorneys and the Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. Super Lawyers also publishes a Top 50 list discussed below.

This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is once again honored to be chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only 7 plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:

Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield

Accident victims in Wisconsin (car accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) would be off to a great start in interviewing these law firms to get help with a personal injury case. These Milwaukee personal injury law firms have been recognized by their peers as outstanding in their field. Simply going to a lawyer or law firm that advertises a lot, chases ambulances with letters, or dabbles in personal injury but really practices in other areas of the law is irresponsible. Additionally, though all different, the Wisconsin lawyers at these firms share several common professional traits. Such traits include being Peer Review Rated as AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 by Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings, and being active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.

Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Injury Lawyer

Top 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers in Milwaukee Magazine

Milwaukee Magazine is out with its December 2009 issue, which again this year has the Super Lawyers list of attorneys in Wisconsin. Super Lawyers tries to identify the top 5% of all Wisconsin attorneys and its Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40. Super Lawyers also publishes a Top 50 list, which I discuss here. If you wish to browse the whole list by area of practice, you may do so here. I referred to the publication back in July posting on Top Wisconsin Lawyers and with last year’s publication in Wisconsin Personal Injury Super Lawyers.

This Wisconsin personal injury lawyer is again honored to be on the list and more so this year as I was chosen to be among the Top 50 Super Lawyers in Wisconsin. Only eight plaintiffs personal injury law firms are represented in that Top 50:

Cannon & Dunphy, Brookfield
Domnitz & Skemp, Milwaukee
End, Hierseman & Crain, Milwaukee
Habush Habush & Rottier, Various
Laufenberg Law Group, Milwaukee
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee
Pasternak & Zirgibel, Brookfield
Previant, Goldberg, et al., Milwaukee

A Wisconsin accident victim (car accident, medical malpractice, products liability, premises liability, etc.) could do much worse than interviewing these law firms to help with his or her personal injury case. How? Well, they could go to Wisconsin attorneys who advertise "have wreck, get a check" or chase ambulances with letters or just dabble in personal injury.

The twelve plaintiffs Wisconsin personal injury lawyers in the Top 50 are:

Larry B. Brueggeman
William M. Cannon
Merrick R. Domnitz
Patrick O. Dunphy
J. Michael End
Laurence J. Fehring
Robert L. Habush
Robert L. Jaskulski
Lynn R. Laufenberg
Frank T. Pasternak
Don C. Prachthauser
Daniel A. Rottier

Though all different, some common professional traits we have include being Peer Review Rated: AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 (see The Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings),
and active members of The American Association for Justice and Wisconsin Association for Justice.

In alphabetical order, below are all the Top 50 Wisconsin lawyers found in the list, including their law firm and main area of practice:

Steven A. Bach, Cullen Weston Pines & Bach, Family Law
Emile H. Banks, Jr., Emile Banks & Associates, Insurance Defense
Stephen C. Beilke, Murphy Desmond, Family Law
Peter C. Blain, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Bankruptcy
Bruce T. Block, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Larry B. Brueggeman, Previant, Goldberg, et al., Personal Injury
Brian E. Butler, Stafford Rosenbaum, Dispute Resolution
William M. Cannon, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
Michael J. Cohen, Meissner Tierney Fisher & Nichols, Business
Gregory B. Conway, Liebmann, Conway, et al., Business
Barrett J. Corneille, Corneille Law Group, Insurance Defense
Claude J. Covelli, Boardman Suhr Curry & Field, Litigation
Randall D. Crocker, von Briesen & Roper, Bankruptcy
Michael P. Crooks, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
Merrick R. Domnitz, Domnitz & Skemp, Personal Injury
Patrick O. Dunphy, Cannon & Dunphy, Personal Injury
J. Michael End, End, Hierseman & Crain, Personal Injury
Laurence J. Fehring, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Nathan A. Fishbach, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Criminal Defense
Michael J. Fitzgerald, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert H. Friebert, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Business Litigation
Lori Gendelman, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Stephen M. Glynn, Glynn, Fitzgerald & Albee, Criminal Defense
Robert L. Habush, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Philip J. Halley, Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, Estate & Probate
Scott W. Hansen, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Business Litigation
Gregg M. Herman, Loeb & Herman, Family Law
Stephen P. Hurley, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Jesse S. Ishikawa, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren, Real Estate
Robert L. Jaskulski, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Terry E. Johnson, Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Defense
J. David Krekeler, Krekeler Strother, Bankruptcy
Dean P. Laing, O'Neil, Cannon, Hollman, DeJong, General Litigation
Lynn R. Laufenberg, Laufenberg Law Group, Personal Injury
Michael P. Malone, Hinshaw & Culbertson, Insurance Defense
Stephen J. Meyer, Meyer Law Office, Criminal Defense
James T. Murray, Jr., Peterson, Johnson & Murray, Insurance Def.
Timothy F. Nixon, Godfrey & Kahn, Bankruptcy
Frank T. Pasternak, Pasternak & Zirgibel, Personal Injury
Bruce M. Peckerman, Peckerman & Klein, Family Law
Charles I. Phillips, Phillips & Gemignani, Family Law
Don C. Prachthauser, Murphy & Prachthauser, Personal Injury
Daniel A. Rottier, Habush Habush & Rottier, Personal Injury
Thomas W. St. John, Friebert, Finerty & St. John, Family Law
Carlton D. Stansbury, Burbach & Stansbury, Family Law
Marie A. Stanton, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Dispute Resolution
Dean A. Strang, Hurley, Burish & Stanton, Criminal Defense
Daphne Webb, Stafford Rosenbaum, Family Law
Todd M. Weir, Otjen, Van Ert & Weir, Insurance Defense
Brady C. Williamson, Godfrey & Kahn, Business/Corporate

Congratulations to all who made Super Lawyers! It surely is an honor to be listed given that there are about 14,000 lawyers in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer

Top Wisconsin Lawyers List

I blogged on Wisconsin personal injury Super Lawyers before. But I just received great news from one of Super Lawyers editors via email. Specifically, I was told that in 2009, I will be rated one of the TOP 50 Wisconsin Super Lawyers.

This honor is pretty cool considering that the answer to the question How many lawyers are in Wisconsin? is about 14,000. After the full top lawyers in Wisconsin list is published in the December 2009 issue of Milwaukee Magazine, I'll try to let you know specifics. Based on last year's list though, I feel honored since among Wisconsin lawyers, I appear to be the youngest by about 17 years with only 10 or less Wisconsin attorneys who limit their practice to plaintiff's personal injury law appearing in the Top 50.

No surprise, none of the "have a wreck, get a check" suspects are on last year's list and no more than two partners at any large personal injury firm made that list (see, How many lawyers do you need?).

Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer

Phone Call and A Check

In How many lawyers do you need? I discussed hiring attorneys and lawyer advertising. Now, I'm going to rip a specific form of lawyer advertising, which is the former client or an actor holding a check and saying something like: all I did was call personal injury attorney ____ and I got $____. Those commercials and similar ones make me sick. They make those of us who represent real victims who were badly injured and who respect the legal profession and our civil justice system look like leeches, which may be a fair description for lawyers running those ads, but not for real Wisconsin personal injury lawyers.

Wisconsin Personal Injury Attorney

Wisconsin Personal Injury Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers published its list of the best lawyers in Wisconsin, which you may find in the December, 2008 Milwaukee Magazine. The list tries to identify the top 5% of all Wisconsin lawyers and its Rising Stars list tries to identify the top 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys under age 40.

Fortunately, this Wisconsin personal injury attorney and my partner Jeff Zirgibel are listed again as Super Lawyers. I previously wrote on how to hire a personal injury lawyer and consider a Super Lawyers designation another tool for finding a personal injury attorney.

With respect to the Super Lawyers list, keep in mind that many lawyers making the list make it for a reason other than their plaintiff's personal injury practice and may not do such litigation exclusively. All are Wisconsin lawyers but many practice in other areas and the list below includes attorneys practicing plaintiff’s personal injury law and possibly in one or more of the following areas: Alternative Dispute Resolution, Appellate, Business/Corporate, Business Litigation, Civil Litigation Defense, Civil Rights/First Amendment, Criminal Defense, DUI/DWI, Employee Benefits/ERISA, Employment & Labor, Estate Planning & Probate, Family Law, General Litigation, Government/Cities/Municipalities, Immigration, Personal Injury Defense, Social Security Disability, and Workers' Compensation. Thus, conduct your investigation to find out if the lawyer you find is actually a good criminal lawyer (voted a Super Lawyer due to that) or whether they are truly a Wisconsin personal injury lawyer. Finally, keep in mind, that some lawyers listed are there because they are under 40 years old, Rising Stars.

Since more than two lawyers nearly never handle a particular personal injury case or trial, I thought it was important first to identify the Wisconsin law firms having two or more Super Lawyers listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of the firm’s practice:

Aiken & Scoptur SC, Milwaukee
Anderson, O'Brien, Bertz, Skrenes & Golla, Stevens Point
Atterbury & Kammer, S.C., Middleton
Axley Brynelson, LLP, Madison
Bye, Goff, Rohde & Skow Ltd., River Falls
Cannon & Dunphy SC, Brookfield
DeWitt Ross & Stevens SC, Madison
End, Hierseman & Crain LLC, Milwaukee
Gass Weber Mullins LLC, Milwaukee
Gingras, Cates & Luebke, S.C., Madison
Habush Habush & Rottier SC, Various
Hale, Skemp, Hanson, Skemp & Sleik, La Crosse
Herrling Clark Law Firm Ltd, Appleton
Jacquart & Lowe SC, Milwaukee
Lawton & Cates, SC, Madison
Meier, Wickhem, Lyons & Schulz SC, Janesville
Murphy & Prachthauser, Milwaukee Peterson, Berk & Cross SC, Appleton
Pasternak & Zirgibel, SC, Brookfield
Previant, Goldberg, Uelmen, Gratz, Miller & Brueggeman SC, Milwaukee
Schoone, Leuck, Kelley, Pitts & Knurr, S.C., Racine
Warshafsky, Rotter, Tarnoff & Bloch, SC, Milwaukee

The following Wisconsin law firms have one Super Lawyer and at least one Rising Star (under 40) listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of the firm’s practice:

Curtis Law Office, Oshkosh
Domnitz & Skemp, S.C., Milwaukee
Fitzpatrick, Blackey & Associates LLC, La Crosse
Fox & Fox SC, Monona
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, Milwaukee
Laufenberg & Hoefle SC, Milwaukee
Liebmann, Conway, Olejniczak & Jerry SC, Green Bay
Menn Law Firm, Ltd., Appleton
Pitman, Kyle & Sicula SC, Milwaukee

Truth be told, you could do ALOT worse than researching and interviewing some of the above 30 law firms to help with your personal injury case. Of course, I'd like you to interview these Wisconsin personal injury attorneys.

Finally, here is a list of all the 2008 Super Lawyers and Rising Stars (under 40) listing plaintiff’s personal injury as at least part of their practice:

Victor M. Arellano
Lee R. Atterbury
Charles W. Averbeck
Bruce R. Bachhuber
John A. Becker
Brian P. Beisenstein
Joseph J. Beisenstein
Robert E. Bellin, Jr.
Keith A. Belzer
Avram D. Berk
Thomas W. Bertz
Gerald J. Bloch
Steven T. Botzau
Larry B. Brueggeman
George Burnett
C.M. Bye
John C. Cabaniss
Steven M. Cain
Kelly L. Centofanti
William M. Cannon
Kent I. Carnell
John L. Cates
Craig A. Christensen
John D. Claypool
Keith R. Clifford
Patrick J. Coffey
Terence R. Collins
Byron B. Conway
Shawn R. Crain
Robert D. Crivello
Rodney L. Cubbie
George W. Curtis, Jr.
Jane Cuthbert
Christine Davies D'Angelo
Bruce M. Davey
Michael R. Davis
M. Angela Dentice
Frank M. Doherty
Merrick R. Domnitz
Christopher A. Duesing
Patrick O. Dunphy
Brett A. Eckstein
Gregory J. Egan
J. Michael End
Eric A. Farnsworth
Laurence J. Fehring
David J. Fitzpatrick
Tom Fitzpatrick
Thomas J. Flanagan
Pamela Wiza Flores
Alex Flynn
Michael R. Fox
Peter J. Fox
Paul V. Gagliardi
James W. Gardner
Eugene A. Gasiorkiewicz
J. Ric Gass
Michael W. Gill
Robert J. Gingras
Steven B. Goff
Russell T. Golla
Jonathan P. Groth
D. Michael Guerin
Robert L. Habush
Charles E. Hanson
Victor C. Harding
Michael F. Hart
Webster A. Hart
C. Michael Hausman
Michael M. Hayes
Jerome A. Hierseman
Ann S. Jacobs
Paul R. Jacquart
James R. Jansen
Thomas J. Janssen
Robert L. Jaskulski
Michael J. Jassak
James A. Johnson
Alexander S. Kammer
David B. Karp
Robert J. Kasieta
Kenan J. Kersten
Timothy S. Knurr
Jason Knutson
Kevin J. Kukor
Dean P. Laing
Lynn R. Laufenberg
Michael L. Laufenberg
Thadd J. Llaurado
Kevin Lonergan
David P. Lowe
Michael J. Luebke
Theodore V. Lyons, Jr.
Craig Mastantuono
Robert A. Mich, Jr.
Leah M. Michaelson-Link
Mark J. Mingo
Thomas J. Misfeldt
Gerald W. Mowris
Thomas K. Mullins
Jason R. Oldenburg
James A. Olson
Robert A. Parsons
Frank T. Pasternak
Mark A. Pennow
Ricardo Perez
John C. Peterson
Jeffrey A. Pitman
James A. Pitts
Kenneth C. Pletcher
Don C. Prachthauser
Ken Quincey
Jacob R. Reis
Jason S. Richard
Michael Riley
F. William Russo
J. Drew Ryberg
Werner Erich Scherr
Charles D. Schmidt
Raymond E. Schrank, II
Jacob L. Schrinsky
Paul J. Scoptur
Michael S. Siddall
Anthony J. Skemp
Ardell W. Skow
Marie A. Stanton
Christopher J. Stawski
Phillip M. Steans
Susan R. Steingass
Charles F. Stierman
Jamie Stock-Retzloff
Heath P. Straka
Christopher L. Strohbehn
Brenda K. Sunby
David E. Sunby
Michael I. Tarnoff
Ralph J. Tease, Jr.
Willard P. Techmeier
Frank R. Terschan
Mark L. Thomsen
Timothy S. Trecek
Jay A. Urban
Edward J. Vopal
Benjamin S. Wagner
William J. Waltenberger
John Walsh
Ted M. Warshafsky
David H. Weber
D.J. Weis
Robert J. Welcenbach
Daniel D. Whetter
James D. Wickhem
Geoffrey D. Wilber
Gregory R. Wright
Mark S. Young
Jeffrey R. Zirgibel

Wisconsin Personal Injury Lawyer