JD Journal » Wisconsin

Laura Kaeppeler Crowned Miss America

jim — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 19:29:16 +0000

The winner of one of the most popular beauty pageants in the United States has been crowned once again and this time the newest Miss America hails from Wisconsin, is 23, and is a brunette. She had long conversations with her family regarding her father’s jail time prior to taking part in the competition. Her father spent time in jail for mail fraud and she wanted to know if she should use this as the heart of her campaign in the beauty pageant.

Some of the platforms pushed during the competition included protecting the environment and the benefits of milk to one’s health. Laura Kaeppeler said that she wants children who have incarcerated parents to feel less alone. She also wants them to have mentoring programs and as much of a relationship with their incarcerated parents as they possibly can.

“There are many of you out there – and I was one of them – but it doesn’t have to define you,” Kaeppeler said after she won the crown and a $50,000 scholarship on Saturday night.

Kaeppeler sang an opera song, modeled in a white bikini and in a black evening gown. She also said that beauty queens and politicians represent all Americans, not just a couple of groups.

Sheboygan Mayor up for Recall

jim — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 03:33:14 +0000

The mayor of Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Bob Ryan, is up for a recall on Tuesday following a string of alcohol incidents.

Ryan faced criticism last year and a possible investigation because of a three-day drinking binge. During that binge Ryan allegedly got into a fight and assaulted a woman. There even was a photograph of him after he passed out at a bar.

In 2009, Ryan took heat for a video that surfaced him bragging about his sister-in-law’s sexual skills while he was drunk.

Ryan has talked publicly about his alcohol problems, saying, “I don’t fight alcoholism, I live with it.” Ryan does insist that he does not let his personal problems affect his work as the city’s mayor. When he says this he names a list of accomplishments as proof that his work does not suffer.

“I personally do not feel there is any better candidate out there than me,” Ryan said.

Some residents of the city claim that the actions of the mayor have helped to embarrass the community and that they are ready for a mayoral change.

The end of Ryan’s term does not come until 2013. If one of his challengers are victorious, they will take over during the remaining year. He has seven challengers, one of whom is eighteen years old.

Pagan NC Mother Cries Foul When Son Comes Home From School with Bible

rebneely — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:39:36 +0000

At least it’s not pornography.

But that’s not what a Buncombe County mother had to say when her son came home from his fifth-grade class at North Windy Ridge intermediate school in North Carolina with a Bible.

American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation, the state’s largest civil liberties group, says the school went too far.

The mother of the fifth grader, Ginger Strivelli, says her son got the bible from North Windy Ridge school in Weaverville in recent days from a box left by the Gideons International group. Strivelli, who is a pagan, doesn’t feel the school should give any religious materials to students.

She was quoted as saying in the huffingtonpost.com article: “It’s totally inappropriate they think they can get away with this. It’s absolutely unbelievable and their attitude is ridiculous.”

However, school officials are of the mind they did nothing wrong. Principal Jackie Byerly said she got approval from the superintendent after the Gideons asked to leave Bibles at the school.

Students were not required to take Bibles, county schools spokeswoman Jan Blunt said. They were told by teachers that the books were available in a box in the main office.

In reference to the Gideons, Blunt was quoted as saying: “They don’t talk with students. They’re not allowed to make a presentation. They quite literally drop off a box and leave them there. They are not handed out at all.”

Per Katy Parker, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of North Carolina Legal Foundation, that would be fine at a high school.

The ACLU of North Carolina is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to preserving the guarantees of individual liberty found in the Constitution and laws of the United States and the state of North Carolina. Hot issues the organization concentrates on include racial justice, free speech, the death penalty, human rights, religious liberty, reproductive rights, student and youth rights and voting rights.

The Legal Program has traditionally been the ACLU’s most successful avenue for protecting and enhancing the constitutional rights and civil liberties of North Carolinians. The Legal Program responds to every request it receives and for matters that do not involve civil liberties. The ACLU of NC Legal Foundation works diligently to defend civil liberties such as privacy rights, religious freedom, free speech, and equal protection under the law. On many occasions the ACLU of NC stands alone, often against the prevailing sentiment of public opinion, in its vigilant defense of these fundamental freedoms.

Gideons International, headquartered in Nashville, Tennessee, is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch organization dedicated to Christian evangelism. It began distributing free Bibles, the work it is chiefly known for, in 1908, when the first Bibles were placed in the rooms of the Superior Hotel in Superior, Montana.

Law Firm that Helped Write Legislation Now Suing State

jim — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:21:51 +0000

A law firm has filed a suit against the Wisconsin elections agency, the same law firm that helped the Legislature write the law that the firm is suing over. The law firms of Michael Best & Friedrich and the Troupis Law Office were hired by state republicans to create new legislative maps in 2011 and write legislation that would implement those maps. The state’s residents paid the two law firms over $400,000 in taxes for the work that was performed. Beginning in the fall of 2012, those new maps were to take effect, which was explicitly stated by the new law.

“This act first applies, with respect to special or recall elections, to offices filled or contested concurrently with the 2012 general election,” the law says.

The state Government Accountability Board, which conducts state elections, said that any recall elections have to be held in the old districts. A group of republicans is suing the state Government Accountability Board, claiming that the new maps must be used for any recall elections. Those republicans have hired Michael Best as their representative. As a side note, the new maps benefit the republicans.

Eric McLeod is the attorney from the firm of Michael Best representing the republicans. McLeod has also advised lawmakers on redistricting within the state.

“I can’t comment on the legal advice we provided to our client,” McLeod said.

McLeod claims that the accountability board should have said that any new elections be held in the new districts, despite the new maps not taking effect until fall of 2012. The reason for this is that the old districts have been declared unconstitutional because some of them have higher populations than others by significant amounts.

The group of republicans have asked the state’s Supreme Court to hear the case or to appoint a panel of three county circuit judges to hear the case. The state’s Supreme Court has not declared what it will do in terms of hearing the case or assigning it to a panel.

One problem could arise if the case is heard by the state’s Supreme Court. McLeod represented Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman in front of other justices after the Wisconsin Judicial Commission claimed he lied during a 2008 advertising campaign. The vote from the court was split at 3-3, which effectively ended the case, with no decision on whether or not Gableman had lied.

“I don’t think my past representation of a justice would result in the need for recusal,” he said.

Ethics rules outlined by the state claim that judges have to remove themselves from a case in which a well-informed party could question the judge’s efforts to be impartial when hearing the case.

“I would not be particularly bothered by Gableman hearing this case,” said James Sample, a Hofstra associate law professor. “The scope of any ruling on redistricting will dwarf what at best is a minor conflict.”

Law Firms and City Budgets

jim — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 02:25:48 +0000

In the city of Milwaukee, a recent act was just passed which would overrule upon contracts that have already been made with the union. This act is referred to as Act 10 and was recently followed by the city of Milwaukee in the beginning of 2011. However, the law firm, along with an attorney in the city, Grant Langley, believe that this law should definitely not pertain to Milwaukee’s pension fund.

With just about one week to decide on a budget for 2012, Langley and the firm are asking the Mayor of the city, Tom Barrett, not to follow Act 10 for the city’s pension. The mayor of the city of Milwaukee plans to meet with Grant Langley in the next few days to discuss some of the possibilities and decisions that should be made.

Barrett says, “We’re going to have to resolve this conflict with the state law and what we’re hearing from legal counsel. There’s $8.2 million here that the state law says has to be spent one way and the city attorney says has to be spent the other way.” This is a major legal issues but the mayor says he has a backup plan.

The mayor has one main concern; he does not want to violate any laws. If they do happen to violate any laws, the city could end up having to deal with serious legal repercussions. Alderman Michael Murphy says, “We need a court to give us direction on this.” He is hoping that the court will be able to help them make a final decision. He also says, “We’ve been boxed in on this one.” It can be very difficult for a decision to be made with so many mixed opinions and varying suggestions. Some agree with the opinion of Langley while others say the city of Milwaukee needs to follow the law that has already been set.

However, both Barrett and Murphy disagree. They feel as though there are too many unanswered questions when it comes to the law that has been made. With most of their questions about the law unanswered, they often wonder how they can be expected to follow such a law that they have do not have a complete comprehension of. If questions remain unanswered, legal help will be necessary for the city to decide what they should do. Barrett says, “There’s going to be tens of thousands of dollars spent on legal feels, and it’s something that could have been avoided.”The money that will be spent on legal fees could have been used elsewhere. With a limited amount of time to decide what the city should do, decisions will need to be made soon. The decision cannot be taken lightly, as this can decide the economic fate of the city.

Chicago Based SmithAmundsen Opens Office in St. Louis

joshua — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:56:52 +0000

The 128-lawyer firm headquartered in Chicago, SmithAmundsen LLC, announced today the opening of a
new office in St. Louis, Missouri.

Brad Goss and Marvin Lindmark, well known members of the St. Louis legal community, will lead the office.

Glen Amundsen, the firm’s Chairman and CEO, was quoted in the press release at the firm’s website as saying: “As part of our commitment to serve our clients in the Midwest, SmithAmundsen is pleased to open an office in St. Louis. 2010 has been a banner year for the firm with considerable expansion of both the scope of services we are able to offer our clients and the geographic footprint of the firm’s operations. The opening of our office in Missouri with these two great lawyers is another important step in implementing our strategic vision to be the first and best choice of our business clients in the Midwest. It is a privilege to welcome Brad and Marvin to SmithAmundsen.”

SmithAmundsen-St. Louis will serve the firm’s clientele with a mixture of both litigation and corporate/business services. The firm already serves the business community with legal professionals operating from its offices in Chicago, Rockford, St. Charles, and Woodstock, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Larry Schechtman, SmithAmundsen’s Managing Partner, was quoted as saying: “This expansion enables us to better serve our clients in the St. Louis region and surrounding areas of Missouri and Illinois and acquire new opportunities. We look forward to becoming a part of the St. Louis community and offering clients the added convenience and service of a St. Louis location.”

One of Chicago’s premier firms, SmithAmundsen LLC has grown to 128 attorneys with offices in Chicago, Rockford, St. Charles, and Woodstock, Illinois, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and St. Louis, Missouri. SmithAmundsen professionals offer competencies in a broad range of practice areas involving most aspects of contract, property and tort law.

Pepsi off the (1.2 Billion Dollar) Hook

joshua — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:25:35 +0000

At the end of last month I blogged about a legal comedy of errors that ended with a default judgement being entered against softdrink maker PepsiCo. If you somehow missed the original story, our take on it can be found here.

If any of you own shares in Pepsi, you can breathe easier… for now at least. A judge in Wisconsin has vacated the summary judgement, giving PepsiCo a chance to argue the case on its merits. No court dates have been set as of yet.

Pepsi Faces $1.2 Billion Default Judgement

joshua — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 16:52:34 +0000

Pepsi Co is the victim of its own bureaucracy in a Wisconsin case that ended in a default judgement earlier this month.

The background is simple enough. Two Wisconsin men sued Pepsi in June for allegedly misappropriating trade secrets from confidential talks and using them to make and sell Aquafina. The men served Pepsi at its North Carolina headquarters. Then things went a bit haywire. Pepsi says that its agent in North Carolina failed to deliver the notice to their legal headquarters in New York until mid September. The papers were delivered to Deputy General Counsel Tom Tamoney, but his secretary set them aside because she was busy preparing for a board meeting. Tamoney didn’t see the papers until early October, after a Wisconsin judge entered a default judgement against the company.

Pepsi has asked the court to vacate the judgement, saying that the suit should be barred based on the Statute of Limitations and claiming that the interests of justice have been violated. Although Wisconsin courts are hesitant to vacate default judgements in general, the judge also has to option to litigate the damages portion of the case.

Quarles & Brady Cancels 2010 Summer Associate Program

Erik Even — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:46:13 +0000

Milwaukee’s Quarles & Brady has “suspended” its 2010 Summer Associate Program, citing its commitment to hire its new 2009 associates class, which has been deferred to January 2010.

Quarles & Brady LLP is based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. According to the National Law Journal’s 2007 rankings, it was the 90th largest law firm in the United States, and the second-largest firm in the state of Wisconsin. The firm also ranked 137th in profit per attorney on the 2007 AmLaw 200 survey.

The firm was formed in 1974 by the merger of two older firms, Brady Tyrrell Cotter & Cutler and Quarles Herriott Clemons Teschner & Noelke.

Law Firm Hirings & Firings

Erik Even — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:32:23 +0000

Recent laterals and layoffs in the legal sector:

Scott Martin joins Greenberg Traurig in New York City as a shareholder in the Antitrust Litigation Practice, from Weil Gotshal where he served as a partner. He focuses his practice in the areas of antitrust and complex commercial litigation. Martin earned his JD from Stanford Law School.

Former Chippewa County, Wisconsin circuit court Judge Thomas Sazama has joined the Eau Claire law firm of Weld, Riley Prenn and Ricci. Sazama served as a judge in Chippewa County since his appointment in 1994. He received his law degree from Marquette University.

Amy Shearer joins the Wrexham, Wales office of GHP Legal as a trainee. She earned a dual honors degree in law and criminology at Keele University, and her Legal Practice Certificate at Chester Law School. The firm employs 100 people across North Wales and Shropshire.

Techmeier Merging with Cochran

Erik Even — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:28:28 +0000

Milwaukee’s Techmeier Law Firm is merging with national personal injury and criminal defense firm The Cochran Firm. Techmeier will operate under the Cochran Firm name.

Will Techmeier, founder of the 10-lawyer firm, will become the managing partner of the Cochran Milwaukee office.

Founded in 1979, the Techmeier Law Firm specializes in personal injury and wrongful death litigation. It has recovered more than $75 million in settlements and jury awards.

The Cochran Firm has about 300 attorneys, and is ranked as the 141st largest law firm in the United States. It primarily does criminal defense and civil plaintiff work. The firm has 26 offices in 15 states, including in offices in Miami, Los Angeles, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Birmingham, New Orleans and Washington DC. It was founded by celebrity lawyer Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr. over 40 years ago.

Wisconsin Public Defenders Demand Raises

Erik Even — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:04:17 +0000

The State Bar of Wisconsin and the state public defender’s office are demanding a $30 an hour increase in the pay for attorneys who volunteer to defend indigents.

Public defender Nick Chiarkis says the current $40 an hour rate doesn’t cover the overhead at even a small law firm. He claims the constitutional mandate to provide equal justice under the law isn’t being fulfilled.

The average rate for a private attorney in Wisconsin is $150 an hour.

Critics say increasing the attorneys’ pay shouldn’t be a priority during a recession.

Littler Mendelson Opens Milwaukee Office

Erik Even — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:09:38 +0000

Littler Mendelson announced today the opening of an office, its 47th, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

New Milwaukee shareholder Jon Levine and his staff will represent clients in employment litigation in state and federal courts and before the National Labor Relations Board, as well as collective bargaining, labor arbitration and union avoidance.

Prior to joining Littler, Levine was a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich, where he practiced labor and employment law. He received his JD from Georgetown University.

With more than 750 attorneys and 46 offices, Littler Mendelson is the largest US law firm exclusively devoted to representing management in employment and labor law matters. Established in 1942, the firm has litigated, mediated and negotiated some of the most influential employment law cases and labor contracts on record.

IP Attorney Group Joins Merchant & Gould

Erik Even — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:45:52 +0000

Four attorneys specializing in intellectual property have left Michael Best & Friedrich in Madison, Wisconsin to join Minneapolis’ Merchant & Gould.

Attorneys Jeffrey S. Ward, Wendy M. Ward, Thomas P. Heneghan and Edward J. Pardon, who also is a physician, will open a Madison office of Merchant & Gould, and will focus on the generic pharmaceutical industry.

The office is expected to open in April or early May.

Merchant & Gold laid off 33 people, including two partners, last month. The firm has offices in Atlanta, Denver, Omaha, Seattle, Washington DC, and Knoxville.

Many apply for Wisconsin Federal Judge, U.S. Attorney Positions

Erik Even — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:58:38 +0000

The names of applicants to fill the seat of the federal judge for the western Wisconsin district based in Madison were released on Tuesday. The names of those hoping to become the next U.S. Attorney in the Milwaukee-based eastern district were also released. 13 people are applying for the judge’s position. 10 are applying for the U.S. Attorney spot.

The highest profile candidate to seek the judge’s position is former state Supreme Court Justice Louis Butler.   The judicial opening is due to the retirement of U.S. District Judge John Shabaz. The 77-year-old resigned in January.

Along with Butler, four other judges applied. They are U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen Crocker, District 4 Appeals Court Judge Paul Higginbotham, La Crosse County Circuit Judge Ramona Gonzalez and Eau Claire County Circuit Judge Lisa Stark.   Six Madison attorneys applied. They are Eric Barber, James Cole, William Conley, Kendall Harrison, Stephen J. Meyer and James D. Peterson.   Other applicants were John Schweitzer, an attorney with the state Department of Regulation and Licensing, and Stephen Sinnott, an assistant U.S. attorney in Madison.

Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Maxine White was the only judge who applied for the U.S. attorney opening. Five assistant U.S. attorneys in Milwaukee applied: Richard Frohling, Mel Johnson, William Lipscomb, James Santelle and Karine Moreno Taxman.   David Feiss, a Milwaukee County assistant district attorney, and two Milwaukee attorneys, Alex Flynn and Daniel Vaccaro, also applied. The final applicant was Robert Jambois, the head attorney for the state Department of Transportation and a former Kenosha County district attorney.

Jenner and Block Partner To Speak On Guantanamo

Erik Even — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 01:40:14 +0000

Jeff Colman, a partner at Jenner and Block in Chicago, will visit the University of Wisconsin at Madison to give a public talk regarding his experience representing detainees held at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The talk, entitled “Guantanamo and The Rule of Law,” is hosted by the University’s Law School, the College of Letters and Science, and the Frank J. Remington Center.

Colman has visited Guantanamo 10 times in the last three years. Jenner and Block has represented 19 men at the base. Colman personally represented four of them. 13 of these men have been released in the past two years. Three of those men were Colman’s clients. All spent more than four years imprisoned in Guantanamo.

The talk will occur on Monday, March 9.

Law Firm Staffer Embezzles $57,000

Erik Even — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:42:39 +0000

The former business manager and secretary for Madison, Wisconsin lawyer Randall Skiles has been charged with embezzling at least $57,000 from early 2007 until she was caught in September 2008.

Krystyne M. Miller, 37, of Tomah, admitted to Monona Police that she began writing checks to herself out of Skiles’ office account, and eventually increased both the amounts and frequency of individual embezzlements.

Miller admitted to taking $57,867, the criminal complaint says. Miller was charged with five counts of felony theft, each carrying a maximum fine of $25,000 and a maximum combined term of prison and extended supervision of 10 years.

At least some of the stolen money came from Skiles’ lawyer trust account, an account that must be maintained for the benefit of clients under strict rules laid down by the state Supreme Court and regulated by the Office of Lawyer Regulation. Skiles has to immediately repay that money.

The thefts were discovered in September 2008 after Skiles had an accountant prepare his taxes.

Miller told detectives that she began stealing money from the firm when she was having financial troubles taking care of her elderly parents and dealing with a divorce. She said she used some of the money to pay outstanding bills, and spent other money gambling at casinos.

Via Tomah Journal.