Justia Legal Services & Lawyers Directory

Chuck Palmer is the Managing Partner of Michael, Best & Friedrich's Waukesha, Wisconsin office. His primary practice areas are Labor and Employment Law, OSHA defense, fire, explosion and safety related litigation, and construction law. He is co-chair of the firms construction practice group. He is the author of Wisconsin Workers Compensation Law, a Handbook for Employers. He is on the Board of Directors for the following organizations: Wisconsin Underground Contractors Assn., Wisconsin Council of Safety, Make A Wish Foundation. An example of one of his published opinions can be found at:

http://www.wicourts.gov/sc/opinion/DisplayDocument.html?content=html&seqNo=33223

My practice focuses on federal bankruptcy law, Wisconsin debt amortization law, debt settlement and negotiation, traffic and municipal law, and estate planning.

I help consumers file for relief under the Bankruptcy Code, offers clients an affordable repayment option by utilizing Wisconsin laws, assists with negotiating debt settlement, helps clients reduce traffic citations, and drafts wills and power of attorney documents.

CHRISTOPHER KOLB is a 1981 graduate from Yale University Law School. Prior to attending Yale, he earned two postgraduate degrees from UCLA, which he attended on an NDEA fellowship, and an undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors.

His practice includes litigation on behalf of plaintiffs in securities disputes, representation of lawyers, doctors and other professionals facing possible disciplinary action by licensing authorities, and business litigation involving contract, intellectual property, and employment matters. He has also represented the owners of a large area shopping center regarding their leasing and litigation needs, and has extensive experience as a mediator.

He is a member of the Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin Bar Associations and has also appeared before the Federal Courts of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit (which includes Wisconsin and Illinois), Ninth Circuit (including California), and Federal Circuit (in Washington, D.C. ).

Mr. Kolb has lectured at Marquette University Law School on the subject of alternative dispute resolution, and he is a two-time recipient of the State Bar of Wisconsin Authorship Award, once for an article on structured settlements and once for a two-part article on arbitration of securities disputes.

Main Office:
320 East Buffalo St.
Suite 700
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-271-3400

Waukesha Office:
20720 Watertown Rd.
Suite 202
Waukesha, WI 53186
Phone: 262-782-5200

Mike Maxwell founded his law firm, Maxwell Attorneys LLC on the belief that he could provide higher quality legal and business advice to his clients without charging them a tall building law firm price. Mike is an accomplished litigator and successful small businessman. Mike has extensive experience in bankruptcy and civil litigation. As a bankruptcy attorney and Chapter 7 Trustee, Mike has been involved in literally thousands of consumer bankruptcy cases. As a civil litigator, he has served as trial counsel in over 500 civil lawsuits over 150 of which he personally litigated before Wisconsin courts.

Mike serves as a Chapter 7 Trustee in the Eastern District of Wisconsin having been appointed by the United States Department of Justice, Office of United States Trustee for Region 11. As Trustee, Mike presides over hundreds of Chapter 7 cases each year. Mike counsels individuals and businesses faced with bankruptcy on their financial options and how to protect their rights under the United States Bankruptcy Code. Mike has successfully completed several advanced litigation training programs in Bankruptcy and Consumer Rights Litigation. Mike is a proud member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys and the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees. Mike uses his knowledge of the bankruptcy code and local court procedures to help clients understand the new Bankruptcy Reform law to reorganize their personal and professional finances.

Mike is a committed subrogation professional active in the National Association of Subrogation Professionals (NASP) where he has served on the national board of directors. Mike was the founding chair of the Wisconsin Chapter of NASP having helped provide the basic building blocks for growth of the chapter which resulted in the Chapter being recognized nationally for its work for the Association. Mike has lectured on subrogation topics before in-house insurance company training programs as well as at industry related trade associations. Mike spoke on Worker Compensation Subrogation at the NASP national conference in Reno, Nevada in 2003, Bankruptcy Reform at the NASP national conference in Austin, Texas in 2005, and Foreclosure at the NASP national conference in Orlando, Florida in 2006. Mike has achieved the highest designation for excellence and experience in the subrogation industry as a Certified Subrogation Recovery Professional.

Mike is also an accomplished business professional. Mike serves on the board of directors for Landmark Credit Union, the largest credit union in Wisconsin with over $1.2 billion in assets. Mike was recently recognized as one of a select few credit union professionals that have achieved the prestigious designation of Certified Credit Union Director by completing a rigorous Executive Management and Training School at the prestigious London Business School in London, England. Mike also holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from Marquette University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Virginia Tech University.

Prior to founding his law firm, Mike founded and operated a successful public relations, political consulting and grassroots lobbying company called The Maxwell Group, Inc. Mike has a broad range of business experiences from his years of managing a consulting business that included clients ranging from: A T & T, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, BIPAC, American Highway Users Alliance, Northwest Airlines, Family and Freedom Foundation, the Health Benefits Coalition, and various state and national political campaigns. Mike advises these clients on grassroots lobbying efforts, fundraising campaigns, strategic and tactical planning of public relations campaigns.

Mike is licensed to practice by the Supreme Court of Wisconsin as well as the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. Mike's primary practice areas include: bankruptcy, consumer law, civil litigation, and business organizations.

Mike has been a frequent guest commentator for the television show Focus on Diversity which airs locally in Milwaukee. Mike has written a local blog for the community web-site, www.brookfieldnow.com.

Mike is also a veteran of the United States Military, serving four years in the U.S. Army and Virginia Army National Guard as an indirect fire light infantry soldier. Mike lives with Brookfield with his wife and three children.

Effective November 1, 2008, I opened my own law office in Brookfield, Wisconsin (in Waukesha County, a suburb of the City of Milwaukee). In addition to being more centrally situated to my personal client base, this move also reflects the fact that as my practice was increasingly focused on asset planning and debt reorganization, it resulted in my former law firm more frequently encountering conflicts of interest with business organizations and financial organizations it represented (or, desired to represent!).

Generally, I will continue to provide services in the following areas of concern as they tend to interact, and at the listed rates:

A. Personal/business debt reorganization/resolution. My services here are based on assisting clients either eliminating debt concerns that hamper their business, or in exiting the business under circumstances where protection of the owner's personal assets are maximized, to the extant legally possible. This involves the use of such tools as Chapter 7 and 11 bankruptcies; Chapter 128 state law liquidations: and personal asset protection plans. To that end, I am representing only a few area banking concerns [AnchorBank; NorStates Bank) to eliminate conflicts of interest which, far too often, may be influencing the vigor of representation offered by other firms in this locale. Fees in this practice area will range from $250 to $265 per hour.

B. Employment matters and litigation. For businesses, I offer services in responding to employee claims, and assisting in employment decisions where a claim potential exists. I also will counsel higher-compensated employees about exploring their options in conflict with their employer. To this area, I bring my experience as a former claims investigator for the Wisconsin Equal Rights Division and years of representing each side in - typically - contested employment disputes, where trials or administrative hearings are likely to occur. My litigation (courtroom work) matters will focus on misrepresentation, fraud and/or administrative code violations, such as deceptive business practices. Fees here will range from $225-$245, again driven by the complexity and breadth of the issues.

C. General business consulting, planning and setup matters, including subsidiary and affiliate implementation, as a means to protect the core business in the event a planned expansion or venture either fails, or is more successful than anticipated. Generally, these services will be at an hourly fee range of $200-225, based on the size and complexity of the client's project.

A note about the fee ranges: Generally, these ranges are markedly less than charged by similar practitioners with similar experience in the subject fields. Nor do I expect to increase them any time soon. The business model of a "downtown firm," with annual fee increases noted as
standard in their engagement letter is not one I care to follow. I have a long relationship with most all of my present client base; they expect effective service and I intend to keep my overhead under control to eliminate fee spiraling for such services.

It goes without saying that a business seeks customers that pay timely for fair services; but the larger you grow in the service fields, the harder it is to hold true to that goal . . . and other clients tend to suffer for the consequences of that growth. I am proud that my practice has been virtually client referral-based. After initial discussion on a matter, I quote a fee rate from the above ranges and confirm it by letter. I also charge as "expenses" only out-of-pocket fees (for legal filings, court reporter fees) and, occasionally, photocopying; scanning; mailing, if a large volume is handled on my end (versus being copied and issued at your own facilities).

Personally, I obtained the coveted A-V rating from Martindale-Hubbell (generally recognized as the foremost and longest-established lawyer evaluation service) back in 1991 (one of the first to achieve such at my former firm).

Prior to engaging in private practice, I served as a law clerk (legal researcher) to the Wisconsin Supreme Court after graduating cum laude from Marquette Law School, where I was one of the editors of its Law Review. During law school, I was employed as a field investigator for the Equal Rights Division (through a law school clinical program) of the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (investigating discrimination claims).

I have also been president of the Alumni Association for the Law School, and served two terms as its representative on the Marquette University National Alumni Association's Board of Directors. Early on, I was awarded the Volunteer Lawyer of the Year for the Milwaukee Young Lawyers' Association/Legal Action of Wisconsin joint program for supplying legal services to the community for complex employment matters; and still provide services on bankruptcy matters for its current program.

JANE E. PROBST presently specializes in the areas of family law, divorce, paternity, grandparent rights, custody, child support, juvenile law, termination of parental rights, adoptions and guardianships. Another specialty area is Equine Law, exclusively dealing with businesses, contracts and litigation related to horses. She not only has extensive experience as a trial lawyer, but is also a member of the Collaborative Divorce Council of Wisconsin with an objective of resolving divorces without the cost and acrimony of the standard litigation process. She was certified by University of Wisconsin as a Divorce Mediator in November, 2006.

For more than 19 years, she has had a variety of experience in other areas of law such as criminal defense, real estate and probate. She has successfully litigated family, civil, juvenile and criminal cases throughout Southeastern Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Waukesha, Jefferson, Washington, Racine, Kenosha, Walworth and Ozaukee counties. She has been successful in appeals before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and has argued before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. She has also represented clients in appeals before the United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit. In the summer of 1990, Jane was also published in the American Journal of Family Law.

Main Office:
320 East Buffalo St.
Suite 700
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-271-3400

Waukesha Office:
20720 Watertown Rd.
Suite 202
Waukesha, WI 53186
Phone: 262-782-5200

Dan has tried over seventy cases to juries, including automobile accident cases for defendants and plaintiffs, medical malpractice cases for plaintiffs and defendants and coverage questions for insurers and insured's.

Dan has represented and obtained recoveries for several minors in significant injury cases and has tried punitive damage cases to juries as well. He has represented clients in hundreds of mediations where he has helped them resolve matters without the expense and uncertainty of trial. Dan also represents clients in Arbitration hearings and represents businesses and professionals in transactional and non litigation of matters, including negotiating and drafting shareholder, member and non-compete agreements, and the acquisition and development of new facilities. Dan uses a trial lawyer's eye to help his clients avoid future litigation, while addressing the matter at hand.

Mr. O'Brien served two elected terms on the Wauwatosa School Board from 2001 to 2007, a district with a $65 million dollar budget, 7,000 students and over 800 employees. He has lectured at the Marquette University Dental School on subject of professional liability and has likewise lectured and spoken at seminars on topics ranging from material misrepresentation and fraud in the insurance claims process to the recovery of diminished value of an automobile in third party cases.

Main Office:
320 East Buffalo St.
Suite 700
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Phone: 414-271-3400

Waukesha Office:
20720 Watertown Rd.
Suite 202
Waukesha, WI 53186
Phone: 262-782-5200

Wisconsin personal injury lawyer Frank Pasternak is managing partner of Pasternak & Zirgibel S.C., award-winning plaintiffs personal injury attorneys in Wisconsin. In 2008 and 2007, he was honored by "Super Lawyers" (top 5% of all Wisconsin attorneys) in Milwaukee Magazine. In 2006, he was recognized as a Wisconsin "Super Lawyer Rising Star" (top 2.5% of all Wisconsin lawyers under 40) in Milwaukee Magazine and in 2005, he was voted by CNI Newspapers as "Best Attorney." Pasternak & Zirgibel focuses exclusively on plaintiffs' personal injury and wrongful death litigation, including car accident, asbestos, malpractice and mesothelioma cases. Frank Pasternak has litigated lawsuits nationwide, including a trial against Walmart that resulted in a post-trial recovery of $11,400,000.00.