I grew up on the southside of Milwaukee going to Catholic school, playing tons of baseball, and working at my parents’ ice cream shop at the age of 12. I added a job selling shoes at a local shoe store during high school to help make ends meet for my family. It’s at these jobs I learned at a young age the value of hard work, developing relationships with people, and the art of selling. As the second person to go to college (after my older sister) and the first person to go to law school in my family, I thought a law degree would propel me to a career as a progressive politician. But after clerking for a Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice after graduating from law school, working at big silk-stalking corporate firm, and then taking a leave to run for the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2004 and losing, what I was really meant to do found me. I was recruited to join the firm I’ve been at over 20 years, Cannon & Dunphy, by an attorney I met during the State Assembly campaign. Everything happens for a reason – it’s crazy – and I’m so lucky. I’ve been fortunate to be trained and mentored by Inner Circle member Pat Dunphy. I credit his mentorship for the successes I’ve had including the 2017 Wisconsin Trial Lawyer of the Year, being a member of ABOTA, as well as a member of the International Society of Barristers (ISOB). And I got to itch my political bug after serving as the 2023 President of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ) and continue to do so as co-chair of WAJ’s Legislative Task Force – so I get to take our fight in the courtroom to Wisconsin’s capitol in Madison.
And here’s a story that will tell you a little bit about me and my family: During the summer of 1994 I interned for a member of Congress in Washington, D.C. 1994 was the summer of O.J. and the white Bronco – and Coolio’s hit “Fantastic Voyage” – and Forrest Gump. One night I may have been stumbling back after a night out with my friends and stopped at a palm reader at like 2 a.m. The palm reader said I’d meet my wife in the next year and have four to six children. I met my wife Sherry eight months later (at a bar – another good story) and we have five children – four boys and our little a girl. Crazy.
Finally, as much as I love being a trial lawyer, if I could do it all over again I wouldn’t be a politician like I originally thought. Rather, I’d be a late-night talk show host, pro golfer, or late 80s to early/mid 90s alternative rock lead singer (think INXS – or maybe even a little Jane’s Addiction – and definitely some Beastie Boys).
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Blair Warner · Chin Pandya Beer or Wine? Impact of PE on the Legal IndustryCoffee & Snacks
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Kurt ZanerVoir Dire in 30 Minutes or LessCoffee & Snacks
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Ted Wacker · Doug Wacker Gig Delivery Companies – What They Aren’t Doing: Background Checks & Permits After Proposition 22Lunch
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Dan Ambrose · Przemek Lubecki Rapport Voir Dire, The First 5 MinutesCoffee & Snacks
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Jason WaechterMotorcycles 101: Handling Your First Motorcycle Injury Case with ConfidenceCoffee & Snacks
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Jerry BowmanBefore the Evidence Dies: the First 30 Days of PI Investigation Breakfast
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George MoschopoulosAsking for Real Money in Employment Cases: Putting a Number on DignityCoffee & Snacks
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Brian PanishMaximizing the Value of AmputationsCoffee & Snacks
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Corey SudaHandling and Trying Your First Trucking CaseLunch
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Al Foeckler · Dan Ambrose Black Hat Justice Witness Preparation and Direct Examination LectureCoffee & Snacks
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Kimball Jones9-Figure Framing: Creativity on Every CrossCoffee & Snacks
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Dirk DerrickLearning and Leveraging Truth for Your Clients, Your Reputation, and Your Bottom LineBreakfast
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Sach Oliver · Joe Fried Connecting with Witnesses Thru Uncommon and Crazy TacticsCoffee & Snacks
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Jay Vaughn · Ed Ciarimboli Locking in Killer Testimony with Visuals (4 Different Cases)Coffee & Snacks
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Robyn Wishart · Phillip Miller “The Art of the Ask: Rhetorical Questions That Frame and Clean Questions That Unlock”Lunch
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Corey Suda · Jay Vaughn Deposition Questions and Demonstratives Proving the Invisible InjuryCoffee & Snacks
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Joe Camerlengo · Ed Ciarimboli “Using Your Deposition to Establish Control to Counter the Independent Contractor Defense”Coffee & Snacks
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Carl Solomon · Phillip Miller “AI-Driven Prep, Strategy, and Execution – The Next Level of Depositions”Breakfast
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Dan AmbrosePresentation Skills, Bring Your Case to LifeCoffee & Snacks
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Taylor AsenNegotiating Fast and Slow: Maximizing Case Value Without Leaving Money on the TableCoffee & Snacks
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Jennifer Russell · Arya Tahmassebi Same Facts, Different Verdict: The Power of FramingLunch
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Evan OshanHow I Got Past Government Immunity and Obtained a $30.5 Million Verdict with Non-Economic DamagesCoffee & Snacks
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Sagi ShakedCommon Excuses/Defenses in Auto casesCoffee & Snacks
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Michael Karp · Robert Welcenbach Winning Systems for Trial