We are proud to announce that Attorneys Russ Golla, Ron Skrenes, and Nadine Davy have been named 2019 Super Lawyers.  Super Lawyers is a rating service of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high-degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The selection process includes independent research, peer nominations and peer evaluations.. Only 5% of all active attorneys, both public and private, comprise this prestigious list.  In addition, Attorneys Brent Jacobson and Dan Schmeeckle were listed as 2019 Rising Stars.  To be eligible for inclusion in Rising Stars, a candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for 10 years or less. Only 2.5% of the state’s attorneys are selected as Rising Stars.

Russ Golla (Super Lawyers: 2006 – 2019)

Russ is a trial attorney who spent the first 15 years of his practice focusing on defense work then switched plaintiff work, giving him a very balanced perspective. He is Board Certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and now focuses on complex trials and appellate cases.  He also devotes much of his time to auto and other product liability cases.

Ron Skrenes (Super Lawyers: 2011-2019)

Ronald Skrenes is a business attorney who represents large, middle-sized and small businesses located throughout central Wisconsin. He has been directly involved in the largest merger and acquisition transactions in Portage County. As an attorney and Certified Public Accountant, he understands the complexities and the tax ramifications of business transactions. His business law services include general business law, taxation, and mergers and acquisitions.

Nadine Davy (Super Lawyers 2019)

Nadine Davy is a family law attorney who represents clients on custody and placement issues and the multiple financial aspects of divorce, including maintenance, child support and property division.  Nadine is also a divorce mediator who guides couples through the complexities of divorce, assisting, facilitating and encouraging parties to reach a mutual agreement.

Brent Jacobson (Rising Stars: 2014 – 2019)

Brent Jacobson is a litigation attorney who focuses on a unique mix of insurance defense, personal injury and business litigation.  Outside of litigation, Brent has also handled arbitrations and mediation on behalf of business clients under the rules of the American Arbitration Association and the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution.

Dan Schmeeckle (Rising Stars: 2019)

Dan Schmeeckle is a civil litigation attorney who practices in the areas of worker’s compensation, arbitration, personal injury, business litigation and employment law. He also has experience drafting complex commercial contracts.

As part of the 2017-19 State Budget, the Wisconsin State Legislature repealed a portion of the personal property tax formerly collected by local governments and dispersed to cities, villages, counties and school districts. To account for this over $70 million loss in local tax revenue, the State Legislature also agreed to backfill the loss in the form of state aid.

New state law required the Department of Revenue (DOR) to collect tax levy information from local governments so the state would know what to distribute to cities, villages, school districts and counties. The DOR created a formula that it felt would approximate the former personal property tax levies. Unfortunately, the formula resulted in substantial misallocations of tax revenue for certain communities with tax incremental finance districts, which are special tax districts created by local governments to generate development.

Numerous municipalities throughout Wisconsin took issue with the DOR in late 2018 when estimates of aid under its formula were released. In October 2018, the City of Mosinee, represented by Attorney Jacobson, became the first community in Wisconsin to file suit against the DOR to compel it to follow the plain language of the statute and preclude it from using the formula of its own creation. This would require the DOR to collect actual tax levy information from local governments to ensure that state aid was sent to the right tax entities.

In June 2019, Judge Huber of Marathon County found that the DOR’s use of a formula was contrary to state law and declared that the City of Mosinee had been shorted nearly $50,000 in state aid. Finding that Mosinee’s case applied equally to all other communities in Wisconsin, Judge Huber went on to issue a statewide injunction prohibiting the DOR from using its formula anywhere in Wisconsin.

Attorney Jacobson was honored to represent the City of Mosinee in achieving a result that benefits all local governments throughout Wisconsin. The DOR chose not to appeal the decision and is in the process of taking steps to comply with the decision statewide.

Attorney Jeffery Raymond has joined the Boys & Girls Club of Portage County Board of Directors.  Jeff was a “big brother” as an undergrad, spending a few hours a week with his “little brother.”  Jeff has described this time as humbling and rewarding. Because of this experience, he is determined to fulfill the Boy & Girls Club’s motto which is, “To inspire and enable all youth, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible, and caring community members.”

August 1, 2019 was a beautiful sunny summer day in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, but Attorneys Nadine Davy, Donna Ginzl and Jeffrey Raymond were inside the Stone Harbor Resort diligently learning about Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Trauma Informed Care (TIC).  This presentation was on day one of the three-day annual Door County Family Law Workshop.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, “Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a tremendous impact on future violence victimization and perpetration, and lifelong health and opportunity.  Working together, we can help create neighborhoods, communities, and a world in which every child can thrive.”

The “ACEs” presentation provided our attorneys with a lot of valuable information, tips and tools for assisting their adult clients who have experienced ACEs. As well as tools for how trauma informed care can help minimize the impact on their clients going through the family law process.  In addition, the presentation addressed strategies to help minimize the negative impact that adversarial litigation may have on our clients’ children.