|
2024 DRI International Day of Service This year, the DRI Foundation held its third annual International Day of Service. DRI is the largest international membership organization of attorneys defending the interests of business and individuals in civil litigation. The DRI Foundation’s mission is to provide financial, educational, and volunteer aid to those in need. The DRI Foundation asked state and local defense organizations (SLDOs) to hold a service project of their choice anytime during the month of September. Participation in the DRI International Day of Service gives SLDOs an opportunity to give back to the community and strengthen relationships. The International Day of Service is one of the first steps the Foundation is taking to expand, better coordinate, and streamline the holistic betterment of the civil defense bar. WDC’s Women in the Law Committee held the following service projects in the Green Bay/Fox Valley, Madison, and Milwaukee areas as part of WDC’s involvement in DRI’s third annual International Day of Service. Green Bay/Fox Valley Area Service Project WDC members in Green Bay served 167 meals at the NEW Community Shelter as part of the 2024 DRI Day of Service initiative. The shelter’s Community Meal Program is available to any child or adult in need of a meal whether homeless or just in need. Volunteers and staff serve dinner 365 days a year and lunch on weekends and holidays.
Pictured Above: The Everson Law Firm Attorney Heather Nelson, Everson paralegal Lesley Bitters, Everson Attorney Todd Dickey, Todd’s son Miles, and Everson Attorney Nicole Morley. Madison Area Service Project As a part of the 2024 DRI Day of Service, Madison-based WDC members volunteered at WayForward Resources and tended to the garden so they will have a fresh start for next year! WayForward Resources provides access to nutritious food for people and support that helps people stay in their homes throughout Dane County.
Pictured Above From Left-to-Right: Delisa Claude (American Family), Megan McKenzie (American Family), Heather Mitchell (American Family), Mignon Coyne-Uselman (American Family), Grace Kulkoski (Wisconsin Mutual Insurance), Olga Zagadasnikova (American Family), Ashleigh Johnson (American Family), Vanja Pemac (Corneille Law), and Jimmy Cimermancic (Corneille Law).
Milwaukee Area Service Project A group of Milwaukee-area attorneys volunteered at Kinship Food Center for the DRI Day of Service. The women assisted customers to shop during the Tuesday “food center hours,” where a hot meal is also served, and organized a food drive of Kinship’s “highly-sought” food items. The group consisted of Melissa Weinstein, Hanna Kolberg, Mollie Kugler, and Christy Brooks of von Briesen & Roper, S.C., Sarah Kidd, Racine Assistant Corporation Counsel, Margaret Krei of the Scopelitis Law Firm, and Taylor Van Zeeland of Simpson & Deardorff.
Stay tuned to hear about other volunteer events taking place throughout the state as part of this and other initiatives! Author Biographies: Heather Nelson is President and Shareholder of Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm, S.C., in Green Bay. She currently serves as WDC President, having served on the Board of Directors and Executive Committee as well. Heather is an experienced trial attorney, having successfully tried cases before juries in state and federal courts throughout Wisconsin and Illinois. She obtained her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in Chicago and launched her legal career in the Chicago area. Heather became licensed to practice law in Wisconsin in 2000, defending cases in both Illinois and Wisconsin. Joining The Everson Law Firm in 2016 brought Heather back home to her Green Bay roots. Her practice areas include motor vehicle accident, premises liability, wrongful death, and insurance coverage. Heather has been active in presenting CLE topics at WDC conferences, for the State Bar of Wisconsin, and at the North Central Region Trial Academy. Megan L McKenzie is in-house counsel at American Family Insurance. She obtained her JD in 2008 from the Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She is the Vice Chair of the Women in the Law Committee, received the 2023 WDC Women in the Law Committee Award, is a member of the WDC Board of Directors, and is the current Secretary-Treasurer. Mollie T. Kugler is a shareholder in the Litigation and Risk Management Practice Group at von Briesen & Roper, S.C. in Milwaukee. She focuses her practice on representing and counseling insurance companies in litigation and disputes. Mollie graduated from Georgetown University, cum laude, in 2008. She earned her JD from Fordham University in 2022. She is admitted to practice in Wisconsin and Illinois state courts, the eastern and western federal district courts in Wisconsin, the central and northern federal district courts in Illinois, the eastern federal district court in Michigan, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. In addition to WDC, Mollie is a member of the Defense Research Institute, the National Association of Women Lawyers, the Association for Women Lawyers, the State Bar of Wisconsin, and the Milwaukee Bar Association. She also serves as Georgetown’s Milwaukee-area Chair and Alumni Interviewer for the Georgetown University Alumni Admissions Program. Mollie was selected by The Best Lawyers in America© in Insurance Law in 2022. |
