2025 Spring Committee Awards

The WDC Spring Committee Awards recognize the talent, effort, and accomplishments of our incredible committee members and volunteer leaders. Congratulations to the following award recipients who will be recognized during the WDC 2025 Spring Conference on April 10-11, 2025!

Amicus Committee Award Recipient: Brian Anderson

Congratulations to Brian Anderson for being selected by the Amicus Committee and the Awards Committee for the 2025 Amicus Committee Award!

Brian was the chair of the Amicus Committee for a number of years during which the Committee participated in a number of appeals before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Wisconsin Supreme Court in support of WDC members before recently stepping back from the Chair role. The nature of the Committee is that we never know when a request will come in, which requires flexibility to read and assess the materials in the case at issue, and Brian always made time no matter the challenges on his own calendar. Brian guided the Committee in consistently applying guidelines for accepting a case while still valuing the input of all members. The Amicus Committee thanks Brian for his years of leadership. 

Brian is an attorney at Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm, S.C. in Green Bay. He practices in the areas of insurance defense, insurance coverage, and medical negligence defense, and handles appeals in state and federal courts. Brian is an experienced trial attorney who defends insurance companies and insureds, litigates insurance coverage issues, and practices appellate advocacy in state and federal courts. He also defends physicians and hospitals in civil litigation and administrative actions.

Brian graduated with high honors from the Claude W. Pettit College of Law at Ohio Northern University, where he was Editor-in-Chief of the Law Review, a member of the Moot Court Board of Advocates, and was inducted into the Willis Society, the highest academic honor society at the College of Law. Brian began his legal career as the law clerk and legal advisor to the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Rwanda. He spent one year living in Kigali and working at the Supreme Court and supporting a USAID-funded project supporting promoting reforms to laws and legal institutions in Rwanda.

Prior to joining The Everson Law Firm, Brian was an Assistant Professor of Law teaching international and comparative law subjects, courses in legal research, and a required first-year course at the College of Law at Ohio Northern University. He was also engaged in law reform projects as a rule of law advisor in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Bylaws Committee Award Recipient: Caleb Gerbitz

Congratulations to Caleb Gerbitz for being selected by the Bylaws Committee and the Awards Committee for the 2025 Bylaws Committee Award!

Caleb has been an integral part of the Bylaws Committee since it was formed. He has attended nearly every monthly Committee meeting. He comes to the meetings with great ideas and a positive attitude. He has graciously agreed to serve as Vice Chair and has been the Committee’s scribe for the purpose of documenting the rationale behind our proposed Bylaws changes. He more than deserves this recognition. 

Caleb is an attorney in Meissner, Tierney, Fisher & Nichols, S.C.’s litigation practice group. He focuses on assisting clients in complex commercial, insurance, employment, and appellate matters. Caleb brings to his work a dedication to client service and a focus on providing skillful representation throughout a dispute—from pre-litigation, to trial, and through appeal if necessary. 

In addition to his legal practice, Caleb makes a point of closely monitoring Wisconsin’s appellate courts. He authors a Substack column, Appellate Approach, which features regular updates on civil cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Caleb also co-hosts a monthly “Up for Review” segment on the MTFN Podcast in which he and a colleague discuss the latest developments in Wisconsin’s appellate system. In practice, Caleb leverages his expertise in Wisconsin’s appellate system to secure successful outcomes for his clients, both at the trial court level and on appeal. 

Before joining Meissner Tierney, Caleb clerked for Justice Brian Hagedorn of the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 2020 to 2022. He graduated summa cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where he also earned a certificate in conflict resolution and served as head managing editor of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. Caleb previously served as a policy advisor in the Wisconsin State Senate and as a master-at-arms in the United States Navy Reserve.