Awards

Advocate of the Year Award

Purpose: To recognize the member with the most defense work success of the prior calendar year.
Selection Process: Call for nominees sent to the membership. Nominees reviewed and awardee selected by the Board of Directors.

 

Distinguished Professional Service Award

Purpose: To recognize a longtime member who has given consistent effort to grow and improve WDC.
Selection Process: Call for nominees sent to the membership. Nominees reviewed and awardee selected by the Board of Directors.

 

Government Service Award

Purpose: To recognize an individual for service to the public in a governmental capacity.
Selection Process: Selected by the WDC Board of Directors.
Award was sunset in 2020.

 

Publication Award

Purpose: To recognize a well-written cutting edge article written for the WDC Journal.
Selection Process: Selected by the Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal Editor.

 

Young Lawyer Award

Purpose: To recognize a young lawyer (up to 10 years past their first bar admission date) who has shown not only excellence in their work and achievements in their career to date.
Selection Process: Selected by the WDC Board of Directors.
 

COMMITTEE AWARDS

Purpose: To recognize outstanding effort, participation, and engagement in committee activities.
Selection Process: Call for nominees sent to the respective committee chairs. Committee chairs make a recommendation to the Awards Committee. Nominees are reviewed and awardees are selected by the Awards Committee.

Award Recipients

Advocate of the Year Award

2024 - John Shull Jr, Maffei, Kramer Shull Reeths, LLP
2023 - Wayne Maffei, Cross Jenks Mercer & Maffei, LLC
2022 - Gino Alia, Alia, DuMez & McTernan, S.C.
2021 - Sheila Sullivan, Bell, Moore & Richter, S.C.
2020 - David Pliner, Corneille Law Group, LLC
2019 - Andrea Goode, Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.
2018 - James Fredericks, Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.
2017 - Michael Gill, Hale, Skemp, Hanson, Skemp & Sleik
2016 - Jeff Nichols, Crivello Carlson, S.C.
2015 - Claude Covelli, Boardman & Clark, LLP

Distinguished Professional Service Award

2024 - Vince Scipior, Coyne, Schultz, Becker & Bauer, S.C.
2023 - Nicole Radler, Simpson & Deardorff, S.C.
2022 - Ariella Schreiber, Rural Mutual Insurance Co.
2021 - Heather Nelson, The Everson Law Firm
2020 - Carmelo Puglisi
2019 - Arthur Simpson, Simpson & Deardorff, S.C.
2018 - Matthew Yde, Strasser & Yde, S.C.
2017 - Jeff Leavell, Jeffrey Leavell, S.C.
2016 - Rollin Krafft, West Bend Mutual Insurance Co.
2015 - Terrence Berres, Franklin, WI
2014 - Laura Lyons, Bell, Moore & Richter, S.C.

Government Service Award
2019 - Hon. Richard J. Sankovitz, Milwaukee County
2018 - Hon. John Markson, Dane
2016 - Judge Faye Flancher, Racine County

Publication Award

2024 - Patricia Epstein Putney, Bell, Moore & Richter, S.C.
How to Approach Cases Involving Plaintiffs Whose Ongoing Pain Complaints Are Being Caused by Unrelated Conditions
2023 - Daniel Finerty, Lindner & Marsack, S.C. and Adam Fitzpatrick, Corneille Law Group, S.C. 
Defending Native American Clients and Their Carrier Partners – The Impact of Wisconsin’s Tribal Gaming Compacts
2022 - Maria del Pizzo Sanders, von Briesen & Roper, S.C.
The History of Mandatory Vaccinations in the United States and the Ongoing Debate Concerning the COVID-19 Vaccination for Employers
2021 - Michael Wirth and Abigail Hodgdon, Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.
Breach of Contract, Bad Faith, and the Impact of Dahmen and Brethorst, Winter 2020 Issue
2020 - Monte Weiss, Weiss Law Office, S.C.
A Perilous Decision: Steadfast Explains an Insurer’s Duty to Defend in the Multi-Insurer Context (and the Damages Available against a Breaching Insurer, Summer 2019 Issue
2019 - Crystal Uebelher, SECURA Insurance
What is Property Damage under a CGL Policy? A New Definition Emerges in Wisconsin Pharmacal v. Nebraska Cultures, Winter 2018 Issue
2018 - William Wick, Nash, Spindler, Grimstad & McCracken, LLP
Trial Practice Series: Opening Statements: A Preview of Coming Attractions, Summer 2017 Issue
2017 - Josh Johanningmeier, Godfrey & Kahn, S.C.
Non-Competes and Other Restrictive Covenants - Alive and Kicking in Wisconsin,
Summer 2016 Issue
2016 - Sam Hall, Jr., Crivello Carlson, S.C.
21st Century Policing: Ensuring that Transparency Does Not Undermine Public Safety, Winter 2015 Issue
2015 - Sara Mills, Crivello Carlson, S.C.
Friend Me or You’re Fired: An Overview of Wisconsin’s New Internet Privacy Protection Statue, Summer 2014 Issue
2014 - Timothy Weaver, Pretzel & Stouffer
Reptilian Litigation: A Guide to the So-Called Plaintiff's Revolution, Winter 2013 Issue

Young Lawyer Award
2023 - Morgan Stippel, Bell, Moore & Richter, S.C.
2022 - Charles Polk III, Crivello Carlson, S.C.