Biographies

Linda Albert is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.  She received her Master’s Degree from UW-Madison in Social Work. She has professional assessment/treatment/referral competencies in the areas of addictions, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, trauma and illness impacted by stress.  Linda has worked over the past 25 years as an administrator, consultant, trainer and psychotherapist in a variety of settings including providing services to impaired professionals.  She has done multiple presentations for conferences at the local, state and national level. Currently Linda is employed by the State Bar of Wisconsin as the WisLap Coordinator.

Sally E. Anderson is Vice President-Claims at Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company in Madison, Wisconsin.  Sally practiced law in Milwaukee for 15 years prior to joining WILMIC, concentrating on commercial real estate, contracts and small business representation.  She is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Dane County Bar Association, and an associate member of the Milwaukee Bar Association.  She currently chairs the Law Office Management Section Board, and is a former member and chair of the State Bar Convention Committee, and a contributing special topic author to “The Lawyer’s Desk Guide to Preventing Legal Malpractice”, published by the ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability.

Sarah Blackwell is a solo practitioner based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her practice focuses exclusively on immigration law. Most of her cases involve family-based immigration, waivers of inadmissibility and removal proceedings. Although her practice is State-wide, the majority of her clients are from the Green Bay-Beaver Dam-Kenosha triangle. Sarah also volunteers her time on a regular basis to immigration clinics through Voces de la Frontera and the Marquette University Law School. She has presented several workshops on immigration law issues through the State Bar of Wisconsin and often provides advice and guidance to fellow attorneys practicing criminal law and family law.

Corrine Bultman is Vice President of Bultman Financial Services, Inc, focusing on individual and group life, disability and health insurance.  In addition to working with clients on insurance Corrine is securities licensed and helps young professionals with their retirement planning needs. Corrine is a graduate of the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, where she captained her crew team. She worked in public relations for a national non-profit organization before joining Bultman Financial. 

Ralph Bultman is VP/Treasurer of Bultman Financial Services, Inc. and has over 30 years experience in the financial services industry.  He previously served as Director of Financial Planning Services for Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. He began his career as an auditor at Arthur Young & Company and also spent five years with MGIC Investment Corporation. Ralph is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA), Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants (WICPA), and the Milwaukee and Waukesha Estate Planning Councils. He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Rick Borstein, a Business Development Manager specializing in the Legal Market for Adobe Systems Incorporated, is an Adobe Certified Expert in Acrobat. Rick is a member of the American Bar Association and International Legal Technology Association. He has been a featured speaker at the American Bar Association’s annual Techshow, LegalTech East, LegalTech West, the National Solo and Small Firm Conference, International Legal Technology Association Conference and a variety of state and local bar conferences including the California Bar Association Conference, Missouri State Bar Solo and Small Firm Conference and many others. Rick’s AcroLaw Blog is a popular destination for those interested in the legal application of Adobe Acrobat. The blog may be found at http://blogs.adobe.com/acrolaw and contains more than seventy-five illustrated how-to articles.

Jim Calloway is the Director of the Oklahoma Bar Association's Management Assistance Program and served as co-chair of ABA TECHSHOW 2005 and the first two GPSSF National Solo and Small Firm Conferences in 2006 and 2007. He frequently writes and speaks on legal technology issues and has  been fortunate enough to be asked to speak at several national conferences, including the American Bar Association Annual Meetings from 1999 through 2009, ABA TECHSHOW 2000 through 2009 and many, many more national law-related conferences.  His articles have been published in Lawyers Weekly USA, Law Practice Management magazine, Law Practice Today, Law Technology Today, Legal Management magazine, Law Technology News, and GPSolo, as well as many state and local bar association publications. He was recently honored with an induction as a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management.

Kent Carnell is a shareholder with the Madison firm of Lawton & Cates, S.C., where he also serves as President.  Kent’s practice is concentrated in the areas of personal injury, business disputes and construction litigation.  He has been certified as a civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy.  Kent was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1970 and has also been admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin.  Kent received his B.S. degree in 1967 and his J.D. in 1970, both from the University of Wisconsin.  He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Wisconsin Association for Justice, and the James E. Doyle Inns of Court.  Kent served on the Board of Governors of the State Bar from 2001 to 2006 and was Chair from 2005 to 2006.  In addition, he has served on the Salvation Army Advisory Board from 1979 to the present, serving as chairman from 2000 to 2002. He was also a founder of the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, and served on the Board from 1986 to 1999. 

Dustin Cole has worked with hundreds of firms to help them increase revenues, and has trained over twenty thousand attorneys across the United States in how to build more successful and satisfying practices. He brings more than 35 years of experience in every phase of business management, business development and team development to his work with the legal profession.

Terry Dunst came to the practice of law after two successful careers. After graduating from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a degree in Education, he taught high school English for a number of years. He then went to work for the software division of ICOM-Rockwell International. His work took him around the world, including a three year assignment in England as manager of the UK office. After fifteen years in the software business with Rockwell and once his children were grown, Mr. Dunst enrolled in the University of St. Thomas School of Law, graduating cum laude with a Juris Doctor. During law school, he worked for the City of St. Paul City Attorney's office, and also worked as a law clerk for Bakke Norman in Spring Valley and New Richmond. Mr. Dunst is a member of Bakke Norman's transactional team and focuses on municipal law, real estate, estate planning, and probate. Mr. Dunst has presented CLE's for the Wisconsin Bar on the topics of using the internet for legal research, metadata, e-discovery, and technology and ethics.

Michelle Fitzgerald is an attorney and founder of Horizons Law Group, LLC (formerly Legal Horizons, LLC). She practices family law, including mediation and collaborative law, real estate, estate planning and new business start-ups. Michelle is on the board of the Better Business Bureau of Wisconsin as well as an officer (Secretary). She is also on the board of the Wauwatosa Business Improvement District (Tosa Village). Michelle is a member of the West Suburban (Wauwatosa) Chamber of Commerce, Milwaukee Bar, AWL ,and active with Junior Achievement and the Marquette Legal Clinic. Michelle was a past high school teacher for MPS and was a past president of the school management council. She is currently active on the school management council for her children's school in MPS. Michelle works in the Wauwatosa and Hartford offices and also meets clients in the Kenosha office.

Jay Foonberg is one of the most highly sought after CLE educators in the nation and author of “How to Start and Build a Law Practice and How to Get and Keep Good Clients”. A founder of the ABA Law Practice Management Section, he has been honored with the Harrison Tweed Award as outstanding post-law school legal educator in the United States, the Sam Smith Medal for Lifetime Achievement by the Law Practice Management Section of the ABA, the Don Riklis award for Lifetime Achievement by the General Practice Solo and Small Firm Division of the ABA, the Law Student Division of The ABA for Life Time Achievement Award, and the Lou Goldberg Award as the Most Outstanding Attorney-CPA in the United States by the American Association of Attorney-CPA's.

Angela Foy is an attorney at Halling & Cayo, S.C. in Milwaukee, practicing family law and civil litigation.  She graduated from Marquette University Law School in 2006, and the University of Notre Dame, earning both her Bachelor's and Master's degrees.  Angela has represented parties in cases involving divorce, legal separation, and paternity.  She has been appointed and served as a guardian ad litem for minor children.  She is a member of the Society of Family Lawyers, the Leander J. Foley, Jr. Matrimonial Chapter of the American Inns of Court and the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin.

Mark Goldstein is a solo practitioner, trusted advisor, and problem solver in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His practice focuses on labor and employment law, business litigation, and implementing best practices and other proactive measures designed to avoid the risks and costs of litigation altogether. Mark is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin in Madison and the University of Wisconsin Law School. He is licensed in Wisconsin, Illinois, and in a number of Federal District Courts and Courts of Appeal.

Dayten Hanson primarily practices in the areas of bankruptcy, insolvency, and delinquent taxes. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Wisconsin - Madison in 1985. He sits on the board of directors of the Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditors' Rights section of the State Bar. He is a former adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School, and he is a frequent lecturer on the subjects of bankruptcy and the discharge of taxes through bankruptcy. He has represented hundreds of commercial and consumer debtors and creditors in diverse legal issues ranging from simple Chapter 7 bankruptcies to complex commercial litigation.

Lori J. Kannenberg, CLM is the firm administrator of the Madison law firm of Lawton & Cates, S.C. and is responsible for human resources, finance, public relations, facilities management and other business functions including the overall operations of the law firm. Ms. Kannenberg graduated magna cum laude from Edgewood College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a minor in Psychology. She earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Cardinal Stritch University and achieved the Certified Legal Manager designation from the Association of Legal Administrators.

Ross L. Kodner is one of the world’s best known, most awarded and longest continually
serving legal technology and law practice management consultants. Ross brings a background as an attorney, having graduated from Marquette University Law School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1986 where he was an academic scholarship winner and member of the Law Review. He founded Wisconsin’s MicroLaw, an independent legal technology and law practice management consulting practice in 1985.

Ross is a frequent speaker on a broad range of legal technology topics and has conducted over 1400 CLE sessions. He is also a frequent writer, having authored over 600 articles on legal technology, law practice management.

Ross has received an unprecedented six awards from the industry’s Technolawyer Community. In 1999 he was honored as the “Technolawyer Consultant of the Year” - a lifetime achievement award and the industry’s highest honor. He was also a member of the ABA TECHSHOW Executive Board for five years, held every Spring in Chicago. He founded and co-chaired the ABA GP|Solo Division’s Annual National Solo & Small Firm Conference in 2006 and 2007 and founded and chaired the first Wisconsin Solo & Small Firm Conference in 2007. His blog, Ross Ipsa Loquitur, was recognized in 2007 as one of the world’s most influential legal blogs and was honored again in 2008 as one of the ABA’s 100 Most Important Legal Blogs in the Technology category.

Jeffrey S. Krause is a Wisconsin attorney and is the owner and founder of Krause Practice Management, LLC, which provides technology advice and service to law firms of all sizes, with a focus on the efficient use of technology in the law office. After beginning his career in private practice, Mr. Krause began assisting other attorneys to better use technology in their law practice. Since 1998, he has assisted hundreds of law firms through custom configurations, training and general support. His extensive background includes knowledge of document management, e-mail systems, litigation support, time and billing, web marketing and office suite applications. Jeff is a 1996 graduate of the Marquette University Law School. He also holds a B.A. and M.A. in History from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Katja Kunzke is the President and CEO of the Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company (WILMIC). She joined WILMIC in 1989 as head of the claims department and held that position until 2003. Katja is a former member of the ABA Committee on Lawyers Professional Liability in addition to being a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Dane County Bar Association.

Brenda Majewski is the Director of Operations for Kohn Law Firm in Milwaukee and has been with the firm since 1976. She is a member of the National and Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators, having served three terms as state President. She is the 2005 recipient of WALA's Award of Excellence, and currently serves on the Vendor Relations committee. She is a member of the Commercial Law League of America, currently serving as a member of the Executive Council of the Creditor's Rights Section.  She edited the section’s newsletter Free Press previously.  She also chairs the National Education Committee of the League, and is currently Chair-Elect of the Midwestern Region.  She is a frequent speaker on law office management and collection related topics. 

Jack Newton is the President and co-founder of Themis Solutions Inc., the provider of Clio, a Vancouver, British Columbia, based web services company dedicated to providing online, easy-to-use, effective, and affordable practice management solutions to the small firm marketplace.  Jack holds a masters degree in computing science from the University of Alberta. He is a recognized expert on legal Software-as-a-Service, and has been interviewed on the topic for the nationally recognized Lawyer2Lawyer podcast and presented on the topic at CLE events across the country.

Dan O’Brien is a solo, general practitioner.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his law degree from Southern Illinois University.  Before entering private practice he served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Jackson County, Assistant City Attorney for the City of Carbondale and as Corporation Counselor for the City of Alton in Illinois.  He is admitted to practice in Illinois, Wisconsin, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Illinois State Bar Association and the State Bar of Wisconsin. He is a member of the General Practice Solo and Small Firm Section Council of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Solo and Small Firm Practice Committee of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He currently serves as chairperson of the Wisconsin Solo and Small Firm Conference.

Nerino Petro is the Practice Management Advisor for the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Law Practice Management Assistance Program (LOMAP). The mission of LOMAP is to help attorneys operate their offices more effectively and efficiently. As a practicing Illinois attorney for 16 years, as well as CEO/Senior Legal Technologist for CenCom which he founded in 1994, he is aware of the practice management issues facing attorneys throughout Wisconsin.

He is a member of the ABA GP, Solo and Small Firm Section Technology Committee and served on the ABA TECHSHOW Advisory Board – Tech University Track for 2005. He is also the Chair for the ISBA Committee on Legal Technology. He is a regular contributor to local, state and national publications and also provides information on legal technology, practice management and items of interest to lawyers on his blawg at www.compujurist.com.

Timothy J. Pierce is Ethics Counsel for the State Bar of Wisconsin.  He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School. Mr. Pierce was previously a Deputy Director at the Office of Lawyer Regulation.  He has also been employed as the Ethics Administrator for Milbank, Hadley, Tweed & McCloy, in New York, and as an Assistant State Public Defender in Racine. He is a frequent speaker on matters of professional ethics.

Jeffrey A. Pitman leads Pitman, Kyle & Sicula’s nursing home neglect and abuse practice. Mr. Pitman is a devoted advocate of resident’s rights and the quality of healthcare for the vulnerable and frail of Wisconsin. Because of his expertise, the Wisconsin Association for Justice recently asked Mr. Pitman to testify before the Wisconsin State Senate Public Health, Senior Issues, Long Term Care and Privacy Committee regarding the standard of quality care and holding nursing homes accountable. Mr. Pitman’s ultimate goal remains improving the nursing home system as a whole.

Mr. Pitman is an active member on the Board of Directors for Wisconsin Association for Justice, the Elder Law section of the Wisconsin State Bar, the Nursing Home Litigation Group of the American Association for Justice, the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association. More recently, Mr. Pitman was elected Treasurer of the Wisconsin Association for Justice (formerly WATL). He lectures extensively on nursing home abuse and neglect and has authored numerous articles in the area of personal injury litigation.

Steve Reige is currently president of Ovation Leadership and a partner with Dean Fowler Associates. He has acquired a diverse portfolio of experiences during 30-plus years of working with senior leaders in a wide array of occupations and industries. He has helped many private and public sector organizations through key strategic roles in leadership, human resources, financial services, and marketing. Steve has become well respected for his group facilitation, leadership, and family business acumen and has served on the boards of several private, public and charitable organizations and is currently serving on the Boards of MEMBERS Mutual Funds and Ultra Series Funds and Stanek Tool Corporation.  His new book, "Save Me A Seat At The Table - Maximizing HR's Strategic Potential" is expected to be released by publishers soon.

Kathleen Reiley is a solo practitioner in Madison, Wisconsin, practicing primarily in family law and areas associated with it.  She is currently serving on the Wisconsin Lawyer Assistance Program (WisLAP) Committee through the State Bar and was awarded the WisLAP Volunteer Award in May 2009.   Previously, she served as President of the Dane County Bar Association and as a member of the District 9 Committee for the Office of Lawyer Regulation. Periodically she is a guest lecturer at the UW Madison Law School and as a presenter to organizations serving battered women and men. She is a 1995 graduate of the University of Iowa College of Law.

Sarah Ruffi earned her Bachelor's degree from Marquette University in marketing and finance, and soon after started working in her family's business as the Marketing Coordinator. Two years later, she went to UW-Whitewater and earned her MBA in marketing. Immediately after graduation, she entered Marquette University Law School and graduated in 1996. Since graduating from law school, she has been helping business professionals avoid pitfalls and improve their business practices.  Her practice focuses on the areas of business law (whether starting, buying and selling businesses, drafting contracts), residential and commercial real estate, landlord-tenant issues, civil litigation, collections, copyrights, trademarks and estate planning.

Elizabeth T Russell holds an undergraduate degree in music and earned her law degree from New York's Pace University. She is admitted to practice law in New York, Connecticut and Wisconsin. A former arts administrator, Elizabeth is a solo practitioner focusing on copyright, trademark and arts and entertainment law. She is the author of Art Law Conversations: A Surprisingly Readable Guide for Visual Artists. Her full bio appears on her website: www.erklaw.com.

Thomas R. Schumacher is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he received his undergraduate degree in Economics.  He continued at the University of Wisconsin Law School graduating in 1980.  He is one of the three original shareholders of Bakke Norman, S.C. where is works  with the firm’s municipal practice group representing several area municipalities, with a focus on municipal finances.  The remainder of his municipal practice focuses on commercial and industrial development.

Todd Scott is a recognized author and lectures nationally on the topics of malpractice, ethics, and practice management systems. Much of his duties include helping policyholders select and implement software systems appropriate to their particular practice. Mr. Scott has been with Minnesota Lawyers Mutual for 13 years and previously served as Attorney/Claims Representative and was the head of their technology subsidiary, Mutual Software. Currently he is their Vice President of Member Services and  blogs at AttorneysAtRisk.com.

Matt Shefchik, Senior Consultant and QTI Consulting, is involved in compensation and human resources management projects. Specific areas of concentration focus on employee and executive compensation, job evaluation, global pay development, succession planning, and HR metrics.  His experience in consulting includes technology, health care, manufacturing, not-for-profit, and banking industries.  Matt has also managed the compensation function at a large Madison-based insurer under outsourcing arrangements.  Matt graduated from University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Business with a Bachelors of Business Administration degree, double majoring in Management & Human Resources and Marketing.  He is active in the Society for Human Resource Management and holds his Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification.

Sarit Singhal started Superior Support Resources, Inc (SSR) in 1996 providing IT staffing for Harnischfeger and Morris Material Handling, LLC. In 2000 SSR migrated into full service IT service firm focused on small to midsized business located in South Eastern Wisconsin. He is part of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce, Council of Small Business Executives Roundtable, Venture Tech Network (VTN), Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators (WALA), and Wisconsin IT Leadership Association (WITLA).

Mark Slate is a partner with his father, Bill Slate, at Slate Law Offices, in Markesan, WI.  Markesan is a small community of 1,300 people located in Green Lake County.  Mark obtained his undergraduate at UW-Oshkosh and is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School (’99).  He has served as President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer of the Green Lake County Bar Association, serves on the Green Lake County Securities and Facilities Committee, the Wisconsin Council of Estate Planning Attorneys and has also served on the Member Benefits Committee of the State Bar.   

Timothy Stewart is an attorney and shareholder in the Metro Milwaukee Office of DeWitt Ross & Stevens, s.c., with an extensive practice in employee benefits matters. Some of these include retirement plan matters involving ERISA preemption, fiduciary duty, subrogation, and prohibited transactions. Additionally, Mr. Stewart is versed in the Internal Revenue Code and Treasury Regulations, including those relating to Section 125 plans and 401(k), profit sharing, ESOPs, and 403(b) retirement plans.  Finally, Mr. Stewart handles compliance issues with health plans in the areas of COBRA, HIPAA, and Wisconsin insurance laws as well as Wisconsin and federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) matters.  Mr. Stewart is also one of the only attorneys in Waukesha County who prepares qualified domestic relations orders (QDROs).

Sandy Swartzberg is an attorney at the DeWitt Ross & Stevens in their Metro Milwaukee Office in Brookfield. He focuses his law practice on closely held businesses and all issues related to family-owned enterprises. He is skilled in mergers and acquisitions, business structures, and business agreements of all kinds. A former court commissioner for Milwaukee County, Mr. Swartzberg is a barrister in the American Inns of Court Leander Foley chapter, and a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin sections on family law and corporate law. Mr. Swartzberg's acumen includes serving as general counsel for a national trades association, and as a director of four for-profit businesses and three nonprofit businesses.

Jenny Tarantino is the Human Resources Manager at Peterson, Johnson & Murray, S.C. and is responsible for all aspects of human resources within the firm. She graduated from Alverno College with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in Professional Communications and minoring in Business Management.  She earned her PHR (Professional in Human Resources) certification through the Society for Human Resources Management’s HR certification institute.  She is a member of SHRM and an active member in the Wisconsin Association of Legal Administrators  (WALA), where she currently serves on a number of committees, including State Bar Relations, Salary & Compensation and the Class Action newsletter for which she regularly writes articles. Jenny has 15 years of human resources experience in a number of different settings including engineering, healthcare and law.

Reid F. Trautz is the director of the Practice & Professionalism Center for American Immigration Lawyers Association, where he provides ethics guidance and practice management information and consulting services to members to help them improve their businesses and the delivery of legal services to their clients. He is a nationally-recognized author and speaker on practice management solutions and innovations. Reid is an active member of the ABA, currently serving on the ABA TECHSHOW Planning Board, and as a member of the GP Solo and Small Firm Division Technology Board. In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. He is admitted to the bars of Minnesota, Virginia, and the District of Columbia.

Thomas J. Watson is Senior Vice President and Director of Marketing and Communications at Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company.  He is a 1981 Marquette University graduate with a degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications, and a 2002 graduate of Marquette University Law School. He was in private practice in Madison, focusing primarily on Family Law, before joining Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual. Tom is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin and the Dane County Bar Association. He is also a member of the State Bar's Communications Committee. Tom worked in radio news and public relations prior to attending law school.