Civil Litigation

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In Wisconsin, Wis. Stat. section 101.11, known as the safe place statute, imposes a variety of duties on employers, owners of places of employment, and owners of public buildings. The statute, first enacted in 1911, is nonspecific as to the exact nature and extent of the duty required to render a premises “safe:” Every employer shall furnish employment which shall be safe for the employees therein and shall furnish a place of employment which shall be safe for employees

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Continue Reading Wisconsin’s Safe Place Statute: Methods and Processes Still Matter

If you are reading this blog, you probably have already suffered significant harm. Maybe you lost your business, suffered serious injuries, or are dealing with serious partnership disputes. But when you talk to lawyers about suing, you learn that Wisconsin law caps your damages at an amount far below what you actually lost.

These statutory damage caps may seem to prevent you from recovering fair compensation, and sometimes they do; but often, the reality is more…
Continue Reading Strategic Litigation for Getting Around Statutory Damage Caps in Wisconsin

After divorce, many fathers find themselves newly single and taking on a major parenting role. Between adjusting to new routines, managing work, and caring for your children full-time or part-time, you may feel stretched thin. The good news is that you are not alone. Thousands of Wisconsin fathers successfully share or manage custody every day.

Whether you have primary placement of your children or share custody equally, these practical tips from our family law attorney Kristin Leaf can…
Continue Reading 8 Tips for Fathers Who Are Single Parenting After Divorce

Milwaukee, WI child custody lawyerBy Attorney Kristin Leaf, Partner in the Family Law Department at GRGB

If a judge has appointed a guardian ad litem in your custody case, you may understandably feel some nervousness about this stranger who now has significant influence over what happens with your children. The GAL will investigate your family, interview you and your children, and make recommendations to the court about custody and placement. Understanding how to work effectively with the GAL can make the difference…
Continue Reading How to Work with a Guardian ad Litem in Your Custody Case

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Nov. 25, 2025 – In what may be the first case of its kind, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals in

State v. Melssen, No. 2024AP1942-CR (Nov. 20, 2025) (recommended for publication) vacated an order denying suppression of evidence obtained from an overly broad search of a smartphone. Presiding Judge Rachel A. Graham, writing for the unanimous three-judge panel, concluded “the warrant to search [Emil] Melssen’s smartphone – which authorized officers to search virtually all of the messages, images,

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Continue Reading Court of Appeals: Smartphone Search Unconstitutionally Overbroad

As a new lawyer handling (what I assumed was) an easy settlement disbursement meeting on a small personal injury case, I vividly recall learning that the client was on Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and then leaving the room to ask one of our firm’s estate planning and elder law attorneys, “Is this going to be an issue?”

Aside from having the good – and increasingly rare – fortune of being part of a general practice firm where I could…
Continue Reading Knowing the Intersection of Settlements and Public Benefits

The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) recently announced the creation of a new office in its Civil Division: the Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch (the “Branch”). According to a September 2025 press release, the Branch is “dedicated to safeguarding public health and safety through proactive enforcement and high-impact affirmative litigation.”
Structure and Scope
The Branch consists of two sections: the Enforcement Section and the Affirmative Litigation Section. The Enforcement Section will take on a consumer protection role and look…
Continue Reading DOJ – Civil Division Enforcement & Affirmative Litigation Branch

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Nov. 12, 2025 – A required administrative referral for criminal prosecution didn’t apply for allegedly breaking controlled substances laws, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals recently held in
State v. Syrrakos, No. 2024AP554-CR and
State v. Shattuck, No. 2024AP556-CR (Oct. 29, 2025) (recommended for publication). The Court of Appeals reversed and remanded the consolidated cases against Christopher J. Syrrakos and Kristyn A. Shattuck to Waukesha County Circuit Court. The circuit court dismissed the cases because the Department of

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Continue Reading Court of Appeals: Controlled Substance Violation Doesn't Get Hemp Regulatory Protection

Earlier this year, I presented at a Wisconsin Defense Counsel Conference, along with three jurors from two of my most recent jury trials.

I was pleasantly surprised that these three jurors (two of whom are retired, giving them a little more free time) voluntarily spent time answering questions on a panel and taking the many questions from our audience. Many attorneys talk to jurors immediately after verdicts or follow up in the days after verdicts to learn what the…
Continue Reading The Jurors Spoke. I Listened. Here’s What I’ll Do Differently Next Time

Attorney Seep Paliwal moderates panel during State Bar’s Cultural Competency in Family Law Cases training
In January 2025, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin approved providing CLE credit for cultural competency training. Stafford Rosenbaum Attorney Seep Paliwal will moderate a presentation featuring a panel of experts during the State Bar of Wisconsin’s very first offering of cultural competency training in family law cases. Participants can view the Cultural Competency in Family Law Cases 2025 CLE in person at the State…
Continue Reading Attorney Seep Paliwal Moderates State Bar of Wisconsin Panel on Cultural Competency in Family Law

If you have been involved in a car accident in Wisconsin, you may quickly realize that your physical injuries are only the beginning. If you want to file a case and recover damages, then the paperwork, the deadlines, and the evidence all matter just as much as what happened at the scene.

Getting these things together and making a strong argument that another person was at fault for the accident can be very difficult. To give yourself the best…
Continue Reading Proper Documents Needed for Auto Accident Claim in Wisconsin

Attorney Rick Manthe presents on municipal zoning during Town Law Conference
Attorney Rick Manthe will give a presentation on Friday, October 31, to a Wisconsin Towns Association audience as part of the organization’s annual, daylong 2025 Town Law Conference. The Wisconsin Towns Association collaborates with the UW-Extension Local Government Center and the University of Wisconsin Law School to offer high quality, low cost legal educational programming to lawyers and non-lawyer public officials. Attorneys participating in this conference are…
Continue Reading Attorney Rick Manthe Presents on Municipal Zoning for Wisconsin Towns Association

Attorney Tiffany Highstrom presents on 2025 tax and finance changes for the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin
Attorney Tiffany Highstrom will present on Thursday, October 30, during the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin‘s 2025 Tax Webinar. The seminar will be presented by a panel of experts focusing on changes in taxes, finances, donations, estate taxes, and social security that affect family and divorce law following 2025 state law changes and the “One Big Beautiful Bill” in…
Continue Reading Attorney Tiffany Highstrom Presents on Finances and Taxes in Family Law

On October 22, 2025, the Third District Court of Appeals in Florida ruled that Florida’s Transportation Network Companies (“TNC”) statute bars agency and vicarious liability claims against Lyft (and presumably other rideshare companies). This decision is important because many states, including Ohio, have similar TNC statutes that can be relied upon to dispute claims for agency, vicarious liability, and negligent hiring.

In Abner v. Lyft, Inc., No. 3D2024-0479 (Fla. 3d DCA, Oct. 22, 2025), the appellate court upheld summary

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Continue Reading Appellate Court Rules Florida Law Shields Lyft From Driver Negligence and Negligent Hiring Claims

Posted on October 22, 2025 in Family Law
Reports that Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift were considering a prenuptial agreement before getting married spread as fast as Swift’s chart-topping hits. While most people will never live in that kind of spotlight, the reason for a prenup remains the same: Wealth changes the stakes of marriage.

For high-net-worth individuals in Milwaukee and throughout Wisconsin, a prenuptial agreement (or “prenup”) is not a sign that two engaged people do not love…
Continue Reading Ironclad Prenups Aren’t Just for Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift

von Briesen & Roper, s.c. announces the opening of its new office in Naples, Florida and welcomes well-established Naples attorneys Jeffrey R. Grant and Joshua A. Grant. von Briesen’s new Naples office is located at 3555 Kraft Road, Suite 402.
Jeffrey R. Grant joins the Firm as a Shareholder, focusing his practice on estate and trust matters with a family-oriented team-based client approach. He has extensive experience in the areas of probate, trust administration, beneficiary representation and estate…
Continue Reading von Briesen Expands into Florida and Welcomes Two Attorneys