von Briesen & Roper, S.C. News

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von Briesen & Roper SC

Latest from von Briesen & Roper, S.C. News

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Planning the way to profit

Numerous school referenda were approved in the 2025 Spring election this week, and construction is now on the horizon. Let’s consider the contracts that will become the foundation of these building projects.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) provides a comprehensive suite of contracts designed to streamline the creation and management of construction agreements. While these forms are expertly crafted to anticipate challenges in construction projects, they are primarily tailored for commercial use rather than for governmental entities such…
Continue Reading Why School Districts Should Consult With Legal Counsel Before Signing a Standard AIA Contract

As promised in his campaign for the presidency of the United States, on January 21, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14172 “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity.” (Emphasis added).

The President’s Executive Order states that illegal diversity, equity and inclusion (“DEI”) policies violate the text and spirit of federal civil-rights laws.

Accordingly, the President ordered all federal agencies to enforce civil rights laws and to “combat illegal private-sector DEI preferences, mandates, policies, programs, and activities.” The President…
Continue Reading It’s the End of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Programs as We Know It?

von Briesen & Roper, s.c., announced today that attorney Patrick J. Leigl has joined the firm’s Neenah office as a Shareholder in the Government Law Group. Prior to joining von Briesen, Leigl served as a city attorney and assistant district attorney for ten years. He focuses his practice on labor and employment, litigation and government law. Leigl is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Outagamie County Bar Association and the Public Sector Human Resources Association (PSHRA). He…
Continue Reading von Briesen Welcomes Patrick Leigl

The incoming U.S. Presidential administration is loudly signaling that businesses should expect changes in trade policies in 2025. Although no specific policies have yet been promulgated, the President-Elect has stated in social media outlets that broadly sweeping import tariffs may be imposed on goods from Mexico, Canada and China. Even without policy details, there are key steps many U.S. businesses should consider in advance of any specific changes.

First, any business that exports goods, services or information, should have…
Continue Reading Taking Stock of Trade Issues in 2025

Courtroom And Gavel
Interior of an empty courtroom with gavel and sounding block on the desk.

Cincinnati Insurance Company v. James Ropicky, et al., No. 2023AP588, 2024 WL 5220615 (Wis. Ct. App. Dec. 26, 2024)

On December 26, 2024, the Court of Appeals of Wisconsin issued is decision in Cincinnati Insurance Company v. James Ropicky, et al., No. 2023AP588, 2024 WL 5220615 (Wis. Ct. App. Dec. 26, 2024), addressing whether an ensuing cause of loss exception to a Construction Defect Exclusion, Fungi Exclusion, and Fungi Additional Coverage endorsement contained in a homeowner’s insurance policy issued…
Continue Reading Wisconsin Appellate Court Interprets Construction Defect Exclusion and Fungi Exclusion

von Briesen & Roper, s.c., announced today that attorney Erik M. Gustafson has joined the firm’s Milwaukee office. Gustafson is an Associate in the Litigation & Risk Management Practice Group. He focuses his practice on first-party property coverage, insurance coverage and analysis, and bad faith counseling and claims. Gustafson is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Bar Association, Wisconsin Defense Counsel and the Federalist Society. He received a J.D., magna cum laude, and a Certificate in…
Continue Reading von Briesen Welcomes Erik Gustafson

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On Monday, December 2, 2024, Dane County Circuit Court Judge Jacob Frost issued the long-awaited decision involving a November 2023 challenge to 2011 Act 10 by numerous unions and individual employees. On July 3, 2024, the Circuit Court previously indicated the Court would find specific provisions of Act 10 as unconstitutional. A summary of our Legal Update on that July decision from the Circuit Court can be found here.

In the December 2 decision, the Court identified nearly…
Continue Reading Dane County Circuit Court Issues Long-Awaited 2011 Act 10 Decision

Business people having on presentation at office rendered by computer graphic 3D.

On Tuesday December 3, a Federal District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted a nationwide preliminary injunction against the enforcement of the Corporate Transparency Act and its Reporting Rule.

This order temporarily suspends the requirement for a reporting company organized before January 1, 2024, to file a Beneficial Owner Information Report with FinCEN by January 1, 2025. It also pauses the 90-day reporting deadline for certain organizations formed between January 1, 2024 and December 31, 2024, as…
Continue Reading Corporate Transparency Act Update

von Briesen & Roper, s.c. announced continued expansion of its Chicago Office with three attorneys joining the Firm: Linnea A. Agner, Thomas J. Burns and Abosede Odunsi.
Linnea A. Agner is an Associate in the Trusts and Estates Section. Agner focuses her practice on estate and succession planning with an emphasis on tax minimization. She is a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association and the Chicago Bar Association. Agner received a J.D. from…
Continue Reading von Briesen Chicago Office Continues Expansion

On November 15, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas granted summary judgement to the Plaintiffs in a case involving a challenge to the Department of Labor Rule (“DOL Rule”) which increased the “minimum weekly” salary level for exempt status under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”). In the decision, the District Court enjoined the weekly pay rate increases for July 1, 2024 and January 1, 2025 on a nation-wide basis. This decision leaves the…
Continue Reading Federal District Court Halts Nationwide DOL Rule Increasing Salary Minimum Threshold for Exempt Employees

von Briesen & Roper, s.c. is proud to have 25 attorneys listed as 2024 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® and Wisconsin Rising Stars and 4 attorneys named to their “Top” lists.
Top 10: Wisconsin Super Lawyers:

Top 50: Wisconsin Super Lawyers:

Top 25: Women Wisconsin Super Lawyers:

Top 25: Milwaukee Super Lawyers:

Top 25: Madison Super Lawyers:

Wisconsin Super Lawyers:

Wisconsin Rising Stars:

(* indicates lawyers listed for the first time)…
Continue Reading von Briesen 2024 Wisconsin Super Lawyers and Rising Stars

Miller v. West Bend Mutual Insurance Company
No. 2023AP1697 (Wis. Ct. App. Oct. 22, 2024) (recommended for publication)

In Miller v. West Bend Mutual Insurance Company, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals considered whether Wisconsin law permits insurers to define “underinsured motor vehicle” to exclude government-owned vehicles in a UIM policy. No. 2023AP1697 (Wis. Ct. App. Oct. 22, 2024). The court answered in the affirmative and recommended the opinion for publication, thereby confirming that the 2011 amendments to Wisconsin’s auto…
Continue Reading Contractually Defining UIM Coverage

von Briesen & Roper, s.c. announced continued growth with several attorneys joining the firm statewide: Sarah J. Barnes (Madison), Cindy L. Hangartner (Eau Claire), Hanna R. Kolberg (Milwaukee), Avery J. Mayne (Milwaukee), Aleksandar Prpa (Milwaukee) and Derik P. Rush (Milwaukee).
Sarah J. Barnes is an Associate in the Trusts & Estates Section and also a Certified Trust and Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA). Barnes has over 15 years of experience in both private practice and as a trust officer. Her practice…
Continue Reading von Briesen Announces Statewide Growth

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There are impending deadlines under The Corporate Transparency Act (the “CTA”), which is a new Federal law that will impact almost all closely-held entities, such as LLCs, corporations, and limited partnerships.

For more information about the CTA, please read our previous Legal Update: What You Need to Know About The Corporate Transparency Act.

Filing Obligations and Deadlines
Entities formed before January 1, 2024, must file their initial report by January 1, 2025. For entities formed on or after…
Continue Reading Filing Obligations and Deadlines for The Corporate Transparency Act

On August 20, 2024 the federal district court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on non-compete agreements, which was set to take effect on September 4, 2024. The court had previously granted relief from the FTC rule only for the plaintiffs in Ryan LLC v. Federal Trade Commission. However, this week’s ruling provides that the FTC cannot enforce the rule against any employer in the country, and the rule will not go…
Continue Reading Federal Court Strikes Down FTC’s Ban On Non-Competes

von Briesen & Roper, s.c. is proud to announce that 81 attorneys are included in the 31st Edition of The Best Lawyers in America®. Among the accolades von Briesen received: seven attorneys are designated as “Lawyer of the Year”, 21 lawyers are listed for the first time and 20 attorneys are listed as Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America.
“Lawyer of the Year” Awards: Madison, WI

  • Michael P. Crooks – Insurance Law; Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants

Milwaukee, WI…
Continue Reading 81 von Briesen Attorneys Named to the Best Lawyers in America® 2025