Dane County Lawyers

Debt relief is all we do! We are passionate about representing only debtors and not creditors. Our down-to-earth approach and wealth of experience is carefully applied to each unique case we handle, with the end goal of attaining a fresh financial start. You work one on one with your attorney, from start to finish, eliminating the confusion surrounding miscommunication. Additionally, we have found that virtual meetings allow us to stay in touch with our clients 24/7, while at the same time eliminating the stress and expense of travel, not to mention time off from work. ...

Attorney Matthew Underwood is an estate planning and business attorney at Underwood Legal, LLC. Matt helps families, individuals, and businesses take hold of their future with customized planning and advice. Matt’s goal is to empower you to understand your planning decisions so you can take ownership of your plan and proceed in life with feelings of comfort and accomplishment.

Matt earned his law degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School and his bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin – Madison.

I provide innovative representation to low-income clients, primarily in the areas of family and housing law. Licensed to practice in the state of Wisconsin and admitted to practice in the Eastern & Western U.S. District Courts of Wisconsin.

I am a criminal defense attorney, by profession and by passion. This means regardless of your charges, when you are in the courtroom, I am your voice. Whether there are dozens of people supporting you, or I am the only one by your side, I will defend you. My objective is to understand you, your circumstances, and make sure that my representation fits your needs and goals. I will not only make sure that you are fully prepared and understand the process, but most importantly, I will make sure that the court understands who you are and your best interests....

Chantelle M. Ringe’s practice focuses on estate planning, elder law, planning for individuals with special needs, adult guardianships, small business matters and real estate transactions. Chantelle works with elders and families of elders who are in need of long-term care, individuals who have special needs, and individuals looking to establish an estate plan that is tailored to their unique concerns and goals. Chantelle also advises individuals in the administration of trusts and probate estates, and frequently assists individuals with business organization, business succession plans and real estate-related matters.

David Zoeller joined the law firm of Hawks Quindel in June 2009 as an associate attorney after practicing as an employment and class action litigation attorney in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Mr. Zoeller has represented employees in multiple nationwide class and collective actions, and focuses his practice on wage and hour litigation under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Mr. Zoeller also represents clients in employee benefits disputes (ERISA), labor litigation, social securiy disability appeals, and employment discrimination litigation.

Wade is a native of La Crosse and has lived in Madison since spending his third year of law school at the University of Wisconsin. Before moving to Madison, Wade lived in Minneapolis where he attended the University of St. Thomas Law School for his first two years of law school. Throughout life Wade has been motivated to help disadvantaged populations. The most profound experience for Wade was volunteering at a Peruvian orphanage before attending law school. The time there can be described simply as eye-opening. During law school, Wade continued to be committed to volunteer work by spending...

Charles Kenyon is an experienced criminal defense lawyer in Madison, Dane County, Wisconsin. Admitted to the bar in 1979, he has served as both an elected District Attorney and a public defender. He has trained other lawyers for the American Bar Association, National Association of District Attorneys, Wisconsin Department of Justice and State Public Defenders Office. See website for more.

David A. Payne, founder and Principal of Trademarkwise LLC, has practiced intellectual property law for more than ten years, and has handled over one thousand U.S. and international trademark, copyright, and intellectual property matters for clients around the world. David's experience includes U.S. and international trademark and copyright clearance, prosecution, registration, licensing, litigation, dispute resolution, and client counseling. Prior to founding Trademarkwise, David practiced trademark, copyright, and patent law with the intellectual property firms of Casimir Jones, SC and Medlen & Carroll, LLP. David is a graduate of Columbia University School of Law and the University of...

Attorney Angell, a Fox Valley native, attended law school at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego, California. Prior to opening her practice Attorney Angell worked at an Oshkosh area law firm and a law firm located in El Centro, California, devoting her time to helping her clients achieve satisfactory results in their bankruptcy, divorce and criminal law cases. Attorney Angell has focused her practice on helping people change their lives for the better. Her role as an attorney allows her to ensure her clients receive a fair and just outcome to their case. Attorney Angell works closely...

Zeshan Usman, the founder of Usman Law Firm, LLC, has helped thousands of people fight back against auto insurance companies, the IRS, and abusive debt collectors. His practice is limited to personal injury and debt relief. He holds a B.A. in Finance from the University of Florida, a J.D., M.B.A. from the University of Miami and has been a licensed Real Estate Broker, Mortgage Broker and General Contractor. Zeshan understands not only the U. S. Bankruptcy Code, but all the other laws that impact consumers – the Fair Credit Reporting Act, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the...

He is the co-author of Your Life, Your Legacy (2003) and has written numerous published articles on various estate planning topics. Attorney Purtell is an active member of WealthCounsel, the Wisconsin Council of Estate Planning Attorneys (past-President), the Madison Estate Council, the State Bar of Wisconsin (Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section), and the Dane County Bar Association. He is also committed to his community through involvement in the Optimist Club of Cross Plains (past-President), being an active parish member of St. Francis Xavier Parish, and through his appointment to the Chair of the Personnel Committee for the Village...

Helping families move forward since 2015.

For more than 25 years, Richard "Dick" Rice has focused his practice primarily on representation of persons involved in individual employment, personal injury and related matters. Mr. Rice has counseled thousands of employees, employers and business owners on employment discrimination matters of all kinds. He is well versed in the myriad issues that can arise for both employees and employers in the workplace, including sexual harassment and hostile work environment, discrimination based on sex, age, race, national origin, disability, arrest or conviction record and sexual orientation, and retaliation for opposing these unlawful employment practices or supporting a co-worker's discrimination complaint.

Attorney Kathleen O. Curran graduated from Drake University with a degree in International Studies in 1985. In 1991, she graduated from Marquette Law School and was admitted into the Wisconsin State Bar in the same year. She exclusively practices family law.

Co-founder of law firm's Madison office (1995) Extensive practice representing Spanish-speaking employees before Wisconsin Worker's Compensation Division

Bob Nennig graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and a major in Accounting. After working for a time at a large public accounting firm in Milwaukee, and passing the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam, Bob moved to Chicago, Illinois to attend law school.

Bob graduated from DePaul University College of Law in 1997. During law school, he was a law clerk for Commonwealth Edison and was also a law clerk in the Civil Litigation Division for the Wisconsin Department of Justice in Madison, Wisconsin. Upon...

An accomplished criminal defense attorney in Wisconsin, Corey C. Chirafisi devotes his legal career solely to defending individuals charged with criminal and drunk driving offenses. He handles cases involving Wisconsin state law as well as federal law, and has represented people on every type of criminal charge and all levels of drunk driving charges with rather impressive results in numerous difficult cases. A former prosecutor, Mr. Chirafisi began his career as an assistant district attorney handling criminal matters ranging from disorderly conduct to homicide. He provides this experience to current clients whether they are charged with battery, computer...

Attorney John K. Smerlinski has over 20 years of experience practicing criminal, divorce, and personal injury law in the state of Wisconsin. Attorney Smerlinski specializes in criminal law and can help you with DUI charges, drug charges, misdemeanor charges, and felony charges just to name a few. Smerlinski Law Office S. C. has extensive experience in divorce/family law and personal injury law. The firm has secured over 50 acquittals for clients over the years, and will work hard to get you the best results possible with your case. Contact Smerlinski Law Office today, for a free consultation, to discuss...

Matthew Gillhouse is an Immigration attorney who graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2007. He is best known in the Latino community as "Mateo." Matthew previously worked as a judicial law clerk for the federal district court located in Madison (District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin). Since 2011, he has been dedicated to representing immigrant families in immigration law cases. He has extensive experience working with victims of domestic violence. He is also completely fluent in Spanish. Matthew Gillhouse es un joven padre de familia y abogado de...

Mr. Parsons is a shareholder at Hawks Quindel. Mr. Parsons' practice focuses on labor and employment matters, including class and collective action wage and hour litigation, short and long-term disability disputes, employee benefits law, labor litigation, worker's compensation litigation, employment discrimination litigation, employment contract disputes, and severance negotiations. He has represented clients in cases before various state administrative agencies, Wisconsin Circuit Courts, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and the United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. Mr. Parsons received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University in...

Current practice consists primarily of advising individuals and small business regarding insolvency and debt relief, and representing debtors in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy cases filed in the Western and Eastern District of Wisconsin. Daily practice includes client counseling, exemption planning, preparation of schedules and statements, and litigation regarding exemptions, liens, transfers, and preferences under Sections 522, 544, 547 and 548 of the Bankruptcy Code. Litigation practice also includes representing clients in the trial and appeal of adversary actions, most typically claims brought against debtors under Section 523(a)(2)(A) and 523(a)(2)(B) of the Bankruptcy Code.

Jesse Ishikawa represents developers, mortgage lenders and businesses in all aspects of real estate law including purchases, sales, commercial leasing and development transactions.

I choose to defend those who are being prosecuted because ultimately, I believe in you. Whether you are innocent or guilty of the charges being pursued against you by the Government, I believe that you are more than the person who is reflected in a criminal complaint. The role of a good defense attorney is to ensure that your side of the story is told, that your character and good acts are not forgotten, and that ultimately you are given the consideration and justice you deserve.

The practice of family law has been the perfect opportunity to use the skills I have nurtured throughout my life. Divorce cases are complex. The issues range from creating a placement schedule that permits your children to thrive, to assessing the values of businesses or pensions. My mathematical and analytical background, along with over 15 years of experience, allow me to fully and effectively counsel our divorce clients about family and financial issues in an effort to obtain a resolution that is fair and well-reasoned. I believe that children's needs and interests are paramount. I have three young children...

I am one of the founders of The Law Center for Children & Families. I pride myself on being a creative litigator and strategist who devotes my skills to protecting the rights of children. I believe the law should provide solutions, not roadblocks. My 33 years of experience include many jury and court trials, as well as helping to develop state and national laws and ethical rules for surrogacy and adoption. I acted as expert witness in Mercycare Insurance Company v. Wisconsin Commissioner of Insurance, a Wisconsin Supreme Court case addressing maternity coverage for surrogates.

My practice...

Attorney Ramzy Halaby joined the firm in 2018 as an Associate Attorney. He has an extensive background in personal injury law and has also practiced family law, criminal law, and general civil litigation among other areas of law.

In his spare time, he enjoys cycling, travel, hiking and camping.

Former Family Court Commissioner Ginger Murray offers over 20 years of family law experience to clients. As Commissioner, Ginger presided over divorce and paternity cases in which she decided custody, placement, child support and asset distribution as well as abuse and harassment restraining order/injunction hearings. As legal advocate, Ginger provides competent and compassionate representation for clients with family law matters: adoption, change in custody/placement/support, divorce, grandparent’s rights, guardianship, marital property/prenuptial agreements, paternity, surrogacy, and restraining orders/injunctions. Ginger helps many clients with diverse needs, including cordial couples seeking amicable divorces, abused clients needing their rights protected, parents wanting more time with...

Heath Straka is a partner at Axley Brynelson, LLP and is the Immediate Past President of the Wisconsin Association of Justice (WAJ). WAJ is the state-wide association for trial attorneys and has over 800 professional members. His practice focuses on personal injury actions, general litigation involving employment and construction disputes and also complex litigation and class actions involving product liability claims and wage and hour violations. Heath received his law degree from the UW Law School in 2000. He has extensive litigation experience in the State and Federal Courts of Wisconsin and has practiced in the successful resolution of...

Attorney Tristan F. Eagon has spent her entire legal career as a courtroom trial attorney and litigator. Her practice is devoted to obtaining optimal outcomes for clients in need of an attorney to prevail in their case. Tristan has a degree in Criminal Justice from Muskingum University and received her law degree from Western Michigan University in 2012. She has been admitted to the Michigan Bar and was admitted into the Wisconsin State Bar in 2014. Today, her trial practice concentrates in the areas of family law but she also spearheads advocacy of alternative dispute resolution. She has the uncanny ability to...

Jeff practices criminal defense and family law in Wisconsin. His office is in Madison. Jeff graduated from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1991. He received his B.S. in history in 1987.

Prior to joining Bartelt Law Office, Brittany was an associate for two different litigation firms, one in Madison and one in Lake Elmo, Minnesota. She is licensed to practice law in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. Brittany received her B.S. degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and her J.D. degree from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2014. While in law school, she was a member of Moot Court and was awarded the Mathys Memorial Appellate for Advocacy Award. She competed in the William E. McGee National Moot Court Competition in Minneapolis...

Attorney Morgan Stippel is an associate attorney and member of the Litigation Practice Group at Axley. Ms. Stippel focuses her practice on condemnation and eminent domain, commercial litigation, and insurance defense.

Ms. Stippel regularly represents clients in state and federal civil litigation matters, including condemnation reviews, business disputes, collection actions, 42 U.S.C. § 1983 litigation, and defective home cases. She has experience helping clients navigate all aspects of litigation, including motion practice, discovery, mediation, arbitration, and trial.

While in college, Ms. Stippel interned for her hometown’s Chamber of Commerce, the U.S. House of Representatives, and Minnesota’s largest provider of domestic violence services,...

Mary Kennelly represents employees in state and federal court and before the EEOC and state fair employment agencies in cases involving age, race and sex discrimination, sexual harassment, whistleblower retaliation and violations of wage and hour laws, family medical leave laws and the Americans with Disabilities Act. She has consistently obtained favorable jury verdicts, court rulings and private settlement for her clients. She was named "Lawyer of the Year" by Best Lawyers for Employment Law--Individuals, Madison 2017 and she has been consistently recognized in Best Lawyers and Super Lawyers for her work in labor and employment law. In 2013 she...

Attorney Vang is an Attorney at Kowalski Family Law. She handles divorce, paternity judgments, child/spousal support, restraining orders, guardianships, and marital property agreements in Dane County and the surrounding areas. She also takes Guardian ad Litem appointments.

She obtained her undergraduate degree from Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, and her law degree from Marquette University. She worked in Milwaukee, Wisconsin handling disability claims before focusing on family law. Call for a free consultation today.