Bar Admission

 

Admitted to the Wisconsin Bar and the U.S. District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin. 

 

Education

Marquette University Law School              Milwaukee, WI

Juris Doctor              May 2002

•       Appellate Advocacy Oral Argument Competition, Spring 2001

 

University of Wisconsin – Whitewater              Whitewater, WI

Bachelor of Arts, Speech Communication - Public Relations              May 1995

 

Experience

 

Sunstate Land Services/Data Mapping Systems

Right of Way Consultant/Field Agent, Contractor for CenturyLink, La Crosse, WI,  September 2011 – May 2012

  Performed Due Diligence to identify legal property owners, legal descriptions and ownership rights for

  proposed/existing projects, either on private land or existing public corridors for state wide territory.  Performed

initial field inspections with engineering to determine if prospective location meets site selection criteria. 

  Contacted landowners during route analysis process in order to secure their cooperation and access to

  prospective property.  Negotiated financial compensation using current local real estate values with landowners. 

  Identified potential stumbling blocks and extenuating circumstances that would have interfered with property

  acquisition .  Diffused volatile situations following trespass issues with landowners.  Assisted in the settlement

  process on disputed properties. Coordinated acquisition and negotiated outcomes with Wisconsin Department of

  Natural Resources of Managed Forest Land during acquisition process.  Scheduled all surveys for projects. 

  Reviewed and coordinated approval of all surveys with engineering departments.  Identified and reviewed

  documents for any existing easements that may have been under subsidiary ownership.  Performed title searches. 

  Prepared documents for recording.  Attended preconstruction planning meetings with multiple utilities for major

  State road move projects.   

 

Globe University/Minnesota School of Business

Adjunct Instructor, Onalaska, WI, June 2010 – September 2011

  Instructed students according to Master Syllabus as part of the Legal Sciences curriculum with addendum in the

  following areas:  Litigation, Family Law, Criminal Law & Procedure, Introduction to Paralegal Studies

  Business Law and Contracts.  Served on Campus Safety Committee; Assisted students with registration, Tutored

  students individually as part of Campus Math lab, Foundations of Writing and Legal Terminology; Assisted

  students achieve their academic goals by counseling/guiding them through the education process by serving as a

  “GOAL” advisor (Graduate On time At La Crosse); Attended meetings/training as requested.

 

Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc., Arcadia, WI

Real Estate Project Coordinator; Executive Department, October 2007 – October 2008

Coordinated government approvals for projects in development.  Attended and presented at municipal meetings conducted under the rules of parliamentary procedure in order to obtain necessary approvals for real estate projects in multiple jurisdictions.  Negotiated outcomes to comply with recommendations of council members for final approval to municipal committees.

Reviewed municipal and zoning codes for multiple jurisdictions for relevant information including but not limited to:  parking, flood plains, PUD, wetlands, signage, landscaping, lighting, garbage, plat approval, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, snow removal, tent sales, temporary advertising, truck parking, traffic studies, building heights, corresponding colors, setbacks, sidewalks and proposed variances

Reviewed leases or purchase agreements for real estate projects to ensure compliance with state, county & municipal codes for proposed developments.

Communicated & maintained relationships with developers to complete transaction terms prior to closing.  Negotiated revisions when appropriate. 

Maintained timelines and deadlines for multiple projects simultaneously.  Worked with outside counsel to review lease terms of prospective properties, agreements and providers. 

Reviewed Phase I environmental reports for current and prospective properties.

Reviewed Master Service Plans & Agreements for outside vendors and assisted with the negotiations of said documents.

Assisted with negotiations over proposed taking for highway and the impact for proposed real estate development

Reviewed patent/trademark documents to preserve timelines in order to prevent expiration of certificates.  Review and identification of US & International patent/trademark documents to preserve and maintain archive of documents

Reviewed Title policies and exceptions; Performed legal research.     

Coordinated responses with construction department to address needs of various properties as they arose.

Completed On Base systems training; Implemented conversion of corporate documents into electronic database.

 

Gernetzke Law Office, La Crosse, WI

Solo Practitioner, October 2005–January 2007

Skemp & Associates, S.C., La Crosse, WI

Associate Attorney, September 2002–April 2005

Represented clients throughout four-county region.

Handled criminal matters, including felony, misdemeanor, juvenile law, CHIPS/JIPS, traffic charges (including OAR & OWI), parole and probation revocations, consent decrees, sanctions hearings, competency issues, and representation of victims.  Dealt with issues related to family law, including divorce, separation, paternity, custody disputes, and child support. 

Served as Guardian ad Litem. 

Scope of representation included explanation of the procedures, what to expect or anticipate during next steps, reviewing the law with clients, listening to what their concerns were, counseling through potential outcomes, maintaining the best interest of the client, making recommendations according to law while ultimately allowing the client to make decisions in their best interests.

Engaged in civil litigation involving lead-based paint.

Researched case law, writ of prohibitions, paternity cases, forum shopping precedents, municipal codes, statutes to provide best advice for clients

 

Robert W. Baird & Co., Milwaukee, WI

Retirement Plans Marketing Specialist, March 1999–May 2001; Sales Assistant, July 1997–March 1999

Coordinated sales process with department consultants, outside wholesalers, and financial advisors.  Communicated changes in products, vendors, government agencies, and IRS regulations to financial advisors.  Conducted quarterly mutual fund performance research, and handled asset allocation.  Managed all requests from financial advisors in territory during vacant consultant search process.  Acted as inside contact for more than 15 branches and answered financial advisors’ questions.  Ordered proposals from outside vendors, followed up with each contact, and served as sole source of information for several departments.  Provided support in all aspects for retirement plans of 100 participants or $5 million in assets, including creating multimedia presentations and technical reviews.  Reviewed plan documents and investment policy statements for necessary updates.  Provided positive solutions to plan issues w/o additional cost to client.

 

 

References

              Available upon request