Reinhart and 10 of Its Attorneys Receive Benchmark Litigation’s Highest Rankings

Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Reinhart) is pleased to announce that the firm received Benchmark Litigation 2022’s top honor – being named a “Highly Recommended” law firm. The publication also recognized firm shareholders Christopher P. Banaszak, Laura A. Brenner, Mark A. Cameli, Robert S. Driscoll, Scott W. Hansen, David G. Hanson, David G. Peterson, Allen C. Schlinsog, Jr. and David J. Sisson as “Litigation Stars.” Additionally, Jessica Hutson Polakowski was named a “Future Star” and to the “40 & Under Hot List.”

Reinhart is one of only seven law firms in Wisconsin to be awarded Benchmark Litigation’s “Highly Recommended” ranking for its “consistent flow of positive peer reviews throughout the legal community.”

Christopher P. Banaszak is a shareholder and serves as chair of Reinhart’s Labor and Employment Practice, co-chair of the Litigation Practice, and he is a member of Reinhart’s Board of Directors. He regularly represents clients involved in a range of employment-related disputes before state and federal courts as well as before governmental and regulatory agencies. Banaszak is a skilled attorney who has experience representing clients with harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, ERISA and FMLA matters, noncompete agreements, wrongful discharge, breach of contract, whistleblower, trade secret, unfair competition, shareholder dispute, breach of fiduciary duty and duty of loyalty matters, employment discrimination, unemployment compensation, worker’s compensation, and employee health and safety disputes.

Laura A. Brenner is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice and chair of the firm’s Commercial and Competition Law Group, a cross-disciplinary group comprised of both corporate and litigation attorneys. Her team practices at the forefront of the law affecting clients whose livelihood depends on buying or selling products and services. Representing a wide range of clients on a national and international level, Brenner offers clients practical solutions to complex problems. In addition to her litigation work, she acts as outside general counsel to many companies by helping them develop preemptive strategies to avoid risk in competitive environments.

Mark A. Cameli is a shareholder and chair of the firm’s White Collar Litigation and Corporate Compliance Team, a former member of Reinhart’s Board of Directors, and former co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. Cameli also serves as chair of the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and co-chair of the Pro Bono Committee. Mark defends companies and individuals in Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement actions and conducts internal investigations for companies concerned with securities compliance related issues. Representing a broad range of clients, Cameli frequently works with manufacturing, health care, religious organizations, defense contractors and others who are targets or victims of fraud, including government program fraud. He also has substantial experience representing companies accused of wrongdoing by whistleblowers, including in the context of qui tam actions.

Robert S. Driscoll is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Labor and Employment Practice. Driscoll’s practice covers a wide variety of litigation-related issues facing employers, including claims of unlawful discrimination and/or retaliation, disputes over noncompete agreements and other restrictive covenants, wage and hour claims (both individual and class actions), and he also represents clients in appeals. Driscoll counsels employers to help them avoid disputes before they start with a particular emphasis on discrimination (including disability discrimination), wage and hour issues and noncompete agreements.

Scott W. Hansen is of counsel in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice. His work primarily involves resolving complex disputes between businesses or between business and governments where a client’s serious interests or ability to survive is at risk. Hansen has been recognized for litigating some of the most complex and high-stakes civil cases in Wisconsin. In addition to his legal work, he has published and taught on a variety of topics such as persuasion in complex litigation, the benefits of mock juries, the use of financial experts in federal, etc. He primarily serves manufacturers in industries of foods, chemicals, equipment and other goods, health care providers and insurers, and/or financial service institutions.

David G. Hanson is a shareholder and co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. He focuses his practice on intellectual property, ERISA and other complex litigation For more than 25 years, Hanson has gained first-chair IP litigation experience, litigating patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases throughout the country involving mastering technical case facts spanning a wide spectrum, including mechanical, electrical and life-sciences matters. His practice also involves ERISA litigation, including withdrawal liability matters.

David G. Peterson is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice where he primarily focuses on disputes involving commercial litigation, environmental remediation and product liability. Peterson also represents clients in tax assessment valuation matters and corporate governance disputes. In addition to his significant trial experience, he has extensive experience in mediation and arbitration. One of the key components to Peterson’s success is his accounting background, which allows him to understand not only the legal aspects of a client’s issue, but the financial and business implications as well. This unique perspective enables him to provide clients with creative strategies in respect to the multiple variables potentially impacting a client’s overall business goals, plans and objectives.

Jessica Hutson Polakowski is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Intellectual Property Litigation and Litigation practices . Polakowski serves a wide range of business clients such as electrical and mechanical designers and manufacturers, biotech companies, health care technology companies, software developers, service firms and product distributors. Based out of Reinhart’s Madison office, Polakowski regularly appears in the Western District of Wisconsin and works to both advise and assist clients in the defense and protection of their intellectual property rights. She also works with clients to pursue issues related to unfair competition.

Allen C. Schlinsog, Jr. is a shareholder and past chair of Reinhart’s Litigation Practice as well as the chair of the Product Liability and Safety Practice. Al handles complex commercial litigation and intellectual property cases, but his practice focuses primarily on the defense of complex product liability claims involving regulated products, including those of the mining, pharmaceutical and medical device industries. Over the course of his career, he has gained considerable experience in significant class actions, product liability and mass tort proceedings. As national counsel for several clients, Schlinsog regularly appears in state and federal courts across the country.

David J. Sisson is a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment practices. He is an experienced trial lawyer who has successfully prosecuted and defended clients in numerous trials before juries in federal and state courts, and before state agencies and arbitrators. Sisson’s work focuses on resolving disputes involving departing key employees and shareholders in closely held corporations and others who owe fiduciary duties. He helps develop creative theories to avoid litigation and achieve amicable separations even after threats and provocative actions have occurred, including all forms of alternative dispute resolution.

About Benchmark Litigation

Benchmark Litigation is the only publication to focus exclusively on U.S. litigation. Research is conducted through extensive interviews with litigators, dispute resolution specialists and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms.