Reinhart and its Attorneys Receive Benchmark Litigation’s Highest Rankings

Milwaukee – Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (Reinhart) is pleased to announce that it has received Benchmark Litigation 2024’s top honors as a law firm. The publication also recognized firm shareholders Christopher Banaszak, Laura Brenner, Mark Cameli, Robert Driscoll, David Hanson, David Peterson, Jessica Polakowski, Allen Schlinsog, Jr. and David Sisson as ”Stars” in their respective areas of practice.

Reinhart was awarded Benchmark Litigation’s highest rankings for its work in the areas of dispute resolution and labor and employment and is recognized for its “consistent flow of positive peer reviews throughout the legal community.”

Banaszak is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Labor and Employment Practice, serves as chair of the Litigation Practice and is a member of the firm’s Board of Directors. He regularly represents clients involved in a range of employment-related disputes before state and federal courts as well as governmental and regulatory agencies. Banaszak is a skilled attorney who has experience representing clients with harassment, retaliation, wage and hour, ERISA and FMLA matters, non-compete 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. His knowledge and experience help him efficiently identify issues, provide solutions and address problems before they arise.

Brenner is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice and chair of the 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. Brenner represents a wide range of clients on a national and international level, offering clients practical solutions to complex problems. She has been involved in conducting antitrust compliance sessions and preparing antitrust compliance materials for regional, national and global clients. Brenner is familiar with the ever-evolving policies and procedures critical to clients involved in online sales and speaks on Internet distribution issues such as Minimum Advertised Price (MAP) policies, social media policies and supply chain issues. 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.

Cameli is a shareholder and chair of Reinhart’s White Collar Litigation and Corporate Compliance Team, a former member of Reinhart’s Board of Directors, and a former co-chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. He also serves on the firm’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee and is co-chair of the Pro Bono Committee. Cameli is a mediator in high-stakes and complex disputes who employs strategies to help all parties find common ground. He 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.

Driscoll is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Labor and Employment Practice and chair of the Appellate Litigation Group. His practice covers a wide variety of litigation-related issues facing employers, including claims of unlawful discrimination and/or retaliation, disputes over non-compete agreements and other restrictive covenants, and wage and hour claims (both individual and class actions). He also represents clients in appeals and counsels employers to help them avoid disputes before they start. With more than a decade of experience, Driscoll takes the time to get to know his client’s needs and goals in order to provide proactive and effective legal solutions. His clients appreciate that he respects their budgets by carefully evaluating the costs and benefits and providing available options that would allow them to resolve disputes without the need for litigation. However, when litigation is unavoidable, Driscoll works with his clients to devise an effective strategy for prevailing in the case.

Hanson is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation and Intellectual Property practices and chair of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Group. He is an experienced litigator who believes persuasive storytelling is the key to winning trials. Hanson translates complexity into clarity to ensure lay juries and judges fully understand his client’s position. He handles patent, trademark, copyright and trade secret cases as well as Taft Hartley and ERISA litigation, including withdrawal liability matters. Hanson’s nationwide practice spans many industries, including engineering, mechanical and electrical technology fields. He has represented clients involved in materials handling, mining, cloning and gene sequencing, construction, manufacturing and various consumer product industries. Hanson partners with clients to understand how technical and intellectual assets drive their business and position in the competitive landscape.

Peterson is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Litigation Practice, where he provides clients with creative strategies that contribute to their business success. He primarily handles business litigation and contract disputes in the manufacturing, real estate, banking and service provider industries. Peterson also represents clients in corporate governance disputes and tax assessment valuation matters. His significant trial, mediation and arbitration experience help him anticipate challenges and see possibilities for his clients. Peterson excels in working closely with opposing counsel to keep cases moving forward efficiently. He is a practical, level-headed and nimble litigator who quickly finds solutions to his clients’ problems so they can return their focus to their business. Peterson’s accounting background equips him to handle complex post-closing purchase price disputes and understand the multiple variables and financial intricacies that can impact a client’s overall goals and vision.

Polakowski is a shareholder and chair of Reinhart’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice, where she litigates and advises on issues such as patent infringement, trademark disputes, false advertising, copyright issues and more. She also serves as chair of the Cannabis Law Group and serves on the firm’s Board of Directors and co-chairs the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. She is a creative, results-oriented partner who works to understand the full scope of an issue, its larger business ramifications, and critically, her clients’ goals before developing and implementing strategies. Polakowski’s clients include electrical and mechanical designers and manufacturers, biotech and health care technology companies, software and website developers, real estate owners and developers, service firms and product distributors. She is also active in both administrative and regulatory matters. Polakowski has helped clients obtain (and retain) permits from agencies such as Wisconsin’s Public Safety Commission and the Department of Natural Resources.

Schlinsog is a shareholder and co-chair of Reinhart’s Product Liability and Safety Group and past chair of the firm’s Litigation Practice. He 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, Schlinsog 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. When clients hire him to handle their cases, their problems and goals become his own, and his three decades of legal experience have prepared him to defend his clients’ reputations and their products successfully. He is an aggressive litigator who develops creative solutions to complex problems.

Sisson is a shareholder in the firm’s Litigation and Labor and Employment practices. He excels at solving problems that arise when critical personal business relationships end. These include disputes involving departing key employees and shareholders in closely held corporations and others who owe fiduciary duties. Whenever possible, Sisson helps clients 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. 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 has also acted as Special Public Service Prosecutor for the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.