Reinhart Forms Water Innovation, Technology and Sustainability (WITS) Group

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MILWAUKEE – Attorneys from numerous practice areas throughout Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. have joined together to form a cross-disciplinary team of lawyers with specialized experience in assisting water-related organizations. The team, known as the Water Innovation, Technology and Sustainability (WITS) group will help organizations to grow and prosper as part of the regional initiative to raise Milwaukee's profile as the freshwater capital of the world.

"Although the opportunity resulting from the desire to make the Milwaukee region the world water hub for freshwater research, economic development and education has become a hot topic only recently, Reinhart has a history of assisting the companies and organizations that have been at the forefront of these issues," said Jerome M. Janzer, Reinhart's Chief Executive Officer and Chairman. "Our specialized WITS group of lawyers with water-related experience and expertise will cohesively work to continue to support community leaders and businesses to help this initiative continue its momentum. As a contributing member of the Milwaukee 7 Water Council, Reinhart will offer not only legal insight into many of the issues surrounding their objectives, but also contribute to fostering growth in the initiative by informing our interested contacts throughout the country and abroad about the region's water-related opportunities."

Members in the new WITS group include lawyers from Reinhart's Business Law, Tax, Environmental, Real Estate, Intellectual Property, Telecommunications and Energy and Litigation practices. Attorneys in the WITS group will advise clients interested in the freshwater initiative on possible deals and cooperative opportunities, stimulus funding and the potential for tax credits.

"Reinhart's WITS attorneys and other professionals provide services to water-related organizations by connecting them with venture capital and other sources of funding," said Bruce T. Block, Chair of the WITS group. Block, who also co-chairs Reinhart's Real Estate Practice, notes that "We provide business related legal counsel to a number of organizations, both in the public and private sector, that have a vested interest in the successful realization of Milwaukee's water-related objectives." Reinhart represents a number of key companies that are actively involved in the initiative to develop Milwaukee into the freshwater capital of the world, including venture capital funds and leading manufacturers that produce water-related products for use worldwide.

Reinhart attorneys also provide assistance with facility and compliance auditing, environmental due diligence, site investigation and remediation, permits and reporting, contracts and right-to-know compliance. WITS team members are regarded as go-to lawyers by their peers and a number have impressive industry-related credentials in scientific and technical fields. Two Reinhart attorneys are licensed professional engineers (with civil and chemical backgrounds) and one has a Ph.D. in chemistry. Reinhart's WITS group further includes two patent attorneys: one with a background in agricultural engineering and another with an LL.M. in Intellectual Property and an electrical engineering background. Reinhart also has three technical consultants on staff: two regulatory specialists and one hydrogeologist.

Reinhart's work in water-related fields has included the following:

  • major water supply design and construction (pipelines, water pumping and treatment)
  • aquifer storage recovery systems
  • economic feasibility and design of water conveyance and treatment systems including ground water wells, aquifer recharge
  • scientific and legal analysis relating to water resource protection and use, wetlands protection, and the public trust doctrine
  • analysis of the water supply options for southeast Wisconsin, including the shallow and deep aquifers, surface waters and the Great Lakes
  • patent protection, preparation and prosecution of filtration and waste water treatment and other technologies including deep well pump control

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