MILWAUKEE — Joseph E. Tierney, IV, President of Davis & Kuelthau, s.c., announced the addition of four attorneys in the firm’s Brookfield, Green Bay and Milwaukee offices. Katharine G. Shaw joined the firm’s Labor and Employment Team, Jacqueline L. Messler and James E. Lowe joined the Corporate Team, and T. Wickham Schmidt joined the Litigation Team.
“We added 15 colleagues to our firm throughout 2016. This expansion is one of many initiatives underway at Davis & Kuelthau to remain at the forefront of the rapidly changing business environment,” said Tierney. “The addition of good people like these is key to meeting the evolving needs of our clients. These needs and the firm’s growth strategy are inextricably linked. Each added team member in turn reflects our vision for the next iteration of legal services.”
Katharine G. Shaw joined the firm as a senior attorney focusing on employee benefits law. With more than 20 years of experience, Kathy offers a unique understanding of employee benefit plans and how those plans are implemented and administered. Her experience includes service as outside counsel as well as corporate counsel for publicly traded companies. This first hand know-how enables Kathy to address the gamut of employee benefits challenges, including ERISA, HIPAA and executive compensations, from the employer’s perspective.
Prior to joining Davis & Kuelthau, Kathy served as an employee benefits attorney for a national law firm. She earned her J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School and her Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Tulane University.
Jacqueline L. Messler joined the firm as an associate attorney focusing on estate planning, tax law and small business law.
Prior to joining Davis & Kuelthau, Jackie practiced at a former metro-Milwaukee business law firm, clerked for Justice Ziegler at the Wisconsin Supreme Court, and served as a law clerk for a Waukesha County law firm. Jackie earned her J.D. from Marquette University Law School and Bachelor of Arts degree from Carroll University in History and Political Science.
Beyond her practice, she serves on the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Elder Law and Taxation Sections within the Young Lawyers Division, and is an active member of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Real Property, Probate & Trusts Section, and the Milwaukee Bar Association. In 2016, Jackie was honored by the Wisconsin Law Journal as an “Up and Coming Lawyer”.
James E. Lowe, Jr. has joined the firm as a senior attorney focusing on intellectual property law. He offers 37 years of experience counseling businesses on intellectual property portfolio protection, monetization and management. Jim works with business owners, executives and in-house counsel to develop and implement global IP strategies, manage significant IP portfolios, prosecute and negotiate international patents, and identify IP portfolio activities that can be internalized for cost optimization. Prior to joining Davis & Kuelthau, Jim served 16 years as in-house counsel to global innovators including service as chief patent counsel for two Fortune 1000 manufacturers.
Jim earned his J.D. from Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, and his Master of Science degree in Industrial Administration from Purdue University’s Krannert School of Management.
T. Wickham Schmidt joined the firm as a senior attorney focusing on commercial litigation. Wick works with businesses to address complex business disputes, including class actions, shareholder derivative litigation, patent infringement cases and construction disputes. He brings over 12 years of legal experience to the firm, including his service as law clerk for Judge William C. Griesbach.
His professional activities include membership with the State Bar of Wisconsin, Brown County Bar Association, and President of the Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association. He is also admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western District of Wisconsin as well as the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals. Schmidt received his J.D., from Yale Law School and his B.A. in Classics, from Princeton University.
Davis & Kuelthau, s.c. offers an array of innovative legal solutions to business owners and corporations of all sizes, including emerging, middle market and Fortune 500 companies, high net worth individuals and families, private and institutional investors, and lenders. The firm’s attorneys, who practice from three offices across Wisconsin, have national experience combined with strong community ties. For more information, please visit www.dkattorneys.com.