Class Notes
1970s
Bob Giolito ’74 is a labor lawyer with a national practice representing local and international unions and their members in a wide variety of industries, particularly entertainment, hospitality, logistics and related services. He’s been active since 1974 and has represented both individual and institutional clients in many federal and state courts and before government agencies. He has represented labor unions and is assisting in numerous organizing campaigns, including Starbucks.
Harold A. Laufer ’74 is an experienced, highly rated corporate business attorney practicing in California. He focuses on mergers and acquisitions and significant contract negotiations for established closely held businesses. He has professional relationships with experts in every area of the law and can provide full service legal assistance.
Peter Weil ’74 is the managing partner of Glaser Weil in California. Weil is widely recognized for driving large-scale and innovative real estate and corporate transactions and for his leadership in the firm and community. His extensive experience encompasses envelope-pushing matters ranging from the acquisition and disposition of businesses to real estate development, construction, leasing, financing and restructuring.
His list of clients has included Fortune 500 companies, significant real estate investors and developers, major studios and successful entrepreneurs. He also served as lead outside counsel for MGM Mirage in connection with all legal aspects of the largest privately funded construction project in U.S. history, CityCenter, a $9 billion, 20 million-square-foot mixed-use project in Las Vegas.
1980s
Cheryl Daniels ’85 was honored with the 2025 Charles L. Goldberg Distinguished Service Award from the Wisconsin Law Foundation, the charitable arm of the State Bar of Wisconsin. The award recognizes a lifetime of professional achievement and dedication to the law.
Judge Gregory H. Bigler ’88 (and former Hastie Fellow) was inducted into the American Indian Circle of Honor March 7 by the Tulsa City-County Library’s American Indian Resource Center. Bigler, Euchee, enrolled with the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, is a tribal judge and lawyer who exclusively represents Native American tribes.
He currently serves as the chief district judge at the Sac and Fox Nation, chief district judge at the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, chief justice for the Supreme Court of the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas, appellate judge at the Mashantucket Pequot Nation, Quapaw Nation Supreme Court justice and Supreme Court justice for the Iowa Tribe of Oklahoma.
Tom Kuzmanovic ’88, partner in charge of Hinshaw’s Milwaukee office, was selected by BizTimes Milwaukee for its 2025 Notable Litigators & Trial Attorneys award. The award recognizes attorneys for their exceptional leadership, mentoring and history of successfully managing high-profile litigation matters.
He has a long track record of successfully representing clients in high-stakes litigation nationwide and internationally. He represents clients across a wide array of industries, including insurance, transportation, construction, financial services and manufacturing.
1990s
Chief Judge Guy Dutcher ’90 of the Fourth Judicial Administrative District was selected to serve as chair of the Wisconsin Chief Judges Committee. He was selected for the statewide leadership post by his fellow chief judges effective August 2025. Dutcher has served as a circuit court judge in Waushara County since 2005. He was elected chief judge of the Fourth District by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2022.
In his new statewide leadership role, Dutcher will help guide the work of the Chief Judges Committee, which advises the director of state courts and collaborates on administrative issues affecting circuit courts across the state.
Susan Kaplan’s ’91 “A Healthy Union: How States Can Lead on Environmental Health” was published by Island Press in November 2025. The book describes how and why environmental health protections eroded at the federal level and explores groundbreaking state environmental health policies across the country and political spectrum.
It identifies key elements shared by successful policies and best practices that policymakers and advocates in any state can make use of to protect their community from pollution and toxic chemicals.
Jennifer Mirus ’93 was named to Wisconsin Law Journal’s “Power List: Employment Law Attorney” in October 2025. Mirus is an attorney at Boardman Clark, where she’s spent three decades specializing in employment relation matters like wage and hour issues, discrimination claims, FMLA and ADA, hiring and terminations, harassment claims and disciplinary actions. She is the co-chairperson of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Group and chairperson of the Executive Committee.
Jennifer Nutt Carleton ’96 was appointed chief of licensing and investigations for the UAE’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority.
Judi Williams-Killackey ’97, a partner at Quarles & Brady, was named national chair of the firm’s labor and employment practice group. In her new role, she oversees 80 attorneys and staff in Quarles’ labor and employment group, providing mentorship and serving as a guide.
Lori Ringhand ’97 is the author of “We the Voters,” published this spring by Stanford University Press. The J. Alton Hosch professor of law and Josiah Meigs distinguished teaching professor at University of Georgia School of Law uses straightforward and accessible language to help the American public better understand how elections work and why. The book explains how the constitutional choices made in the past structure our system today, what the alternatives are and how we might change things if we wanted to.
Jessica Palmer-Denig ’99 was appointed chief administrative law judge at the Court of Administrative Hearings (formerly known as the Office of Administrative Hearings) by Gov. Tim Walz in December 2025. Palmer-Denig will begin serving upon the completion of Tim O’Malley’s term as temporary chief judge, for a term expiring on June 30, 2031.
2000s
Stacy Leeds ’00, former Hastie Fellow, was named University of Tulsa’s next president. Effective July 1, Leeds will become the first woman to permanently hold the position of president at the university. Currently the dean of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University and a former vice chancellor at the University of Arkansas, Leeds brings more than 25 years of experience as a professor and administrator at national research institutions.
Diane Meulemans ’00 was appointed to the Waupaca County Circuit Court – Branch 3 by Gov. Tony Evers in February. Meulemans will complete a term ending July 31, 2027.
Meghan Elliott ’02 was named senior vice president and general counsel of Marvin, a manufacturer of premium windows and doors. In this role, Elliott will lead Marvin’s legal and risk department and serve as a key advisor to senior leadership on a wide range of legal, governance, compliance and business matters.
Elliott brings more than 20 years of legal experience to Marvin, most recently having served as executive vice president and chief legal officer at Apogee Enterprises. She also previously held the role of general counsel for Viracon, Apogee’s second-largest subsidiary, and began her career as a litigation partner at Minneapolis law firm Lindquist & Vennum (now Ballard Spahr).
Latrice Knighton ’02 (formerly Latrice Pinson) launched Valor Divorce Firm PLLC, a family law firm based in North Carolina. Knighton focuses her practice on divorce, custody and financial matters, and is licensed to practice law in North Carolina and Wisconsin.
Benjamin S. Wagner ’03 of Habush Habush & Rottier S.C. was named the 2025 Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Wisconsin Association for Justice for his precedent-setting work in the landmark Helen Ende elder care case.
Nathan J. Rice ’04 was promoted to executive director in the Legal and Compliance Division of Morgan Stanley in New York.
John W. Miller ’06 was appointed by Gov. Tony Evers to serve as the secretary and chief executive officer of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) in December 2025. Miller began his career in public service in Washington, D.C., as a congressional staffer and later, deputy chief of staff, serving Wisconsin’s 4th Congressional District.
Following his graduation from law school, Miller joined Miller-St. Nazianz Inc., his family’s agricultural equipment manufacturing business. He was later named president and CEO of the company, becoming the fifth generation of his family to lead the business. In 2015, Miller founded Arenberg Holdings LLC., a venture capital fund in Milwaukee, which works to mentor and invest in early-stage companies in the Midwest.
“It is a privilege to accept this position as WEDC secretary and CEO, and I am honored to have been tapped by the governor for this opportunity to serve the people of Wisconsin,” Miller said in a press release. “WEDC celebrated a record year of investments in 2025, and I have every intention of using my experience in the business community to continue that success into 2026 and beyond.”
Angela L. Wellsmith ’07 was promoted to vice president, deputy general counsel and assistant secretary of The Manitowoc Company Inc. Wellsmith joined Manitowoc in 2022, leading America’s transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate, sales and distribution networks and information technology/cybersecurity. Her new role will expand to global responsibilities and additional public company matters. Wellsmith returns regularly to UW Law School to interview 1Ls for Manitowoc’s summer legal intern program.
Yadira J. Rein ’08 was named among Wisconsin’s 31 most influential Latino leaders for 2025 by Madison 365. Rein is a judge on the Outagamie County Circuit Court. Her legal background includes extensive work in family law, dealing with divorce, custody and placement, child support, paternity, guardianships and guardian ad litem appointments. She also has experience in personal injury law. Before her appointment, she practiced as an attorney with McCarty Law LLP in Appleton.
2010s
Erica López ’11 was named among Wisconsin’s 31 most influential Latino leaders for 2025 by Madison 365. López is assistant corporation counsel for Dane County. She spent the previous three years running Centro de Derecho de la Gente (People’s Law Center), a nonprofit legal aid organization she founded in 2021.
David Hughes ’12 was appointed to the Kenosha County Circuit Court — Branch 4 by Gov. Tony Evers in December 2025. The appointment filled the vacancy created by Judge Anthony Milisauskas’ resignation. Hughes will complete a term ending July 31, 2027.
Jon Fischer ’13, partner at McCarty Law LLP, was named president-elect of the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Elder and Special Needs Law Section in January. He will begin his term in July. This appointment highlights Fischer’s leadership in protecting the elderly and special needs population and promoting excellence among elder law attorneys.
“I’m incredibly honored to receive this appointment,” said Fischer in a press release. “My goal as president is to demonstrate to my fellow attorneys that elder law is both a fulfilling and deeply impactful career path. With the demographics of the Bar itself aging, it’s crucial that we inspire and encourage younger attorneys to join the Elder Law and Special Needs Section and dedicate their practice to this vital area of the law.”
Fischer specializes in estate planning, probate, Medicaid and elder law, as well as special needs planning. In March, Fischer was also named to the Insight on Business 40 Under 40 list. This award honors young professionals across Northeast Wisconsin who have made a significant impact on their communities and industry.
Michael Weigel ’13 was appointed co-leader of Mayer Brown LLP’s Chicago Corporate & Securities group.
Owen Piotrowski ’14 was appointed to the Milwaukee County Circuit Court – Branch 38 by Gov. Tony Evers in December 2025. Piotrowski will complete the term ending July 31, 2027. Piotrowski had previously served as an assistant district attorney in the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office.
Cory Fish ’16 was named policy director for the Office of Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas in December 2025. Fish previously served as a budget and policy advisor to Governor Abbott and was later promoted to deputy policy director. Prior to joining the Office of the Governor, he was a fellow at the Cicero Institute in Austin and has also held various roles at a trade association and nonprofit law firm.
Tomás Clasen ’18 and Joia Wodarczyk ’18 were elected shareholders of Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. Clasen is a shareholder in Reinhart’s Real Estate Practice, assisting with transactions that alter the landscape in positive ways. He counsels clients on complex commercial real estate matters, including purchasing and sales, leasing, entitlements, construction law, tax incremental financing and conventional financing.
Clasen has extensive experience working with municipalities on land use entitlements and zoning issues. He also handles licensing work in the food and beverage arena, helping businesses secure beer and liquor licenses through state and local agencies.
Wodarczyk is also a shareholder in Reinhart’s Real Estate Practice, assisting clients in all aspects of commercial real estate development. She is experienced in acquisitions and dispositions, land use, zoning and entitlements issues, public and private financing, leasing and in collaborating with opposing counsel and municipalities to move deals forward efficiently. She also serves on the board of directors for Downtown Madison Inc., an organization focused on making downtown Madison a great place to work, live and play.
Olga (Tymouch) Rogne ’18 was elevated to shareholder at Winthrop & Weinstine in Minneapolis, Minn.
2020s
Sunyoung “Sunny” Cho ’21 was elevated to partner at Nyhan, Bambrick, Kinzie & Lowry, P.C. She joined the firm in 2023 as an associate, concentrating her practice in workers’ compensation and leveraging previous employment law and civil litigation experience to her clients’ advantage.
Julie (Seungyeon) Kim ’25 joined Winthrop & Weinstine in Minneapolis, Minn., as an associate in their Tax Practice.