Two Milwaukee Lawyers Feted For Outstanding Legal Work
Dunphy and Jaskulski Define “Gold Standard for Excellence”
December 3, 2015 (Madison) Two veteran Milwaukee area trial lawyers, Patrick O. Dunphy and Robert L. Jaskulski, will be honored Friday with top awards from the Wisconsin Association for Justice (WAJ).
Dunphy is the co-founder of Cannon & Dunphy S.C., a firm dedicated to representing persons injured by the wrongful conduct of others. Over his 39 years as a trial lawyer, Dunphy has amassed a long track record of courtroom success on behalf of his clients.
Dunphy’s latest case, the trial of a Milwaukee gun dealer, made national headlines earlier this summer when a jury returned a $6 million verdict in favor of two Milwaukee police officers who were seriously injured after being shot by a gun sold to a straw buyer by a gun dealer. This was the first successful verdict in the United States against a gun dealer since the 2005 enactment of the federal Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act.
Given the WAJ President’s Award, Dunphy said, “the verdict was significant because it protects the rights of all citizens to have access to the courts and shows the importance of keeping the courthouse doors open despite a never ending assault on the civil justice system by Congress and the Wisconsin legislature.”
Dunphy also credited fellow attorney Brett Eckstein for helping try the case and being instrumental in obtaining a favorable verdict.
As a shareholder and managing partner with Habush Habush & Rottier S.C., Robert L. Jaskulski has been one of the staunchest policy advocates for WAJ for more than a decade. As the Co-Chair of the association’s Legislative Task Force, Jaskulski led the fight to stop plans to eliminate the Collateral Source Rule. This year alone he has pushed for substantial changes in the Statute of Limitations in Personal Injury and Wrongful Death actions, as well as the law with respect to informed consent claims in medical malpractice cases.
As the recipient of an award named for his firm’s founder, Robert Habush, Jaskulski says being given the award as Trial Lawyer of the Year is humbling after working and learning from the well-known attorney. “The battles we fight for our clients are not limited solely to the courtroom,” said Jaskulski, “the right to trial by jury is under assault today than ever before. We advocate for our clients whether it’s in front of a jury or in the halls of our government.”
“Rob and Pat are the gold standard for excellence in their legal work and their devotion to civil justice,” said WAJ President Ann S. Jacobs, “they advocate for their clients and for fairness as passionately outside the courtroom as they do inside. Both are role models for what lawyers do best and are examples of the best of our profession.”
Dunphy and Jaskulski, both former WAJ Presidents, will receive their awards on Friday night in Milwaukee at the annual Winter Conference of the Wisconsin Association for Justice.The Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer Of The Year award was created in 2000 to recognize a Wisconsin trial lawyer who had made significant contributions to the trial bar by handling a case involving significant change in the law, a precedent setting suit, or donating time to a project involving injured consumers.
The President’s Award is given to an individual or legal team which has best defined WAJ’s mission of service. The President’s Award honors the work of a member(s) who helps improve our civil justice system, or continues to assure access to the courts for all and the right of trial by jury.
The Wisconsin Association for Justice was founded in 1957. As the largest statewide voluntary bar association, its members support a mission of working for a fair and effective judicial system.
