Lynn R. Laufenberg
About Lynn R. Laufenberg
I was born and raised on a family farm in southwest Wisconsin. While I chose not to stay on the farm, I learned valuable lessons that have served me well in my personal and professional life – things like self-reliance, the value of hard work, the importance of family and team work, respect for others and common decency. Though we never had a lot of material things, my parents were always quick to share what we had and to step up and help others less fortunate. But this wasn’t unique to our family – it was a community ethic. It created a sense of social responsibility which is so important in what we do as lawyers at Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs.
I became interested in the law as a college student majoring in Police Science and Criminal Justice at UW – Platteville. Two of the required courses were Constitutional Law and Criminal Law and they were taught by our local District Attorney. I still consider him among the best of all my law professors and he encouraged me to take the Law School Entrance Test. While in law school at Marquette my interest shifted from criminal law to the civil side – injury litigation and insurance issues. I feel very fortunate to have found a profession which gives me the opportunity to help people in need and to make a difference in their lives.
Favorite Book: “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee
If you weren’t a lawyer…
If I wasn’t a lawyer, I’d probably be a journalist or a teacher. I have always had an interest in a wide range of things and these professions, like my profession as a trial lawyer, would give me a chance to learn new things every day.
Education
- UW-Platteville, graduation with honors, 1972
- Marquette University Law School, Cum Laude, 1975
Bar Admission
- Wisconsin State Bar
- United States District Court, Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin
- United States Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit
- United States Court of Claims
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Wisconsin Association for Justice – Past President, Member of the Amicus Committee
- American Board of Trial Advocates, Wisconsin Chapter, Past President
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- State Bar of Wisconsin, Board of Governors, Past Chair of Litigation Section
- Waukesha County Bar Association
- Milwaukee County Bar Association
- American Association for Justice
- National Board of Trial Advocacy, Certified in Pretrial Civil Practice and Civil Trial Law
Honors and Awards
- Robert L. Habush Trial Lawyer of the Year, 2006
- Wisconsin SuperLawyers, 2005-Present
- Top 10 in Wisconsin Multiple Years
- Top 25 in Milwaukee Multiple Years
- Top 50 in Wisconsin Multiple Years
- Best Lawyers, 1995-Present
- Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
- Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs