I made up the term aggravated litigation™ because it so succinctly describes what I do. I started trying cases for real people and important causes while still at Harvard Law School, then as an Assistant United States Attorney fraud prosecutor, and now for decades as a private lawyer here in Milwaukee. I am privileged as the founder of KHK to be working with enormously talented lawyers, all dedicated to winning for you. I love Wisconsin, and the community has returned that love — in the form of the respect I get from lawyers and courts, and the cases and awards I won. I’ve led many interesting cases over the years. If anything, my passion to do justice grows with the passage of time. Each aggravated situation is unique. I look forward to talking about yours!
• Aggravated Litigation (TM)
• Administrative, Licensing, and Regulatory Matters
• Business and Commercial Litigation
• Debtor-Creditor and Lender Liability
• Employment Law
• Insurance Litigation
• Intellectual Property Litigation
• Professional Malpractice
• Securities Litigation
• White Collar Criminal Defense
• Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent Attorney – Peer Review Rated (30+ years)
• Recognized as a Fellow of the Wisconsin Law Foundation, 2022-2023
• Selected as a 2023 Top Rated Litigator by Martindale-Hubbell® and ALM
• Selected, “Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star” by Benchmark Litigation – 2022 edition
• Selected, The Best Lawyers in America®, 1991-2025 [31 years], Commercial Litigation and Criminal Defense: White-Collar
• Named, Fellows of the American Bar Foundation, 2016 • Named, Best Lawyers® Milwaukee, Criminal Defense: White-Collar “Lawyer of the Year” – 2014
• Selected, “Litigation Star – Wisconsin” by Benchmark Litigation – 2015-2018, 2023 editions
• Selected, “Local Litigation Star – Wisconsin” (for Appellate, General Commercial Insurance, and Labor and Employment) and “Seventh Circuit Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation – 2014-2016 editions
• Selected, “Top 25 Lawyers in Milwaukee” by Wisconsin Super Lawyers® six times, including 2023
• Selected, “Top 50 Lawyers in Wisconsin” by Wisconsin Super Lawyers® thirteen times, including 2023
• Selected, “Super Lawyer” by Wisconsin Super Lawyers® for 2005-2023
• Named, Life Fellow (inducted as one of 75 inaugural Fellows) of Fellows of the
• Wisconsin Law Foundation, February 2000
• Named, “Top 25 Attorneys in Wisconsin” by Milwaukee Magazine, December 2015
• Named, “Best Lawyers in Milwaukee” by Milwaukee Magazine (five years)
• Town & Country Magazine, Best Criminal Lawyers in America, June 1985
• Selected, America’s Most Honored Professionals, Top 1% – 2014
• Recipient, U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service (second highest award, U.S. Department of Justice), 1979
• Recipient, Special Commendation, U.S. Department of Justice Award for
• Outstanding Service in the Office of the United States Attorney, 1978
• Recovery: presented to the Insurance Security Association; American Society for Industrial Security; Asset Protection Executives Association; Excess and Surplus Lines Claims Association; International Association of Insurance Fraud Agencies; National Association of Insurance Commissioners; National Conference of Insurance Legislators; Westchester Fairfield Chapter of Association Corporate Counsel America; NBI Fraud Litigation in Wisconsin; Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants; The Network of Trial Law Firms
• Speaker and instructor on trial issues — Harvard Law School Advocacy Workshop; University of Wisconsin Law School General Practice Course; Marquette University
• Law School Advanced Trial Practice and Pretrial Litigation courses; The Network of Trial Law Firms
• Founder and regular speaker, Marquette Law School Conference on Recent Developments in Criminal Law, 1979 – present
• Advocacy Workshop – Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA
• General Practice Course – University of Wisconsin Law School, Madison, WI
• Marquette Law School – Milwaukee, WI
• Criminal Law Institute
• NBI Fraud Litigation in Wisconsin
• National Solo & Small Firm Conference – American Bar Association, Milwaukee, WI
• Perils of General Counsel: Federal Prosecution Policy and the Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege – Napa Valley, CA
• Litigation Management SuperCourse in LA – 2006 Ed.- Network of Trial Law Firms, Beverly Hills, CA
• Litigation Management in a New York Minute – 2004 Ed. – New York, NY
• Litigation Management: Gunfight at the O.K. Doral – Scottsdale, AZ
• Securities Arbitration and Litigation – New York, NY
• Avoiding Bad Faith Claims in WI (and Elsewhere) – AIG Technical Services, New York, NY
• Participant, Roundtable Discussion on Electronic Discovery – Wisconsin Law Journal, Madison, WI
• Fraud in the New Millennium: New Legal Perils for CPA’s and Their Clients – Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Brookfield, WI
• The Impact of Corporate Scandals on Federal Criminal Practice – Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Fraud Conference, Milwaukee, WI
• Changes in the Prosecution of White Collar Crime that Affect You – The Network of Trial Law Firms, Palm Beach, FL
• Crisis Management – First the Stall, Then the Spin – The Network of Trial Law Firms, San Diego, CA
• What Computer Discovery Might Actually Discover! – Wisconsin Law & Technology Show, Milwaukee, WI
• Defending Shareholder Oppression Litigation, The Network of Trial Law Firms, Scottsdale, AZ
• Top Gun Litigation – The Network of Trial Law Firms, San Diego, CA
• Winning the Litigation Civil War & Preserving the Corporate Union – The Network of Trial Law Firms, Kiawah Island, SC
• What To Do When The Government Is At Your Doorstep: Twelve Tips For Handling The Search Warrant – American Corporate Counsel Association, Hyatt Regency, Greenwich, CT
• Cutting Edge Issues for Corporate Counsel – The Network of Trial Law Firms, Scottsdale, AZ
• Author: Standards for General Assistance in New Hampshire: An Analysis and Proposal, 16 N.H.B.J. 136 (1974), as cited in Baker-Chaput v. Cammett, 406 F. Supp. 1134 (D. NH 1976)
• Kenosha Unified School Dists., et al. v. Stifel Nicolaus & Co. Inc., 607 F. Supp. 2d 967 (E.D. Wis. 2009)
• Decker v. Decker, 298 Wis. 2d 141, 726 N.W.2d 664 (Ct. App. 2006)
• Miller Brewing Co. v. ACE U.S. Holdings, Inc., 391 F. Supp. 2d 735 (E.D. Wis. 2005)
• Black v. Long Term Disability Ins., 373 F. Supp. 2d 897 (E.D. Wis. 2005)
• Reget v. Paige, 242 Wis. 2d 278, 626 N.W.2d 302 (Ct. App. 2001)
• U.S. v. Van Engel, 15 F.3d 623 (7th Cir. 1993)
• U.S. v. Van Engel, 809 F. Supp. 1360 (E.D. Wis. 1992)
• Limjoco v. Schenck, 169 Wis. 2d 702, 486 N.W.2d 567 (Ct. App. 1992)
• U.S. v. Van Engel, 1992 WL 477645 (E.D. Wis. 1992)
• John v. Barron, 897 F.2d 1387 (7th Cir. 1990)
• Garrett by Kravit v. City of New Berlin, 122 Wis. 2d 223, 362 N.W.2d 137 (1985)
• U.S. v. Mosineee Research Corp., 583 F.2d 930 (7th Cir. 1978)
• U.S. v. Articles of Food and Drug, 449 F. Supp. 497 (E.D. Wis. 1978)
• U.S. v. Articles of Food and Drug, 441 F. Supp. 772 (E.D. Wis. 1977)
• U.S. v. Articles of Food and Drug, 444 F. Supp. 266 (E.D. Wis. 1977)
• City of Milwaukee v. Saxbe, 546 F.2d 493 (7th Cir. 1976)
• Lavoie v. Szumiez, 115 N.H. 266 339 A.2d 28 6952 (S. Ct. NH 1975)
• Wisconsin
• U.S. Supreme Court
• U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
• U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington
• U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Wisconsin
• Harvard Law School / J.D. , 1975
• University of Wisconsin-Madison / B.A. (Economics), with honors, 1972
• Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Omicron Delta Epsilon
• Fox Point Police Commission, 1997; President, 2005-present
• Shareholder, Godrey & Kahn, s.c., 1976-1979
• Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1976-1979
• American Bar Association
• State Bar of Wisconsin
• Milwaukee Bar Association
• Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association
• Member, University of Wisconsin – Madison Economics Advisory Board, 2016-present