The Otjen firm specializes in defense litigation. Since its founding over 100 years ago, our firm has provided legal services to insurance companies throughout the state. Presently, our firm is primarily devoted to representing insurance companies, insureds, third-party administrators, and self-insured companies.

The firm has an extensive practice in medical malpractice defense, products liability defense, worker's compensation defense, automobile and premises liability, insurance coverage, errors and omissions defense, general liability and casualty defense, and nursing home defense. Geographically, our firm handles cases from all over the State of Wisconsin as well as multi-state litigation on a national basis.

We are listed in Best's Directory of Recommended Insurance Attorneys and the Insurance Bar. Our peers have given our firm a rating of AV, the highest rating available, in the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory.



FIRM STRUCTURE

The firm is a service corporation and the shareholders/members of the firm are Todd M. Weir, Lori Gendelman, Stephen O. Murray, Joseph Berger, Matthew C. Siderits and Daniel L. Zitzer. The associate attorneys are Jason J. Franckowiak, Laurie J. McLeRoy, Karl VanDeHey, Barbara M. Olivas, Joseph Gibart and Michael L. Johnson. Wayne R. Van Ert is a senior attorney.

We have a number of paralegals, including a registered nurse who is available to consult on complex medical matters, as well as medical investigation and review of medical records. We also have an experienced legal staff providing support for the attorneys and paralegals.

Our practice is organized into three general divisions: medical malpractice defense, worker's compensation defense, and general liability defense (auto, premises and products liability). Particular attorneys work in one of those divisions or sometimes two, allowing each to hone their skills and increase their level of expertise in those areas.



MEDICAL MALPRACTICE

Otjen, Van Ert & Weir has been involved in the defense of health care providers in Wisconsin for decades. Currently, two shareholders in the Milwaukee office and one in the Madison office devote substantial portions of their practice to the defense of health care providers. Todd Weir and Lori Gendelman in the Milwaukee office represent physicians, hospitals and the Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund in the defense of medical negligence claims. Steve Murray in the Madison office defends physicians, hospitals and the Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund in the western part of the state. These attorneys each have been involved in the defense of medical negligence cases for approximately 20 years. They have experience in virtually all types of medical negligence claims that can be brought against health care providers in Wisconsin.



WORKER'S COMPENSATION

The Otjen firm has defended insurance companies and employers in worker's compensation matters since the inception of the Worker's Compensation Act. There are currently five attorneys who practice almost exclusively in worker's compensation. The three shareholders, Joe Berger, Matt Siderits and Dan Zitzer bring a combined 40 years of experience in worker's compensation defense practice. Our worker's compensation attorneys have extensive experience in handling matters at all levels of the worker's compensation system from the administrative hearing level to appeals before the Wisconsin Supreme Court. They have given seminars for the state bar and other legal education courses, as well as private seminars directly with clients. Our clients range from heavy industry to health care to technology companies.



GENERAL LIABILITY

Otjen, Van Ert & Weir's general liability defense practice encompasses the areas of auto liability (including uninsured and underinsured motorist claims), premises liability, products liability, trucking claims, construction accidents and construction defects, fire loss, environmental liability and toxic torts as well as the defense of non-medical professional claims (architect and engineer, insurance and real estate agents and attorneys). Additionally, we provide insurance coverage expertise in analyzing and litigating coverage issues for our insurance clients at both the trial court and appellate level. We also accept referrals for subrogation and other recovery claims. These cases are handled on a hourly or contingency basis.



REPRESENTATIVE CLIENTS

All Nations Insurance Co.; American Country Insurance; American Home Products; Auto Club Ins. Association of Wisconsin; A.O. Smith Corporation; Bituminous Insurance Co.; Brunswick Corporation; C & D Technologies; California State Automobile Association; Car Rental Claims; Chubb Group of Insurance Cos.; Cincinnati Insurance Co.; Crawford & Co.; DaimlerChrysler Corp.; Driver's Direct Insurance Co.; Employer's Mutual Casualty Co.; Gates McDonald; Harleysville Insurance Group; Harnischfeger Corp.; Highlands Insurance Co.; International Truck and Engine; Johnson Controls; Kemper Group; Kohl's Food Stores; Metropolitan Property & Liability Insurance Co.; Nelson Industries; OHIC Ins. Co.; One Beacon Insurance; Pekin Insurance Co.; Physicians Insurance Company of Wisconsin; Quad/Graphics Inc.; RSKCo.; Safeco Insurance Co.; Secura Insurance; Self Insured Services Co.; Sentry Insurance; Shelby Insurance Co.; Society Insurance; Thomas Industries; United Heartland; West Bend Mutual Insurance Company; Wisconsin County Mutual Insurance Company; Wisconsin Health Care Liability Plan; Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund; Zurich Ins. Co.



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