Archive for the ‘Community Service’ Category

Attorney Mike Donovan leads personal injury firm into the Hawkeye State

Hausmann-McNally S.C. only hires the best and brightest lawyers. This strategy is crucial to giving our clients the best possible representation, leading to some of the highest settlements in Wisconsin.

Apparently, people are noticing. Attorney Michael Donovan, who has been at Hausmann-McNally since 1977, and is our firm’s senior trial attorney and a shareholder in the firm, has been named to the very exclusive and highly prestigious list of Wisconsin Super Lawyers multiple times in years past. Only five percent of Wisconsin attorneys are given the honor each year.

Donovan and his wife Jean were born, raised and educated in Dubuque, Iowa. He has been licensed to practice in Iowa and Wisconsin since 1973 and is excited about the firm expanding into his home state.

Donovan graduated with honors from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa in 1970 and with distinction from The University of Iowa College of Law in1973.

Donovan’s expertise with dealing with insurance companies stems from the very beginning of his legal career. His first job as a lawyer was with the law firm Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, a Milwaukee firm that specialized in defense for insurance companies and other large corporations. In his four years at that firm, Donovan learned all the tricks of the trade when it comes to defending insurance companies, knowledge he now uses to protect client from insurance companies.

In his thirty plus years as a trial lawyer, Donovan has tried over 100 jury trials and has settled thousands more. His broad base of experience includes auto accidents, slip and fall, dog bites, sexual assaults, products liability, workers compensation and Social Security disability cases.

He has been involved in several key cases that have lead to groundbreaking decisions by the Wisconsin Supreme Court. In Brown v. Maxey he successfully argued for insurance coverage for punitive damages for a severely burned African-American client who was the victim of a careless landlord. He also argued for insurance coverage for a child sexually assaulted in the landmark case, N.N. v. Moraine Mutual. Recently he obtained a large verdict for a construction foreman who was seriously injured by a truck driver whose insurance company denied liability and refused to pay any damages.

Donovan is certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. His accomplishments have been recognized in Who’ Who In America, Who’s Who in American Executives and Professionals and Who’s Who in American Law. Donovan is also admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the United States.

His family includes Jean, his wife of 37 years, and two adult children, Jon and Jodi. He has been active in his community, coaching youth sports as well a holding civic positions.

Most recently, Donovan was recognized for his community involvement as the Attorney of the Year by the Career Youth Development, a community based social service agency.

Donovan said he was humbled by the Super Lawyer selection, and feels it was more of a reflection on the firm he has worked at the last few decades than on himself.

“I don’t do anything differently than all the other great lawyers here at Hausmann-McNally,” he said. “We all work our hardest to ensure that our clients get the best representation and service possible from our firm.”

90 percent of people killed while riding bicycle not wearing helmet

Bicycle safety includes more than just wearing a helmet. Bike riders have to worry about inattentive drivers, bumpy roads, and dangerous drunk drivers

That is why your friends at Hausmann-McNally S.C. would like to remind bicyclists of some rules of the road that could keep them from getting hurt. We have compiled some safety tips from websites BicycleSafe.com, AdventureSportsOnline, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Bicycle accidents can often be fatal, remember to wear a helmet.

For starters, if you are riding your bike at night, wear reflective clothing and install a headlight on the front of your bicycle and a reflector on the back for added protection. Night riding is when bicyclists are most vulnerable because of the lack of visibility, as well as a higher likelihood of less attentive and drunk drivers.

Bicyclists themselves also need to be attentive at all times, obey traffic signs and signals, and be on the lookout for people opening their car doors. Also, riding on the right hand side of the road makes it easier for drivers to avoid bicyclists.

Hausmann-McNally would also like to remind motorists to always be aware of their surroundings. According to the Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute, 51,000 bicyclists were injured in traffic in 2009.

However, while the above tips may make bike riding safer, helmets are still a necessity. How important are helmets? Tour de France great Lance Armstrong had a $15,000 helmet commissioned for his last attempt at a cycling championship.

You do not have to spend $15,000 on a helmet, however. Twenty or thirty dollars is more than enough money to buy yourself an adequate bicycle helmet that will keep you safe.

Since 1994, more than 90 percent of people killed while riding a bicycle were not wearing a helmet. So, always wear your helmet, be careful riding your bike at night, and always be attentive on the road.

And, if you are so unfortunate as to have an accident while riding your bicycle, please call Hausmann-McNally, S.C. at 800-227-6699. We will send a representative to your office, home or hospital room. Our special understanding of this area of the law spans over 35 years.

We want everyone to enjoy this holiday season. To some it means more time with family and friends, to others it has religious significance and to many it means purchasing gifts for loved ones, especially beloved children.

Sadly, the holiday season always brings forth stories of unsafe toys that cause injury, even death, to little ones. Recently, we wrote in the Hausmann-McNally newsletter of a large recall of Fisher Price trikes and other items. The holidays notices also make us aware that some toys are painted with unsafe, lead paints. One thing we should watch out for, and perhaps toy recalls cannot predict, is things that get stuck in a child’s throat. This can range from a popcorn kernel to a small plastic toy that a toddler left under the sofa.

In 2009, more than 250,000 children were treated in hospital emergency rooms nationwide for toy-related injuries, according to the California Public Interest Research Group.

This group has produced a common-sense list which we are happy to share with our readers.

• When buying toys, look for clearly marked age ranges on the packaging.
• Check websites such as www.recalls.gov, www.toysafety.mobi or www.cpsc.gov, to learn of toy recalls.
• When giving bicycles, skateboards, skates or scooters, include a helmet.
• Look for toys labeled “phthalate-free.” Avoid soft-plastic toys or those made of PVC, which often contain phthalates.

When buying toys for kids under 3, avoid:

• Small toys or toys with breakable parts that can fit inside a toilet tissue tube.
• Round objects or small balls that can block a child’s airway. Balls should be at least 1.75 inches in diameter.
• Cylindrical pieces, like toy nails, that can lodge in a child’s throat.
• Never give balloons, which can block the airway.

The full CalPIRG “Trouble in Toyland” report is available at www.calpirg.org.
And if you are so unfortunate to have a child injured as a result of any unsafe toy or object, feel free to call our office. Our attorneys are aware of the hazards in the toy market and willing to help your family recover from injuries suffered by your child. The number to reach a Hausmann-McNally attorney is number is 800-227-6699

Charles Hausmann
President
Hausmann-McNally, S.C.