2025 Annual Conference 

Registration Information:

Member Registration Instructions:

  • Login using your WDC Username/Password
    • If you have not yet received your login info: Select "Retrieve Username" and enter your email. Please be sure to use the same email associated with your current WDC membership. Following the retrieval of your username, on the login page, enter your username in the username box, then select "Reset Password." 
  • Once logged in, complete the Annual Conference Registration form as instructed.
Non-Member Registration Instructions:
  • Select "Retrieve Username" and enter your email. If you do not receive an email, it is because your email is not on file, and you will need to create an account.
    • To create a new account, go back to the form and follow the prompts for "New Users"
  • Following the retrieval of your username, on the login page, enter your username in the username box, then select "Reset Password" and con
  • Once logged in, complete the Annual Conference Registration form as instructed.

View the 2025 WDC Annual Conference Registration Brochure here.
View the 2025 WDC Annual Conference Program Booklet here.

Register Here!

Event Details

Date:
Thursday, August 14, 2025 - Friday, August 15, 2025

Location:
Kalahari Resort and Convention Center
1305 Kalahari Drive
Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

 

Event Description

The Wisconsin Defense Counsel will be hosting their Annual Conference on August 14-15th, 2025 at the Kalahari Resort and Convention Center.

Please let the office know if you have any questions at this time:

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 414-276-1881

Program Chair: Chester Isaacson, American Family Insurance Co.

CLE Credits: 8.0 WI CLE have been applied for.

Hotel Reservations Information: Call the Kalahari at 877-525-2427 or book online here. Be sure to mention you are with the Wisconsin Defense Counsel Annual Conference. The deadline to book your room is July 14, 2025. The WDC price is $189.00 for August 13-14.

Click here to view the attendee list.  Attendee list is updated weekly.

Program Agenda 

Thursday, August 14, 2025

8:00 - 8:55 AM
Registration and Continental Breakfast

 

8:55 - 9:00 AM
Opening Remarks

9:00 - 9:50 AM
Lessons in Leadership from Ted Lasso
Elizabeth Sorenson Brotten, Foley Mansfield and Laura Emmett, SBA Lawyers

9:50 - 10:00 AM
Break
Sponsored by Bell, Moore & Richter, S.C.

10:00 - 10:50 AM
Succeeding in Mediation: Avoiding the Common Failures
Michael Crooks, von Briesen & Roper, S.C. and Mike Jassak, Martin Law Office, S.C

10:50 - 11:00 AM
Break

11:00 - 11:50 AM
The Plaintiff’s Evolving Trial Tactics - An Interactive Discussion
Frederick Strampe, Borgelt, Powell, Peterson & Frauen, S.C.

11:50 AM - 1:00 PM
Lunch and Annual Business Meeting

1:00 - 1:50 PM
Trial Tactics: Preparing Your Client for Deposition with an Eye Towards the End Game
Mark Budzinski, Corneille Law Group, LLC

1:50 - 2:00 PM
Break

2:00 - 2:50 PM
Nuclear Verdicts from the Perspective of a Plaintiff's Attorney: How They Happen and How to Avoid Them
Steve Caya, Nowlan Law, LLP

2:50 - 3:00 PM
Break
Sponsored by Corneille Law Group, LLC

3:00 - 4:00 PM
Committee Meetings

4:00 - 5:30 PM
Cocktail Reception, Sponsored by Crivello, Nichols & Hall, S.C.

Friday, August 15, 2025

8:00 - 9:00 AM

Registration and Continental Breakfast

 

9:00 - 9:50 AM
TBD
Speaker information coming soon!

9:50 - 10:00 AM
Break
Sponsored by Weiss Law Offices, S.C.

10:00 - 10:50 AM
A View from the Bench:  A Trial Judge’s Thoughts, Perceptions and Observations About Civil Jury Trials
Heather Nelson, Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm, S.C. and Judge Marc Hammer,  Circuit Court of Brown County

10:50 - 11:00 AM
Break
Sponsored by Weiss Law Offices, S.C.

11:00 - 11:50 AM
Crossing the Line: Dealing with Difficult Opposing Counsel and the Ethical Perils and Pitfalls that can Occur
Brian Anderson, Everson, Whitney, Everson & Brehm, S.C. and Matt Beier, Wisconsin Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company

11:50 AM
Adjourn