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Chris J. Trebatoski

Litigation Attorney at Milwaukee, WI

5.0   5 reviews
  • Licensed for 39 years
    State WI
    Acquired 1984
    Status
    Good Standing Lawyer disciplined by state licensing authority in 2004

About Chris

Learn Chris’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Litigation
    50%
    Trial practice is the core of what I do. I represent businesses in all types of lawsuits except trademark and patent. I have significant experience in professional liability and disputes arising out of failed business relationships. I also handle personal matters including personal injury and family matters especially when those matters overlap with or have roots in business matters.

    39 years, 1,000 cases

  2. Personal injury
    20%
    I have represented individuals seriously injured in car/truck accidents and in premises liability claims.

    39 years, 75 cases

  3. Appeals
    15%
    I have significant appellate practice experience including more than 40 published appellate decisions including twelve arguments before the Wisconsin Supreme Court on matters ranging from Wisconsin's concealed weapons law to long arm jurisdiction matters in personal injury cases.

    39 years, 100 cases

  4. Business
    10%
    I advise business owners on ways to avoid lawsuits, how to manage risk, and when it is better to move on from a bad experience rather than sue. I analyze contracts and merger agreements for litigation risk.

    39 years, 80 cases

  5. Mediation
    5%
    I have been asked to mediate complex commercial cases. I have recently accepted that work and find it very interesting. I also believe experienced trial lawyers make good mediators.

    9 years, 3 cases

I have been a trial lawyer since graduation from law school. I find the practice of law exciting. It is my calling. I have learned so much about so many different types of businesses and the manner in which business disputes arise. I have also experienced with my clients the devastation that come from personal injuries and challenges that they face which cause them to become involved in the legal system. All of those experiences have given me a strong and I believe unique set of skills in helping people find solutions to their problems. The largest corporate client and an individual client may present different types of problems in need of solution but all problems involve people and understanding people and how they act and interact is critical in all cases, big and small.

 

When I am away from work, I play the guitar and sing. I work in community theatre as an actor and singer. I volunteer in a variety of settings. Each of these experiences help to keep me grounded and focused. They also provide me with insight into the way a wide variety of people think and act which is critical in both choosing juries and presenting materials to juries.

 

The critical element in all problem solving is listening before acting. That is how I help clients to look at their legal problems and choose the path toward solutions.

Photos and videos

Contact Chris

Similar lawyers nearby

Treblaw, LLC
1110 N Old World 3rd St Ste 400
Milwaukee, WI, 53203

Reviews

5.0 / 5.0
  5 customer reviews
5 Star
 
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Posted by anonymous | November 20, 2017
This review is from a potential client who consulted with this attorney.
| Consulted Attorney
Very Helpful
Chris called me back in an extremely prompt fashion. We discussed the facets of the perspective case. He was able to obtain details previously unknown to the company.
Posted by John | August 9, 2015
Counter-suit defense.
Chris did a great job for our firm when he was with his previous firm. He defended us in a counter-suit and was very professional and easy to work with. He was able to make what could have been a miserable and emotionally draining experience into a very tolerable one. And we won the case!
Posted by Lindy | June 22, 2015
Just wanting what we were due
We hired Mr. Trebatoski (Chris as we called him) to help us with a contract written and then disputed by our employer. It got very complicated to us but Chris understood everything and explained every detail. Chris explained everything in terms and ways that we were able to understand and spent as much time with us as we needed answering all of our questions. He responded to our emails and calls even if he was out of town. He always made us feel that we were an important client. He informed us of all of our options but left all the final decisions up to us. Chris was very experienced in our case. We have never been through a legal situation and were a little nervous, Chris put us at ease. We cannot thank him enough for his help and would highly recommend Mr Trebatoski.
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Posted by Kris | October 5, 2014
Critical shot fired across provisionally felonious terminated employee, and successor employer's bow
As President of my company I gave a previously successful white collar professional who'd made a couple wrong turns in business and was in financial straits "a chance". We taught the person our highly refined business model and methodology and differentiators, and worked with them for almost two years, which included obtaining outside help as they were attempting to fit in. This person artfully concealed for a substantive period of the time while working for us that they were both utilizing our work product for their own ends and were lying about the actual amount of work done for us. When I terminated the person they took work product to which they had no right to a competitor who had no clue about our business model and methodology much less how to implement it. AND the person spent serious effort in attempting to hack into our company systems for access to more of our work product. Chris masterfully listened to us, took us through guided key questions, researched the issues and quickly determined the seriousness of the acts which were in fact felonious. He next reviewed, compared and contrasted the legal and pragmatic options, and potential pitfalls of perception and reputation in the marketplace when attempting to address provisionally wrongful terminated employee actions. Then he recommended a simple course of action which he believed likely to be most effective and asked us to consider it vs. the other options we discussed. We accepted his recommendation. He executed it. Our competitor divested of our terminated employee and the person appears to have left our industry. While it is difficult to ascertain quantitatively the level of harm we've sustained, it is a relief that it does not appear that the damage is actively on-going. We thus accomplished practically about the best we could expect. BTW Chris accomplished this at 80% of the budget he estimated it would cost. Finally, the most important accolade we can give Chris is his professional wisdom and legal artistry in explaining the nuances of the courses of action and how each might reverberate and possibly reflect badly back on us notwithstanding our having been clearly wronged. This is evidence of both deep experience and legal skill.
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Posted by Lee | October 4, 2014
Honest and Compassionate
Mr. Trebatoski acts very professional and he seems to have years of experience and is very educated at his profession.He is a honest polite person who genuinely cares what his clients are going through and helps the best way he can. He walked us through every step of the case and helped us understand legal terms we didn't understand. He always told us the truth weather it was good or wasn't good.
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Cost

Rates
  • Hourly Rates $ 250-400 per hour
  • Contingency 33%-40%
Payment methods
Cash, Check, Credit Card

Resume

AVVO RATING 10.0 (Superb)

Professional misconduct

This lawyer was disciplined by a state licensing authority in 2004.

Public Reprimand issued in WI, 2004
updated on 11/24/2014

Reprimand means an attorney did something wrong but may still practice law. The State gives the lawyer a public reprimand in hopes that he or she will not repeat the behavior. Details of the infraction are made part of the public record.

Chris's comment: “Ten years ago I went through a particularly difficult time in my life. I made bad choices which resulted in the reprimand. The conduct described in the reprimand never impacted a client either financially or strategically. I have learned from the experience and believe that I am a better trial lawyer as a result.”

Work Experience

  • Founder, Attorney and Mediator
  • Treblaw, LLC
  • 2016 - Present
  • Owner
  • Law Offices of Chris J Trebatoski, LLC
  • 2014 - Present
  • Partner
  • Weiss Berzowski Brady, LLP
  • 2007 - 2014
  • Partner
  • Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan, LLP
  • 2004 - 2007
  • Partner
  • Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP
  • 1991 - 2004
  • Associate
  • Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP
  • 1984 - 1991
View all work experience

Education

  • University of Wisconsin Law School
  • JD - Juris Doctor
  • 1984
  • University of Wisconsin, Madison
  • BA - Bachelor of Arts
  • 1981

Legal Cases

  • Reep et al. v, City of Milwaukee
  • Verdict and Settlement of more than $2 million
  • Milwaukee County v. Mercer, Inc
  • $45 million settlement
  • State v. Hamdan
  • Supreme Court overturned criminal conviction.

Associations

  • Milwaukee Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1984 - Present
  • American Diabetes Association
  • Wisconsin Advisory Board
  • 2005 - 2007
  • The Milwaukee Forum
  • President
  • 1989 - 1990

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2018
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2017
  • Leading Lawyers
  • M Magazine
  • 2016
  • Distinguished Lawyer
  • The Expert Network
  • 2016
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2016
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2015
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5.0 Peer Reviewed
  • Lawyers.com
  • 2015
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2014
  • Million Dollar Advocate
  • Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • 2009
  • Most Important Decision Wisconsin Supreme Court 2003 WI 133
  • Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine
  • 2003
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocate
  • Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum
  • 2002
  • Most Important Decision Wisconsin Supreme Court 2001 WI 99
  • Wisconsin Lawyer Magazine
  • 2001
  • AV Preeminent 5.0 out of 5 Peer Review Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 1995
View all awards

Publications

  • Lorman Education Services publication
  • Tax Exempt Organizations in Wisconsin
  • 2006

Speaking Engagements

  • Clio Cloud Conference
  • Transform Your Practice with Clio the Treblaw Example
  • 2017
  • Tax Law Program
  • Ethical Considerations in Actions Before Tax Tribunals
  • 2008
  • Tax Law Conference
  • Mergers and Acquisitions Gone Wrong: When Lawyers Get Sued
  • 2008
  • Tax Exempt Organizations in Wisconsin
  • Not for Profit Corporate Governance
  • 2006
View all speaking engagements

Attorney endorsements

Received (5)
Given (17)
Endorse Chris
Litigation Attorney | Nov 30
Relationship: Opposing Counsel on matter
"Chris is a fantastic litigator. i endorse him wholeheartedly."
Litigation Attorney | Nov 05
Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community
"Chris Trebatoski is a GREAT trial lawyer. We routinely refer all of our accounting and legal malpractice work to Chris. Clients love him. We love him. And most importantly, he gets GREAT results. We highly recommend Chris for any litigation matter."
Litigation Attorney | Oct 27
Relationship: Worked for lawyer
"Chris is one of the best trial lawyers I have ever seen."
Litigation Attorney | Sep 25
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer."
Litigation Attorney | Sep 25
Relationship: Worked together on matter
"I endorse this lawyer."