Joseph A. Bugni

My case was one that I don't wish on my worst enemy. The type of case that you are judge and convicted before the trial has begun. Judge not only by the state but in many cases you attorneys. I was wrongfully convicted and sentence to 20 years in prison with an additional 10 years extended supervi...sion back in 2008. A wrongful conviction due to the incompetence and mediocre legal representation. I spend almost 13 years fighting my conviction and my innocence. From Circuit Court to Appeals Court, to Supreme Court, over and over again. Countless motions, and countless attorneys to no end. Attorneys that at the end were more worry about their image and gain than the fighting for their client and the pursue of truth and innocence. It was then that I decided to appeal the decision to the Federal Court. That was probably the best decision I ever made. The petition was accepted, and the Federal Judge appointed Joseph Bugni to represent me during the motion, because its complexity. So, based on the past experience with appointed attorneys, my hopes went down ones again. So, it is hard to put into word and appraised an attorney after going over countless attorneys that only care about ratings, money, and political advances. That is something I thought I would never do. In my opinion they were all a dime a dozen. But to my surprise I was wrong. From the beginning attorney Joseph Bugni took the time to listen and did not judge me like all others. He made me feel like someone was on my side, and he proved that over and over again. He always went far and beyond, he always kept me in the loop, and always answer and communicated with me and my wife which gave us hopes. In court he was calm, knowledgeable, and professional. He knew what to say, who to hire, and what to do. He was always prepared for whatever the state might throw a us. He was always on time and always found a way to say the right thing to maintained me calm, in all very hectic and stressful case. After two years of countless motions the Federal Judge rule in my favor and re sent my case back to circuit court, and even when that would have been the end of his job, he continued his involvement in my case. He helped facilitated the appointment of a great attorney that with his help had the conviction overturned at the circuit level and affirmed at the Appeal level. He was also involved on all motions and willing to assist my state attorney at all levels. I am now out on bail and in the process of retaining an attorney to represent me once again in the event the state decided to do a retrial. Joseph is still helping me in the process. I owe him my current freedom and will always be grateful for all he has done for me and my family, for how hard he worked on my case, for believing in me, and once again giving hope to a family that was no more. If anyone has the opportunity to have him as an attorney rest assure that he is more than. He will battle, he will fight for you and your rights, he will take the time to prepare and listen, and will go over and above expectations. Joseph is my attorney but more than that my friend and I will forever be in his debt. I can only say thank you for taking time, believing in me, and doing your best always.

Joe Bugni is just what any defendant would look for in an attorney. His attention to the minute details of my case astounded me. Others had told me there wasn’t much in the way of grounds for fighting on, but Joe was able to find issues to dispute and forced the prosecution to truly do their job. Too... often we hear of defense attorneys that just roll over; this could not be further from the truth here. Not only can any defendant be assured that Joe will pursue every avenue he can for them, but he will do so with care. The motions Joe filed on my behalf were well crafted and thoughtful. To ensure that he hadn’t overlooked anything, it was common practice for Joe to run every motion by several other lawyers. This was not due to any lack of ability, but just to make sure that every option had been explored. This gave me even more confidence in Joe’s representation of my case. Joe really cares about his clients as people, not as cases. This is not just demonstrated in the volume of work he does, but in the little things that help his clients through particularly difficult times. Joe didn’t need to call on Christmas Eve just to see how I was doing, but he did. Joe shouldn’t have to work weekends and late nights, but he does anyway. All in all, to have Joe Bugni represent you is just short of having your own guardian angel in the courtroom.

Joe Bugni is a super personable, caring, always professional and one of the hardest working attorneys we’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. Joe was our sons attorney. While our son was in jail awaiting his court appearances, Joe met with our son once a week, encouraged him to read, and to s...tay busy. He was meticulous in preparing our sons case. He was always prepared with what the court asked for. He truly cares and respects his clients and their families by listening to them, thus creating trusting and friendly relationships. Due to our relationship with Joe, we always felt comfortable with him and that our son was fortunate to have the best attorney! We knew that Joe was working very hard for all of us. Joe is also very open for phone calls, texts and emails from family members. He responds very quickly. Joe does not “beat around the bush”. He is a “just the facts” type of person. When one asks for clarifications, he does so very succinctly-in a nice manner, and has never been condescending. Seriously, we cannot thank him enough for all he did for our son and our family. It’s as if he is part of our family. One would not go wrong when your loved one chooses Joe Bugni as his/her Federal attorney.

We are blessed and are grateful to have had Jo as our son's attorney. The 1st time we met Jo he spent time with us to hear about our son and our fears. Jo spent countless hours helping our son get thru the process (legally, emotionally & psychologically). Jo spent time getting to know the son we kn...ow, not by what he did. Jo understood the mental health piece and what happened to our son. Jo worked tirelessly and dedicated countless hours and explored all avenues in helping our son. Jo kept us informed and continued to fight for our son. Our son became so thankful to have had Jo represent him.

The first time I met Joe, I was facing the toughest fight of my life and many sad years of incarceration. At that very first meeting, I recognized what a brilliant attorney I had before me. Joe fights for his clients and dedicates countless hours to bridging the divide between myself, the Court and... family members. He made it clear that my story mattered and continuously went to bat for me against the US Attorney’s Office. This man just exudes integrity and has an unbelievable presence in the courtroom. Consistently, and throughout the course of many meetings, I lamented how lucky I was to have him in my corner. Joe's passion, dedication, and professionalism is immeasurable and filters down throughout his team of paralegals, legal interns, and everyone in his office! Joe stands for Justice. He is fair and I would have paid his weight in gold because he is worth it. Joe is the absolute best criminal defense attorney in Wisconsin and I'm blessed, grateful and forever indebted to have had him champion my case!!