December 2022

Tim O'Brien Achieves NBTA ReCertification 

The National Board of Trial Advocacy (NBTA) is pleased to announce that Timothy J. O’Brien of Bakke Norman, S.C., has successfully achieved recertification as a Civil Trial and Civil Practice Specialist. The NBTA was formed out of a strong conviction that both the law profession and its clients would benefit from an organization designed specifically to create an objective set of standards which illustrate an attorney's experience and expertise in the practice of trial law.
 
To achieve certification, Attorney O’Brien was required to successfully complete a rigorous application and elaborate screening process. NBTA board certified attorneys must demonstrate substantial trial experience and submit numerous references from judges and other attorneys. Board Certification is the highest, most stringent, and most reliable honor an attorney can achieve. This is the 20th year Attorney O’Brien has been certified by NBTA.
 
Tim O’Brien’s civil trial practice centers on personal injury claims and business disputes. He also helps individuals accused of serious crimes such as homicide, drug offenses and sexual assault. In addition to being certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by NBTA, he has received the highest AV rating from Martindale Hubbell, and is recognized among the top 5% of litigators in Wisconsin by Super Lawyers.

July 29, 2022

BAKKE NORMAN ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED BY WISCONSIN SUPER LAWYERS MAGAZINE

Bakke Norman attorneys Timothy O’Brien, William Wallo and Deanne Koll have all been recognized in the latest edition of Wisconsin Super Lawyers. Attorneys O’Brien, Wallo and Koll were each named a Super Lawyer, which recognizes professional achievements, high ethical standards and peer reviews. No more than 5% of Wisconsin attorneys are named to the Super Lawyers list. 
Tim O’Brien is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in representing persons injured in accidents, assisting businesses involved in legal disputes, and defending felony criminal matters. Tim is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, rated “AV-Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, and is a past Chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. This is the fourteenth time Attorney O’Brien has been recognized as one of Wisconsin’s premier attorneys by Super Lawyers.
Bill Wallo is one of Wisconsin’s most highly regarded bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. Bill handles complex transactions, commercial litigation and insolvency matters for individuals, businesses, and financial institutions. He is a past chair of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditor Rights Section. He also serves as a Small Business Bankruptcy Trustee for the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Bankruptcy Courts. Bill is rated “AV-Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in America’s Best Lawyers, which also named him the Eau Claire area’s 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for business bankruptcy and insolvency matters. This is the seventh consecutive year Attorney Wallo has been recognized as one of Wisconsin’s premier attorneys by Super Lawyers. 
Deanne Koll’s practice focuses on assisting local lenders and businesses in a variety of collection, foreclosure, restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy matters. Deanne has authored numerous works in both state and national legal publications, and regularly lectures on collection and bankruptcy topics in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. Deanne is a past-chair of the State Bar Board of Governors and has been appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to the Committee on Administrative Oversight. She remains actively engaged as a board member in numerous local and state-wide non-profits. This is the first year Attorney Koll is eligible for inclusion in Super Lawyers. She had previously been recognized 12 consecutive years as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers, which honors Wisconsin’s best attorneys under age 40.

January 05, 2022

FOUR BAKKE NORMAN ATTORNEYS RECOGNIZED BY WISCONSIN SUPER LAWYERS MAGAZINE

 

Bakke Norman attorneys Timothy O’Brien, William Wallo and Deanne Koll have all been recognized in the latest edition of Wisconsin Super Lawyers. Attorneys O’Brien, Wallo and Reinhardt were each named a Super Lawyer, which recognizes professional achievements, high ethical standards and peer review. No more than 5% of Wisconsin attorneys are named to the Super Lawyers list. Attorney Koll was named a Rising Star, which recognizes the best attorneys under age 40 or within their first 10 years of practice. No more than 2.5% of Wisconsin attorneys are named to the Rising Star list.

Tim O’Brien is a trial lawyer who concentrates his practice in representing persons injured in accidents, assisting businesses involved in legal disputes, and defending felony criminal matters. Tim is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy, rated “AV-Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell, and is a past Chair of the Litigation Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. This is the thirteenth time Attorney O’Brien has been recognized as one of Wisconsin’s premier attorneys by Super Lawyers.

Bill Wallo is one of Wisconsin’s most highly regarded bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. Bill handles complex transactions, commercial litigation and insolvency matters for individuals, businesses, and financial institutions. He is the immediate past chair of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditor Rights Section. He also serves as a Small Business Bankruptcy Trustee for the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Bankruptcy Courts. Bill is rated “AV-Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in America’s Best Lawyers, which also named him the Eau Claire area’s 2022 “Lawyer of the Year” for business bankruptcy and insolvency matters. This is the sixth consecutive year Attorney Wallo has been recognized as one of Wisconsin’s premier attorneys by Super Lawyers.

Deanne Koll’s practice focuses on assisting local lenders and businesses in a variety of collection, foreclosure, restructuring, insolvency and bankruptcy matters. Deanne has authored numerous works in both state and national legal publications, and regularly lectures on collection and bankruptcy topics in Wisconsin and throughout the Midwest. Deanne is a past-chair of the State Bar Board of Governors and was appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2020 to the Committee on Administrative Oversight. She remains actively engaged in numerous local and state-wide non-profits as a board member. This is the twelfth time Attorney Koll has been recognized as one of Wisconsin’s best attorneys under age 40 by Super Lawyers

 

August 23, 2021

Bill Wallo – Best Lawyers in America

Bakke Norman S.C. is pleased to announce that William E. Wallo has been named to the 2022 edition of The Best Lawyers in America®, one of the legal profession’s oldest and most respected peer-review publications.   In addition to being listed in the Best Lawyers for the fifth consecutive year, Attorney Wallo was also named the Best Lawyers’ 2022 “Lawyer of The Year” in the area of Bankruptcy, Creditor/Debtor Rights, Insolvency and Reorganization law for the Eau Claire area.

Bill Wallo is one of Wisconsin’s most highly regarded bankruptcy and insolvency professionals. Bill handles complex transactions, commercial litigation and insolvency matters for individuals, businesses, and financial institutions. He is the immediate past chair of the State Bar’s Bankruptcy, Insolvency, and Creditor Rights Section. He also serves as a Small Business Bankruptcy Trustee for the Wisconsin and Northern Illinois Bankruptcy Courts.