Frank has been a licensed attorney since 1994, joining Hale Skemp in 2000. He focuses his practice on civil litigation matters including personal injury, car accidents, boating accidents, wrongful death, products liability, business litigation, construction defect claims, building/utility contractor disputes, insurance coverage, adverse possession/boundary line disputes, and insurance defense.

Frank is licensed and actively practices in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, and is also licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, all U.S. District Courts in Wisconsin and Minnesota, the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and all U.S. Military Courts-Martial.

Before joining the firm, Frank served as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy as a JAG and was stationed in Washington, D.C., and overseas. In addition to his Juris Doctor, he earned a Master of Laws degree with highest honors in Litigation and Dispute Resolution.

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Representative Experience

U.S. Navy – JAGC, Lieutenant, 1995–2000

U.S. Naval Reserves, JAGC, Lieutenant Commander, 2000–2003

  • A military member was severely injured in an automobile collision and was permanently disabled, resulting in his discharge from the service and loss of educational and healthcare benefits. Additionally, his earning capacity outside the service was dramatically reduced. We fully investigated the facts and prepared for trial, should there be one because we do not believe in accepting a settlement offer unless it is fair and reasonable. In this Personal Injury matter, we settled for the other driver’s insurance policy limits. We also assisted the client in securing educational, medical, financial, and training benefits from the Veteran’s Administration and other government institutions, ensuring his future is protected.
  • The client had purchased new semi-trucks for his business, but they had mechanical problems related to a new type of transmission being used. The client approached us after being unable to resolve the matter. We took an aggressive approach toward this Business Litigation and quickly impressed upon the manufacturer the nature of the defects and their significant exposure for its breaches of warranty and violations of the Wisconsin Lemon Law. The case was quickly resolved, and we obtained for our client a settlement figure that exceeded the repairs, downtime losses and litigation expenses.

Representative Cases

Acuity v. Society, 2013 WI App 13, 339 Wis2d 217, 810 N.W.2d 812

Twaiten v. Murphy, 2010 Minn. App. LEXIS 830, 2010 WL 3220149

Sno Pac Foods, Inc. v. Nelson Constr. Co., 2009 Minn. App. LEXIS 821, 2009 WL 2225815

Mellenthin v. Berger, 2003 WI App 126, 666 N.W.2d 120 (WI App. 2003)

Elder v. La Crescent Township, 2002 WL 1465954, 2002 Minn. App. LEXIS 802

La Crescent Concrete, Inc. v. Reliance Nat’l Indem. Co., 2001 Minn. App. LEXIS 1136, 2001 WL 1223152

Weber v. Tuck, 620 N.W.2d 730 (Minn.Ct.App. 2000)

United States v. Muirhead, 51 MJ 94 (C.A.A.F. 1999)

United States v. Myers, 51 MJ 570 (N.M.Ct. Crim. App. 1999)

Hays v. Mill Creek Land & Cattle Co., LLC, 2018 WI App 39, 382 Wis. 2d 830, 917 N.W.2d 233

Honors & Awards

Norman Tenneson Award, 1993

Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medal, 1997

Navy and Marine Corp Commendation Medal, 1999

Speaking Engagments

Wisconsin Defense Counsel Summer Conference, Insurance coverage issues in construction litigation, 2012

La Crosse County Bar Association, Using Experts at Trial, 2009

Wisconsin Defense Counsel Spring Conference, Expert Witness Update, 2006

Professional & Community Affiliations

Wisconsin Bar Association, 2000–Present

Minnesota Bar Association, 1994–Present

La Crosse County Bar Association, 2000 –Present

Minnesota Third Judicial District Bar Association, 2000–Present

Phi Delta Theta

Wisconsin Defense Counsel 2005–Present

Wisconsin Defense Counsel – Board of Directors, 2015-2019

Pro Bono Activities

Coach, Sparta Youth Hockey Association, 2011–2021

President, Sparta Youth Hockey Association, 20014–2019

Coach, La Crosse Central High School Mock Trial Teams, 2003–2005

President, La Crosse Memorial Day Association, 2000–Present

Board Member, Continental Ballroom Dance Association, 2005–2011

La Crosse Boy Scouts – Executive Committee, 2008–2012

Board Member, Boys & Girls Club of Sparta, 2009–2011

Education

  • LL.M., George Washington University Law School, Washington, District of Columbia, (2000), With Highest Honors
  • J.D., University of North Dakota School of Law, Grand Forks, North Dakota, (1994), With Distinction
  • Business Management, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, (1990), Cum Laude

Admissions

Minnesota, 1994

Wisconsin, 2000

U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1998

U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin, 2000

U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 2017

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, 1995

U.S. Supreme Court, 1997