Community Involvement

Stafford Rosenbaum encourages its attorneys and staff to be leaders in their communities. Many of the ways in which our attorneys and staff serve their communities are listed on the individual profile pages for each attorney or staff member. We also encourage our attorneys to provide legal services to the indigent and to charitable groups and organizations that would otherwise be unable to afford legal services.

One of our partners serves as the Pro Bono Coordinator for the firm, acting as a conduit for information regarding pro bono opportunities and encouraging members of the firm to participate in pro bono activities.

Recent Pro Bono Accomplishments

  • Stafford Rosenbaum attorneys assisted victims of the 2005 Stoughton tornado on a pro bono basis obtaining insurance coverage for their property damage.
  • The firm represented Common Cause of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, and the League of Women Voters of Dane County in their efforts to defend against federal court challenges to the constitutionality of the Impartial Justice Act, which established the state's system for public financing of the elections of supreme court justices.
  • Brian Butler, Bruce Huibregtse, Daphne Webb, Joseph Wright and other Stafford Rosenbaum attorneys regularly serve as volunteer mediators for the Dane County Circuit Court.
  • Daphne Webb and Janice Bensky regularly volunteer at the Dane County Family Law Assistance Center, and represent pro bono clients in various family law matters.
  • Robert Horowitz has provided pro bono services to the Madison Symphony Orchestra as its general counsel since 1991.
  • In 2002, Stafford Rosenbaum received the Dane County Bar Association’s Annual Pro Bono Award for a law firm.
  • At the request of the State Bar, the firm represented a reservist serving in Iraq whose house was being foreclosed upon in violation of the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.
  • Our Pro Bono Coordinator, Dan Gustafson, recently served for 6 years as a member, including one year as chair, of the State Bar of Wisconsin's Legal Assistance Committee, which works to improve the delivery of legal services to low-income persons.
  • Amie Trupke does volunteer pro bono legal work for Habitat for Humanity of Dane County, Inc.
  • For many years, attorneys and paralegals at Stafford Rosenbaum have volunteered their time to provide legal services and community support information to low income families through the Volunteer Lawyers Program of the Dane County Bar and Legal Action of Wisconsin.
  • Elisabeth Howard helped a neighborhood organization that provides mentoring and other services to at-risk youth and their families convert from an LLC to a non-stock corporation, and is helping the organization apply for 501(c)(3) status.
  • Jared Potter has volunteered in the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offered by the Internal Revenue Service to provide free tax help to low and moderate income people who cannot prepare their own state and federal tax returns.
  • Chad Koplien incorporated and obtained 501(c)3 status for Providing Relief to Our Uniformed Dependents, Inc. (PROUD) which provides emergency relief funds to the families of Wisconsin servicemembers, when the servicemember is deployed and unable to help his or her family.
  • Susan Allen regularly volunteers at the Milwaukee County Family Law Self Help Clinic, which assists individuals with the legal process in family law matters. Susan also volunteers at the Milwaukee County Small Claims Self Help Clinic, which serves individuals looking to pursue or defend an action in small claims court.
  • For over 20 years, our attorneys have regularly volunteered to staff the Lawyer Hotline Program organized by the State Bar of Wisconsin’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service. The firm has received the program's Law Firm of the Year Award for its participation.

Casual for a Cause

The firm holds a monthly Casual for a Cause day that allows attorneys and staff to dress casually for the day in exchange for a monetary donation. Casual for a Cause days have supported a number of charitable organizations including:

  • American Red Cross
  • Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
  • Dane County Humane Society
  • Disabled American Veterans
  • Jefferson County Humane Society
  • Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
  • Susan G. Komen for the Cure
  • March of Dimes 
  • Muscular Dystrophy Association
  • Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin
  • Nothing But Nets (United Nations Foundation)
  • Operation Smile
  • Salvation Army of Dane County
  • Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin
  • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center