Jean-Marie-Crahan

Jean-Marie Crahan

Counsel

Jean-Marie Crahan is an accomplished commercial litigator with substantial experience in both state and federal courts with much of her work focused on motion practice and appeals.  She has successfully argued cases before the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, briefed cases to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and authored the briefs of numerous cases before the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.

Her extensive litigation experience includes:  defending clients in product liability and other defective product claims.  Her product defect experience includes claims as diverse as pharmaceuticals, lead paint, ATVs, butterfly valves in an HVAC system at an NFL stadium, an HVAC system at a natatorium, ladders, hospital beds and airplanes.

Jean-Marie’s experience extends to insurance coverage matters, breach of fiduciary duties and fraud claims.  Because of her depth and breadth of experience she is an arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association on its Commercial Litigation Panel.

 

Representative Experience
  • Class action defense in matter alleging false advertising resulting in denial of class certification;
  • Defense of multi-national industrial automation company against breach of contract claim seeking eight figures resulting in favorable settlement;
  • Successful defense of two companies against claims of breach of fiduciary duty and conversion which led to a determination that case was frivolous and an award of six figure sanctions in the form of attorneys fees to be paid to defendants by plaintiffs and their attorney, including appellate affirmance of award;
  • Successful representation of NFL Agent in federal court for purposes of enforcing arbitration award against NFL player;
  • Successful defense of insurance company where issue involved proper regulatory classification of insurance policy: inland marine v. ocean marine.
  • Texas State Bar
  • Wisconsin State Bar
  • United States Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals
  • United States District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin
  • United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
  • 1991-J.D., magna cum laude, Marquette University Law School
  • 1988-B.A., cum laude, Spanish, University of Dallas
  • Community Service Award: May 2016|Waukesha County Bar Association 2016
    • Awarded to a lawyer in the community who demonstrates exemplary community service, Jean-Marie received this award based on her work with her husband at Bean Head Farm, a charitable organization the two founded to provide fresh produce free of charge to food pantries and shelters in the community.
  • AV Preeminent® Martindale-Hubbell
  • Leading Lawyer: July 2015 |M Magazine
  • Women in the Law Honoree: June 2014|Wisconsin Law Journal
    • Awarded to those who: “by achieving success, have also paved the way for success for other women in the law.”
  • Catching Fire: Revolutionizing Your Mediation Practice, Annual Paralegal Seminar, Waukesha, WI, 2015.
  • Wind and Water and Sharks…Oh My! Blowing the Roof off Insurance Coverage for Natural Disasters, National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms Annual Meeting, Minneapolis MN, 2013.
  • Everything You Don’t Know About E-Discovery (But Wish You Did): Social Media and E-Discovery, National Business Institute, Milwaukee WI, 2012.
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes, an E-Discovery presentation, Milwaukee Bar Association’s Labor and Employment Section, 2012.

Published Appellate Opinions

  • State ex rel. Miller v. Milwaukee County Personnel Review Bd., 2016 WI App 83, 372 Wis. 2d 440, 887 NW.2d 919.
  • Estate of Sys ex rel. Kucza v. Autho Club Group Ins. Co., 2010 WI APP 17, 323 Wis. 2d 194, 779 N.W.2d 55.
  • BCR Trucking, LLC v. PACCAR, Inc., 2009 WI App 36, 316 Wis. 2d 465, 765 N.W.2d 587.
  • Godoy ex rel. Gramling v.  E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Co., 2007 WI App 239, 306 Wis. 2d 226, 743 N.W.2d 159
  • State ex rel. Auchinelck v. Town of La Grange, 200 Wis. 2d 585, 547 N.W.2d 587 (1996).
  • U.S. v. Einum, 992 F.2d 761 (7th Cir. 1993).

Published Articles

  • Protecting the Kingdom from Technological Disasters: Horseshoe Nails for the Modern Litigator, Summer 2018, American Bar Association Litigation, Vol. 44 No. 4
  • Motions to Seal: Shut Out Social Engineers, A Litigator’s Tool to Protect Clients from Hacking, May 2017, American Bar Association Minority Trial Lawyer Practice Points
  • Wisconsin Bar Association
  • Texas Bar Association