Current Employment Position(s)

Partner; Current President

Lawyer Overview

Kent I. Carnell is a shareholder with the Madison firm of Lawton &  Cates, S.C., where he also serves as President.  He is certified as a Civil Trial Advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and has achieved great results for clients on personal injury cases.  He has gained a reputation for successfully handling business litigation and resolving construction disputes.

Kent was admitted to the Wisconsin Bar in 1970 and has also been admitted to the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin.  He received his bachelor's degree in 1967 and his J.D. in 1970, both from the University of Wisconsin.  He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Dane County Bar Association, Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers, and the James E. Doyle Inns of Court.

Kent was elected to the State Bar of Wisconsin Board of Governors in 2001.  He served on the Executive Committee from 2004-2006 and is the Chair of the Board of Governors for 2005-2006.  He has also served as liaison to the Litigation Section, the Construction and Public Contract Law Section, the Energy and Telecommunication Law Section, and the Lawyer Dispute Resolution Committee.  In addition, he has served on the Professionalism Committee.

In addition to his legal accomplishments, Kent has a long record of extensive civic commitments.  He is one of the founding members of the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, Inc. and served on the Board of Directors from 1986 to 1999.  In addition, Kent served as a member of the Advisory Board to the Salvation Army for over 25 years, serving as Chair from 2000 to 2002. He has been a board member and chair of the Parkcrest Pool and Tennis Club, served on the John Muir School PTO, and held committee positions with a youth hockey club.

Areas of Practice

• Business Litigation
• Construction Litigation
• Trademark Litigation
• Personal Injury
• Insurance Claims

Representative Clients

• Sherwin Williams Company
• Dow Jones, Incorporated
• Grolier, Incorporated
• Keene Manufacturing, Incorporated

Representative Cases

• Nathan N. Allbaugh, Plaintiff, Middlesex Insurance Company and Combined Insurance Company of America, Subrogated Parties v. Paul A. Johnson, Lycon, Inc. and General Casualty Company of Wisconsin, Defendants, 2006 WL 4041511 (Wis.Cir. 2006)
• Purdy v. Cap Gemini America, Inc., 637 N.W.2d 763 (Wis.App. 2001)
• Rhein Bldg. Co. v. Gehrt, 21 F.Supp.2d 896 (E.D.Wis. 1998)
• Capital City Sheet Metal, Inc. v. Voytovich, 578 N.W.2d 643 (Wis.App. 1998)
• Banc One Bldg. Management Corp. v. W.R. Grace Co. Conn., 565 N.W.2d 154 (Wis.App. 1997)
• Markweise v. Peck Foods Corp., 556 N.W.2d 326 (Wis.App. 1996)
• Anderson v. Regents of University of California, 554 N.W.2d 509 (Wis.App. 1996)
• Florin v. Nationsbank of Georgia, N.A., 60 F.3d 1245 (7th Cir.(Wis.) 1995)
• Wisconsin Retired Teachers Ass'n, Inc. v. Employe Trust Funds Bd., 537 N.W.2d 400 (Wis.App. 1995)
• Florin v. Nationsbank of Georgia, N.A., 869 F.Supp. 669 (W.D.Wis. 1994)
• Florin v. Nationsbank of Georgia, N.A., 34 F.3d 560 (7th Cir.(Wis.) 1994)
• Matter of Liquidation of WMBIC Indem. Corp., 499 N.W.2d 257 (Wis.App. 1993)
• Maas by Grant V. Ziegler, 492 N.W.2d 621 (Wis. 1992)
• Lisney v. Labor and Indus. Review Com'n, 493 N.W.2d 14 (Wis 1992)
• Lisney v. LIRC, 165 Wis. 2d 628, 478 N.W.2d 55 (Ct. App. 1991)
• Wisconsin Dept. of Revenue v. Dow Jones & Co., Inc., 436 N.W.2d 921 (Wis.App. 1989)
• W.T. Rogers Co., Inc. v. Keene, 778 F.2d 334 (C.A.7 (Wis.) 1985)
• Schmitz v. Hunter Machinery Co., 279 N.W.2d 172 (Wis. 1979)

West Practice Categories

Business & Commercial Law, Construction Law, Insurance Law, Trademarks, Litigation & Appeals, Personal Injury -- Plaintiff

Bar Admissions

• Wisconsin, 1970
• U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
• U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin

Certification/Specialties

• Civil Trial Advocate, National Board of Trial Advocacy

Professional Associations and Memberships

• Salvation Army, 1979 - Present (Advisory Board Member)
• Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, 1984 - 1999 (Founding Board Member)
• State Bar of Wisconsin - Board of Governors, 2001 - Present (Chair (2005-2006))
• State Bar of Wisconsin, Litigation Section (Member)
• Dane County Bar Association (Member)
• The Association of Trial Lawyers of America (Member)
• Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers (Member)
• James F. Doyle Inns of Court (Member)
• Parkcrest Pool & Tennis Club, 1985 - 1989

Honors and Awards

• AV Peer Review Rating (Martindale-Hubbell)
• Nationally Certified Civil Trial Advocate
• Million Dollar Advocates Forum Member
• Executive Register Honor Roll; In Business Magazine
• Super Lawyer 2006, 2007; Law & Politics and Milwaukee Magazine

Classes and Seminars

• Attorney Professionalism (November 7, 2003), State Bar of Wisconsin
• Ethics Seminar (November 1, 2003), State Bar of Wisconsin
• Trying the Soft Tissue Injury Case in Wisconsin (December 6, 1997), National Business Institute
• Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Wisconsin (August 24, 1993), National Business Institute
• Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Wisconsin (February 25, 1992), National Business Institute

Education

• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1970
  J.D.
• University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, 1967
  B.S.

Offers Free Initial Consultation

Accepts Credit Cards

Published Works

• Continuing Payments for Medical Expenses in Worker's Compensation Proceedings, Wisconsin Lawyer, November 1993
• Wisconsin's Excess Liability Law-Some Needed Change, Wisconsin Student Bar Journal, 1970

Address

Ten East Doty Street
Suite 400
P.O. BOX 2965
Madison, WI 53703

Phones

(608) 282-6200

Faxes

(608) 282-6252

Emails

Contact Us

Websites

http://www.lawtoncates.com