JAMES A. PELISH is a graduate of Tulane University and the University of Illinois College of Law. He works primarily in various fields of insurance litigation, including professional liability, vehicular and premises liability, workers’ compensation and insurance coverage cases. (Jim admits that, “yes, I actually enjoy reading insurance policies.”) He is admitted to practice in all state and federal courts in Wisconsin.

In 1997, he was inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, a membership by an invitation only organization of lawyers practicing primarily in the litigation field, and has served on its State Committee. He is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Defense Council, the Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, the Defense Research Institute and the Barron County Bar. He has been named a Wisconsin Super Lawyer by Milwaukee Magazine. Past service to the profession includes a term as district attorney and an 8-year stint on a District Committee of the Wisconsin Supreme Court’s Professional Responsibility Committee.

He also serves as the Chancellor of the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire. Outside interests include amateur theater, the American Civil War, travel and trying to keep up with his wife on hiking treks and bicycle trips.

Asked to briefly summarize his career and accomplishments, Jim states, “At the University of Illinois, a great trial lawyer and federal Jurist Prentice Marshall taught me the basics of trying lawsuits. I tried my first jury trial less than one year out of law school and have never looked back. Trial work is the most exciting part of the profession, and the most challenging. While proud to have been made a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers and having been named a Wisconsin Super Lawyer, what pleases me most is when I receive a nice note or call from a happy client. This business is, after all, about real people with real problems, and I will never forget that.”