Practice Areas

Stroud, Willink & Howard, LLC, provides a wide variety of services to its clients.  Our firm could best be described as a general business practice firm, practicing in virtually all areas of business law. 

If you would like to know more about any one of our primary practice areas, please click on the heading below to see a brief description of the practice area, along with a list of the attorneys that practice significantly in that area.

Construction Law

We represent clients in many aspects of the construction industry. We also participated in the negotiations to build Madison's upcoming and much anticipated arts center in downtown Madison, designed by the renowned architect Cesar Pelli. Ron Todd would be pleased to answer your questions regarding this practice area.

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Corporate

A major facet of our practice is providing counsel to our business clients. Enveloped in the heading "Corporate," are virtually all legal questions faced by businesses of any type, whether formed as a corporation, partnership, limited liability company, non-profit corporation, cooperative, or otherwise. We participate in all aspects of a business' life, including formation, corporate governance, business litigation, tax planning, transactions, employment, trademarks and copyrights, and business succession planning. The Stroud firm is well-suited to respond to the needs of its corporate clients. Most of our attorneys practice in this area, including Rob Stroud, Dale Peterson, Bob Schwab, Carolyn Hegge, Joe Bartol, Peter Richter, Norm Farnam, Susan Parsons, John Laubmeier, Krista Pleviak, and Fern Knepp.

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Dealership Law

Wisconsin has a very unique dealership law which poses unique challenges for franchisors and franchisees, alike. Our firm has been at the forefront of the issues surrounding Wisconsin's dealership law since its inception.  We encourage you to contact Dale Peterson with your questions.

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Deferred Compensation

Our firm is uniquely qualified to respond to clients' questions regarding deferred compensation issues, whether from employers or employees. If you have questions in this area, we encourage you to contact Bob Schwab.

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Employment Law

One of the most rapidly evolving areas of the law is employment law. Employers are faced with new demands and challenges on a daily basis.  We have remained poised to answer our clients' questions, primarily from the employer's point of view, efficiently and effectively. We have special experience with discrimination complaints, employee handbooks, compensation issues, and compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements. Peter Richter would be pleased to answer your employment law questions.

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Estate Planning & Probate

Our attorneys have long been known to provide exceptional counsel for our estate planning clients. We have handled virtually every aspect of estate planning, including wills, trusts, life insurance, and business succession planning. On the probate side, our firm has represented thousands of probate estates, both small and very large, and has unique experience in representing parties involved in disputes in probate. One of these attorneys would be happy to answer your estate planning or probate questions: Rob Stroud, Bob Schwab, Carolyn Hegge, Joe Bartol, Susan Parsons, Krista Pleviak, and Fern Knepp.

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Financing

Our financing practice includes representation both of our business clients securing loans and banks making loans. We have represented AnchorBank, fsb, in many of their more complex matters for many years.  Attorneys practicing in this area include Ron Todd and Rob Stroud.

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Immigration

We are well-suited to assist our clients with a variety of immigration needs, including family and employment based immigration and consular processing of visa applications. We also advise businesses on immigration compliance and changes in the immigration laws. Susan Parsons would be pleased to answer your immigration questions.

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Litigation & Arbitration

Our litigation practice has grown into a sophisticated group that is capable of handling the most complex commercial litigation. The focus of our practice is business litigation, helping our clients effectively prosecute or defend their disputes in state and federal courts, as well as through complex arbitration matters. Our litigators include Dale Peterson, Peter Richter, Norm Farnam, and John Laubmeier.

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Real Estate

Our real estate attorneys have extensive experience in everything from residential house closings to complex commercial transactions to like-kind exchanges. Our extensive experience in all aspects of real estate law gives us unique capability to handle any real estate transaction faced by our clients. Our real estate attorneys include Ron Todd, Rob Stroud, Carolyn Hegge, Joe Bartol, Peter Richter, Susan Parsons, John Laubmeier, Krista Pleviak, and Fern Knepp.

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Retail/E-Commerce

Our firm has long represented American TV & Appliance of Madison, Inc., a premier retailer of furniture, appliances, and electronics with stores at several locations in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Upper Michigan, as well as an established presence on the World Wide Web. This experience, along with our representation of many other retailers of consumer products, has given our firm a strong background in issues facing retailers.  Please contact Ron Todd if you have any questions about our retail practice.

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Shareholder Disputes

An increasing area of practice involves the resolution of disputes between shareholders in corporations.  We have extensive experience in advising clients in these disputes, as well as developing plans to avoid such disputes before they occur. Dale Peterson would be happy to answer your questions regarding shareholder disputes.

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Shopping Center Law

Through our longstanding representation of Hilldale Shopping Center and other shopping center clients, our firm has developed significant experience in the issues facing shopping centers, especially in drafting and negotiating commercial shopping center leases.  If you would like more information about our shopping center practice, please contact Dale Peterson.

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Software & Technology

Stroud, Willink & Howard has developed a unique expertise in matters relating to software and technology. We have worked extensively with technology licensing agreements, developed a unique contractual approach to relationships between software programmers/providers and their customers, helped developers of technology protect their work with trademarks and copyrights, and have handled several pieces of complex litigation involving highly complex technological disputes.  For help with licensing, contracting, or litigating technology issues, please contact Ron Todd or Dale Peterson.   

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Taxation

Our firm has a long tradition of providing sophisticated tax advice to our clients, especially in connection with business and estate planning. We also have extensive experience in representing clients in disputes before the Wisconsin Department of Revenue and the Internal Revenue Service. Our tax attorneys include, Bob Schwab and Susan Parsons.

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Trademark & Copyright

In today's information world, protection of our clients' trademark and copyright interests is becoming increasingly important. The geometrically increasing influence of the Internet has added to and enhanced these needs. We assist our clients to protect their interests by obtaining federal registrations of their marks and copyrights and by counseling them in disputes with infringers. We also have developed special knowledge in intellectual property licensing matters. If you have a trademark or copyright matter, please contact Norm Farnam.

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