Don Prachthauser has a remarkable record of success in the courtroom. He has presented nearly 100 cases to juries, judges, and arbitrators on behalf of personal injury clients. Mr. Prachthauser credits a very strong team of lawyers and support staff at Murphy & Prachthauser, S.C. for the results achieved. He is very proud of the fact that many cases have been referred to him by judges, lawyers, physicians, and past clients familiar with his work in the courtroom. Mr. Prachthauser believes that personal injury clients are best served by lawyers who are skilled at presenting cases to a jury and willing to do the necessary hard work, if a fair settlement is not offered before trial. Although Mr. Prachthauser has helped the vast majority of his clients achieve a pre-trial settlement, courtroom experience does contribute to a favorable outcome. Mr. Prachthauser’s trial experience includes negligent operation of automobiles, trucks, and motorcycles as well as product liability, medical negligence, unsafe premises, and insurance coverage disputes.

Kate Llaurado Scheidt is a partner at Murphy & Prachthauser, S.C., where she represents individuals and families in complex personal injury, product liability, premises liability, construction defect, and catastrophic injury litigation. Licensed in Wisconsin, Minnesota, California, and New York, Kate has built a national practice focused on helping individuals stand up to corporations, manufacturers, and insurance companies. Since joining Murphy & Prachthauser in 2020, Kate has tried numerous cases to verdict across the State of Wisconsin. Prior to joining the firm, she practiced product liability and catastrophic injury litigation with nationally recognized firms handling complex matters throughout the country, including serving on the trial team that obtained a $57 million verdict on behalf of a traumatically brain-injured client in California. Kate is a frequent lecturer and presenter on trial advocacy, product liability, and litigation topics. Colleagues throughout the country recognize her as an emerging leader in the plaintiffs’ bar. Kate is deeply involved in leadership within trial lawyer organizations at both the state and national levels, serving on the Board of Directors for multiple organizations. Kate has been recognized as a Wisconsin Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2021 to the present. Kate grew up in New Berlin and developed an early passion for trial advocacy while watching her father represent injured individuals and families. Currently, Kate resides in Wauwatosa with her husband, daughter, and rescue pup. Outside of her legal practice, she enjoys spending time with her family and is a licensed yoga instructor.

Mr. Stachowiak continues fighting for his clients and expanding the law until he reaches the right result. As an accomplished and relentless advocate, he has taken four of his cases to the Wisconsin Supreme Court on his clients’ behalf: Richards v. Badger Mutual (liability for common scheme or plan, aka aiding and abetting) Orlowski v. State Farm (collateral source, which resulted in a 7-0 decision in favor of Ms. Orlowski) Schinner v. West Bend Mutual (insurance coverage for injuries resulting from serving alcohol to an underage individual) Brown v. Acuity (immunity arising out of a motor vehicle accident involving a volunteer firefighter) He has also authored dozens of appellate briefs, including those for notable cases of Thomas v. Bickler, Hansen v. Crown Controls, and Hop v. Hoechst Celanese. Mr. Stachowiak has also handled three pro bono appeals for individuals that won in the circuit court, but needed appellate counsel they could not afford. Mayer v. Kendl Duston v. Badger Lease Layber v. Ziolkowski

Mr. Llaurado has successfully prosecuted, both at trial and through settlements, many types of personal injury cases including multi-million dollar automotive and industrial product liability cases, trucking cases, construction cases, and automobile accident cases. He has prosecuted cases not only in Wisconsin, but also in California, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Utah, and Arkansas. Mr. Llaurado is an active member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, American Association for Justice, Wisconsin Association for Justice, International Society of Barristers, American Bar Association, Consumer Attorneys of California, State Bar of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee Bar Association. He is listed in The Best Lawyers in America and has been named a Super Lawyer for the past eleven years. Additionally, he is listed in Who’s Who in American Law 2009-2021.

Michelle Hockers has developed a reputation as a strong litigator. Unlike many attorneys her age, Michelle has shown she is not afraid to take a case to trial. She has represented clients in seven jury trials since graduation in 2015. Judges and opposing counsel have praised Michelle for her skills in the courtroom and described her as “a bright and shining star in the legal community.” In addition to her experience at trial, Michelle has experience litigating pre-trial. She has conducted over one hundred depositions, written briefs filed at the Court of Appeals level, and gone up against some of the best and brightest lawyers in the state. As a partner at Murphy & Prachthauser, she focuses her practice on motor vehicle collisions, product defects, premises liability cases, and general negligence litigation. Admitted to practice in courts across the country (including California and Minnesota), she has helped clients secure judgments at trial that doubled the offer made by the insurance company before trial and achieved multi-million dollar settlements in serious injury cases.