Robert Pretto | Beaver Dam Personal Injury Lawyer

• Member | Wisconsin State Bar Association
• Member | Dodge County Bar Association
• Member | Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals
• Member | United States District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin
• Member | United States District Court Western District of Wisconsin

By treating all clients and people I deal with professionally and with great courtesy. I listen to clients, I personally (rarely if ever through staff) communicate with them directly and honestly in a manner they are comfortable and I try to always be available by telephone or electronic means (text or email) at all times as needed. I don't want a client sitting at home wondering "what is going on with my case" and consequently, if a client calls or emails me with an inquiry, the response is usually immediate but in a worst case no later than 10 the following morning. Another important part of building a successful practice is dealing with everybody (insurance adjusters, defense lawyers, judges, court officials and other administrators) in the same courteous and professional manner.

The lawyer must have a substantial amount of experience and have a practice that truly focuses on the area(s) of practice as compared to the multitude of lawyers who only dabble in personal injury or workers compensation. Injured folks need a lawyer who has tried such cases and is willing to try the cases that should be tried and settle the ones beneficially that should not go to trial. Inexperienced or generalist lawyers who venture into the arena of injury law and particularly workers compensation, are easily intimidated by lawyers on the other side who truly specialize in that area. Over the course of my career I would estimate that 70% of the cases I handled are personal injury, 25% are workers compensation and 5% other general civil litigation. Having knowledge and experience not possessed by the part time personal injury or workers compensation lawyer, I can and do pursue claims and methods of recovery that are unknown to the generalist. Moreover, it is the higher level of knowledge and experience of the law and the adversaries that allows one to accurately determine when it is in the client's interest to be very aggressive and when it is best to slow play a case. More succinctly put, an injured individual deserves and needs a lawyer that they can talk to and who knows what he/she is talking about.

Knowledge of the locality is helpful, but the "local " knowledge that is most valuable is familiarity with the repeat players (insurance adjusters, defense lawyers, judges, court officials and other administrators) that participate in the process.

I will speak with a caller as long as it takes to accurately assess their situation, make sure they understand their situation and to arrive upon a mutually agreeable course of action. Even if the caller's claim is without merit, I take the time to explain the situation to them so that they understand my thinking and are glad they called even if I do not give them the answer they sought.

In addition to accurate basic contact information and the time necessary to flesh out the situation, in an accident or workers compensation case it is always helpful (although not mandatory) to have a specific occurrence date (when was the accident, when were you injured) and other documentary items (accident reports, liability and health insurance information) available during the consultation.

Besides a higher level of knowledge, competency and experience, I am much more ""hands on"" than other folks and clients work with me directly rather than a paralegal or clerk.

In the short run I enjoy the first meeting with the client when I can see and hear the relief on their face and in their voice when I say to them: "I will take care of it". By the time they seek legal assistance, most injured individuals have done a substantial amount of worrying and are very concerned about the issues that necessarily follow an accident or workers compensation injury ("Who is going to pay the medical bills", "Will my job be there when I am able to return to work" and "What about the future" , etc.). Coupled with the fact that the person is often in some level of pain or discomfort because of injury, they are nearing the limits of what they can tolerate. In the long run it is very rewarding when the case is resolved and the client feels vindicated and glad they pursued the given matter as compared to being a victim had they not retained my services.