Lawyers Who Put You First
John A. Kramer
Contact Me:
loading ...
Practice Areas
- Insurance Coverage
- Insurance Defense Litigation
- Auto Liability Insurance
- UM/UIM Coverage
- Home Owners Insurance
- Commercial General Liability (CGL) Insurance
- Other Property & Casualty Insurance
Biography
I bring over 37 years of litigation experience to my work as a mediator and coverage lawyer. My practice has long focused on insurance defense and insurance coverage litigation, successfully representing clients in hundreds of lawsuits throughout Wisconsin, resolving cases through jury and bench trials, dispositive motions, appeals, mediations, arbitrations, and negotiated settlements.
Today, my practice focuses on mediations, helping attorneys and their clients resolve disputes efficiently by putting their clients in control of the outcome and saving them the time, expense, risk, and stress of ongoing litigation. Having spent my most career litigating cases, I have a thorough understanding of the litigation process, the risks faced by the parties at trial, the detailed work involved in an appeal, the law applicable personal injury, insurance coverage, bad faith, and other tort and civil claims. This allows me to identify and assess the critical issues involved in a claim and provide an objective evaluation of risks faced by both parties. While my mediation practice primarily involves personal injury and insurance coverage/bad faith cases, I have served as a mediator for a wide variety of civil claims.
I also continue to advise insurers, insureds, and attorneys on complex coverage matters, drafting coverage opinions, coverage position letters, and assisting with claim evaluations and settlement negotiations, and represent clients in select lawsuits in coverage litigation.
Education
- Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
- J.D. - 1988
- Adrian College, Adrian, Michigan
- B.A. - 1985
- Major: Political Science
- Minor: History
Bar Admissions
- Wisconsin, 1988
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1988
- U.S. District Court Western District of Wisconsin, 1988
- U.S. Court of Appeals 7th Circuit, 1991
Honors
- Selected for inclusion, Wisconsin Super Lawyers Magazine for Insurance Coverage, 2008, 2019-2023
Past Positions
- Grzeca & Stanton, S.C., Associate Attorney, 1988 to 1993
- American Family Mutual Insurance Co., Senior Claim Attorney, 1993 to 2000
- Zalewski, Klinner & Kramer, LLP, Senior Partner, 2001 to 2014
- Klinner Kramer Shull LLP, Senior Partner, 2015 to 2023
Published Works
- Not Just Another "Dog Bite" Case: The Impact of Public Policy Concerns on the Defense of Dog Bite Cases, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Fall, 2004
Professional Associations
- State Bar of Wisconsin, 1988 to Present
- Defense Research Institute, 1995 to Present
- Association of Defense Trial Attorneys, 2012 to Present
- Wisconsin Defense Counsel, 1988 to Present
- Marathon County Bar Association, 1993 to Present
Current Employment Position
- Senior Partner
Representative Cases
- Welin v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 2006 WI 81, 292 Wis. 2d 73, 717 N.W.2d 690.
- Fandrey v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 2004 WI 62, 272 Wis. 2d 46, 680 N.W.2d 345.
- Mullen v. Walczak, 2003 WI 75, 262 Wis. 2d 708, 664 N.W.2d 76.
- Griebler v. Doughboy Recreational, Inc., 160 Wis. 2d 547, 466 N.W.2d 897 (1991).
- Mathison v. Kulhanek, 2021 WI App 20, 958 N.W.2d 164.
- Sunday v. McMillan-Warner Mut. Ins. Co., 2021 WI App 50, 963 N.W.2d 586.
- Uneeda Rest, LLC v. Hexum, 2020 WI App 55, 948 N.W.2d 499.
- Security Health Plan of Wis., Inc. v. Am. Std. Ins. Co. of Wis., 2018 WI App 68, 384 Wis. 2d 545, 920 N.W.2d 340.
- Drexler v. McMillan Warner Mut. Ins. Co., 2017 WI App 21, 374 Wis. 2d 436, 896 N.W.2d 390.
- Pierce v. Mid. Century Ins. Co., 2016 WI App 171, 372 Wis. 2d 171, 887 N.W.2d 115.
- Pettis v. Price, 2015 WI App 68, 364 Wis. 2d 759, 869 N.W.2d 170.
- Town of Lafayette v. Balsiger, 2011 WI App 75, 799 N.W.2d 928.
- Mueller v. McMillan-Warner Mut. Ins. Co., 2005 WI App 210, 287 Wis. 2d 154, 704 N.W.2d 613.
- Mullen v. Walczak, 2002 WI App 254, 257 Wis. 2d 928, 653 N.W.2d 529.
- Gilbert v. Am. Fam. Mut. Ins. Co., 199 Wis. 2d 125, 545 N.W.2d 521 (Ct. App. 1995).
- Gunderson v. Drew, 189 Wis. 2d 491, 527 N.W.2d 399 (Ct. App. 1994).
- Griebler v. Doughboy Recreational, Inc., 152 Wis. 2d 622, 449 N.W.2d 61 (Ct. App. 1989).
- Owen v. Wangerin, 985 F. 2d 312, 1993 (7th Cir. 1993).
- Hammerlund v. Auto Club Grp., 2017 WL 3142113 (W.D. Wis. July 24, 2017).