WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL 2012 WOMEN IN THE LAW IN THE LAW WOMEN 2012 Appellate practioner finds her niche in brief writing iane Slomowitz recently took a meditation class. Not long into it, she realized everyone except her had achieved a meditative state. Suddenly she realized she didn’t need a class, she said. She achieves that reflective, peaceful state when she’s writing. Though it’s been a natural fit, Slomowitz stumbled into her work writ- ing briefs at Fox, O’Neill & Shannon SC. She was set to start her career at the Federal Trade Commission in its False Advertising Division when then-President Ronald Reagan ordered a federal employee hiring freeze. Slomowitz scrambled to find a new job, landing at the Milwaukee firm, where she was paired with Bruce O’Neill. The two immediately discov- ered they had complementary talents, she said. “For close to 30 years, Bruce would put a brief on my desk, and I’d write the reply,” she said. “I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes person. I’m not the guy who does the big federal trials; I’m the guy who gets them ready for trial.” O’Neill said Slomowitz is one of the country’s preeminent appellate practitioners. “Where most lawyers might be content to conclude, ‘There’s no case on point,’ Diane always begins with the opposite assumption — and usu- ally she’s right,” he said. He recalled her work on an attorney malpractice case a few years ago, where their client had been socked with a seven-figure verdict regard- ing his unsuccessful efforts to bring Indian gaming to Kenosha. It was a highly unusual fact pattern, presenting novel legal questions. Slomowitz quickly found three on-point cases from outside Wisconsin and convinced opposing counsel to settle. The client wound up paying pennies on the dollar and, more importantly, feeling somewhat vindi- cated. An opportunity teaching business law to management students at Herzen Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2008 offered Slomowitz a chance at personal vindication. The Russian educational system traditionally favors passive learning, she said, but by emphasizing interactive methods such as role-playing, she got students engaged. “It went from this silent, stone-faced class, to people yelling across the room at each other,” Slomowitz said. “It was great.” • Jane Pribek LAW DEGREE RECEIVED FROM: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN LAW SCHOOL, 1980 DIANE SLOMOWITZ, Fox, O’Neill & Shannon SC ◆
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WISCONSIN LAW JOURNAL 2012 WOMEN IN THE LAW
I N T H E L AWWOMEN
2012
Appellate practioner finds her niche in brief writing
iane Slomowitz recently took a meditation class. Not long
into it, she realized everyone except her had achieved a
meditative state.
Suddenly she realized she didn’t need a class, she said. She achieves
that re� ective, peaceful state when she’s writing.
Though it’s been a natural � t, Slomowitz stumbled into her work writ-
ing briefs at Fox, O’Neill & Shannon SC. She was set to start her career
at the Federal Trade Commission in its False Advertising Division when
then-President Ronald Reagan ordered a federal employee hiring freeze.
Slomowitz scrambled to � nd a new job, landing at the Milwaukee � rm,
where she was paired with Bruce O’Neill. The two immediately discov-
ered they had complementary talents, she said.
“For close to 30 years, Bruce would put a brief on my desk, and I’d
write the reply,” she said. “I’ve always been a behind-the-scenes person.
I’m not the guy who does the big federal trials; I’m the guy who gets them
ready for trial.”
O’Neill said Slomowitz is one of the country’s preeminent appellate
practitioners.
“Where most lawyers might be content to conclude, ‘There’s no case
on point,’ Diane always begins with the opposite assumption — and usu-
ally she’s right,” he said.
He recalled her work on an attorney malpractice case a few years ago,
where their client had been socked with a seven-� gure verdict regard-
ing his unsuccessful efforts to bring Indian gaming to Kenosha. It was a
highly unusual fact pattern, presenting novel legal questions.
Slomowitz quickly found three on-point cases from outside Wisconsin
and convinced opposing counsel to settle. The client wound up paying
pennies on the dollar and, more importantly, feeling somewhat vindi-
cated.
An opportunity teaching business law to management students at
Herzen Pedagogical University in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 2008 offered
Slomowitz a chance at personal vindication.
The Russian educational system traditionally favors passive learning,
she said, but by emphasizing interactive methods such as role-playing,
she got students engaged.
“It went from this silent, stone-faced class, to people yelling across
the room at each other,” Slomowitz said. “It was great.”
• Jane Pribek
L AW DEGREE RECEIVED FROM: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN L AW SCHOOL, 1980
DIANE SLOMOWITZ, Fox, O’Neill & Shannon SC
◆
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