Kelly M. Dodd is our internal firm manager, acting as an attorney resource and in-house client advocate to provide our lawyers and clients with an additional layer of oversight, dispute resolution, and bottomless late-night second opinions. With over 20 years of experience as a partner-level family law attorney, she now provides a comprehensive training and mentoring curriculum to attorneys and staff and broadly oversees the development and improvement of the firm’s varied legal services.
In addition to her management work, she leads the appellate practice group who, collectively, have over 120 years of appellate experience and have handled over 50 cases in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. No stranger to the higher courts herself, Kelly argued and won the landmark Frisch v. Henrichs case which established that major fines can be imposed against parents who intentionally frustrate an accurate reporting of their income to sabotage child support modifications. She has briefed and argued over a dozen cases in the Wisconsin Court of Appeals.
When she was a practicing attorney, Kelly had sweeping experience in all areas of family law—including obscure and peripheral issues such as partition actions, annulments, international jurisdiction disputes, and cohabitation agreements. Her divorce practice concentrated on complex high-asset matters including an estate valued at $140 million.
Outside of work, Kelly continues to enjoy writing and editing and has published seven full-length humorous mystery novels with her brother as her co-author. She is also the lead singer in a cover band, playing area festivals, State Fair, and Summerfest.
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Kelly has served as an assistant adjunct professor at Marquette University Law School.