Milwaukee Office
411 East Wisconsin Avenue
Milwaukee,
Wisconsin
53202
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Professional Experience
Jeffrey Davis practices in the area of commercial and appellate litigation. His practice has a particular substantive focus on insurance coverage litigation, and he is the current chair of the Firm’s insurance recovery practice. He also has substantial experience and an ongoing practice in unfair competition litigation, such as employee non-compete and trade secrets cases. Mr. Davis’ experiences and achievements in the past several years have included:
- Represented the insured in Plastics Engineering v. Liberty Mutual, 759 N.W.2d 613, 2009 WI 13, Wis., January 29, 2009 (NO. 2008AP333-CQ) in which following certification from the Seventh Circuit, the Wisconsin Supreme Court adopted an “all sums” allocation method and multiple occurrence theory, thereby allowing insureds to receive full defense and indemnity for “long tailed” or “progressive” injury claims.
- Represented the insured in Johnson Controls v. Employers Insurance of Wausau, 2003 WI 108, 264 Wis.2d 60, 665 N.W.2d 257 in which the Wisconsin Supreme Court overruled City of Edgerton v. General Casualty Co., thereby allowing insurance coverage for environmental liability.
- Represented the insured in Mikula v. Miller Brewing Co., 281 Wis.2d 712, 701 N.W.2d 613, 2005 WI App. 92 in which the appellate court established coverage for a premises owner for claims of its own alleged negligence under an “additional insured” endorsement.
- Represented the insured in Miller Brewing Co. v. ACE U.S. Holdings, 391 F.Supp.2d 735 (E.D. Wis. 2005) in which the court denied the insurers’ motion to change venue to a more insurer-friendly forum despite an earlier filed action in such forum.
- Obtained substantial judgment for major manufacturing client in breach of contract action following three-day bench trial.
- Obtained summary judgments for various insured manufacturer clients in several multi-million dollar coverage disputes involving numerous commercial general liability policy issues arising out of asbestos and other products cases.
- Represented Harley-Davidson in Tietsworth v. Harley-Davidson 270 Wis.2d 146, 677 N.W.2d 233, 53 UCC Rep.Serv.2d 721, 2004 WI 32, Wis., March 26, 2004 (NO. 02-1034), wherein the Wisconsin Supreme Court reversed the Court of Appeals in a class action suit seeking damages based on a product’s “propensity to fail.”
- Lead counsel in three week jury trial in Waukesha County Circuit Court in a real estate dispute that concluded in a favorable settlement at the end of trial.
- Represented employers and employees in numerous contested restraining order and injunction hearings involving covenants not to compete and trade secret claims.
- Implemented employee covenant not to compete and trade secret protection programs for major corporate clients.
Education and Honors
- The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law (J.D., 1987)
Ohio State Law Journal (Member, 1986–1987).
- Miami University, Oxford, Ohio (B.S., 1984)
Bar Admissions
Wisconsin,
1987
Court Admissions
U.S. Supreme Court, 2004
U.S. Court of Appeals, 11th Circuit, 2000
U.S. Court of Appeals, Federal Circuit, 1992
U.S. Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit, 1988
U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1988
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1988
Professional Recognition
Martindale-Hubbell AV ® Peer Review Rated. Selected for inclusion in the 2005-2011 Wisconsin Super Lawyers® lists (Business Litigation).
Professional and Civic Activities
- State Bar of Wisconsin (Member).
- Milwaukee Bar Association (Member; Bench Bar Committee, 1995-1997).
- American Bar Association (Member).
- State Bar of Wisconsin (Treasurer, Appellate Practice Section, 2000-2002; State Bar Program Co-chair, 2001-2002; Chairperson-Elect, 2003; Chair, 2004-2005.
- State Bar of Wisconsin High School Mock Trial Tournament (Milwaukee region, Co-coordinator, 1995-2009).
- Fox Point Foundation (Board Member, 1992-1997; Treasurer, 1995-1997).
- Fox Point Village Ethics Board (2005-2007).
- Fox Point Village Trustee (2007-2009).
Selected Presentations/Publications
- “D&O Liability Insurance: Coverage Basics and Emerging Issues,” Quarles & Brady Business Law Training, July 2011.
- “The Ethics and Obligations of Working With And/or Against Insurers,” Quarles & Brady Ethics Seminar, November 2009.
- “Star Direct Wars: Litigation of Restrictive Covenant Cases After Star Direct, inc. v. Dal Pra,” Wisconsin State Bar Webinar, November 2009.
- “Business Insurance and Coverage Issues for Corporate Counsel: What You Should Know Before You Have a Claim and What You Need to Know if Your Carrier Denies Coverage or Reserves Rights,” Corporate Practice Institute, 2008.
- “Insurance Coverage for Environmental and Other Progressive Loss Claims: An Insured’s Perspective,” Lorman-sponsored, May 2007.
- “Trade Secrets Law in Wisconsin: Legal and Strategic Considerations,” presented as part of Lorman-sponsored seminar ‘Covenants Not To Compete In Wisconsin,’ July 12, 2006.
- “Environmental and Other Complex Insurance Coverage Cases: From the Insured’s Perspective,” PESI-sponsored, November 2005.
- “The Evolving Line Between Contract and Tort: Wisconsin’s Economic Loss Doctrine,” Dane County Bar Association, February 2005.
- “Post-Verdict Motions and Filing of the Appeal,” 2004 State Bar Convention, May 2004.
- “Edgerton Is Overruled, Now What?,” Environmental Law News, April 2004.
- “Insurance Coverage for Environmental Claims, Federation of Environment Technologists,” March 2004.
- “Drawing the Line Between Contract and Tort: Wisconsin’s Economic Loss Doctrine,” Wisconsin Judicial Council, November 2003.
- “CGL Insurance: A Primer,” Quarles & Brady LLP, October 2003.
- “The Aftermath of Johnson Controls: An Insured’s Perspective,” Corporate Practice Institute, December 2003; Milwaukee Bar Association, October 2003.
- “Edgerton is Gone! What Do You Do Now?,” Environmental/Litigation Breakfast Program, August 2003.
- “Comprehensive (or Commercial) General Liability Insurance: Overview and Recent Developments,” Insurance Law in Wisconsin, Lorman–sponsored, 2003.
- “Where, When and How Will We Litigate? Dispute Resolution Provisions in Commercial Transactions,” Milwaukee Bar Association, 2003.
- “You Mean My Employees May Be Able to Leave to Work For My Competitor—And Take Other Staff Along?,” Quarles & Brady Labor and Employment Law Symposium, 2003.
- “A Litigator’s View of How (And How Not) to Draft Covenants Not To Compete in Employment Contracts And Sale of Business Agreements,” Milwaukee Bar Association, 2002.
- “Wisconsin’s Economic Loss Doctrine: Legal and Strategic Considerations,” Hot Topics In Business Litigation, PESI–sponsored, 2001, 2002 and 2003.
- “Non–Compete Clauses in Employment Contracts and Related Issues,” Quarles & Brady, 2000.
- “Notice, Good Cause and Jungbluth,” Obtaining an Injunction/Wisconsin Fair Dealership Law, State Bar of Wisconsin, 1999.
- “Restrictive Covenants For Closely Held Businesses,” Quarles & Brady, 1998.
- “U.S. Supreme Court Adopts Uniform Limitations Period for Rule 10b–5 Litigation,” Wisconsin Business Law and News, Winter 1992.
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