Summerfest Business Alliance Member Spotlight
1.) Tell Us Your Story! In one paragraph, tell us about your organization, your mission statement, how, when, and why your organization was founded, and what you are best known for.
Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown (GRGB) was founded in 1968 by Franklyn M. Gimbel, after arguing some of the most high-profile cases of the time as a federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Frank’s late brother, Stanley P. Gimbel, joined the firm a year later, followed by family law attorney Richard Reilly, former federal prosecutor Thomas E. Brown, and former Department of Justice Special Agent D. Michael Guerin. Today, GRGB is recognized as one of the best trial and litigation firms in Wisconsin. Our attorneys have successfully represented individuals and businesses in a wide variety of cases, from white collar criminal investigations and serious criminal offenses to personal injury and complex civil litigation to family law and real estate matters. GRGB earned the respect of the legal community and is recognized for their skill and experience not only by clients, but also by colleagues, adversaries, and judges. GRGB is known for its tradition of honesty, candor, and in-depth preparation and presentation.
2.) Tell us about your organization’s accomplishments and what you’re most proud of.
In addition to being our clients’ best advocates, GRGB has a long history of giving back to the community. Our lawyers serve dozens of community organizations on a variety of levels, demonstrating a genuine compassion for the people in the communities in which we live and practice. We are very proud of our reputation and our innovative approaches to handling cases. We pride ourselves on the fact that clients leave our offices in a better place than when they come in.
3.) Adapting to change. - The pandemic has challenged us all to look at how we do business and adapt. What are some ways in which your business has had to adapt and pivot, and how has that led to success?
GRGB, like many other businesses, was an in-person operation that had a full staff in the office 5 days a week and face-to-face client contact. We transitioned to a completely remote staff, zoom meetings and hearings and client contact that still showed the same amount of compassion while doing it in a safe way. We also started taking on Business Interruption Insurance cases and pivoted some of our practice areas to accommodate new legal areas created by COVID. We pride ourselves on the fact that we maintained the same high standard of representation while delivering it in an entirely new way.
4.) Why is it important to your organization to support Summerfest through the Summerfest Business Alliance and what are some of the unique ways in which you distribute your Summerfest tickets?
Even though we have adapted to this temporary COVID way of life, we know that it is just that-temporary. Things will return to normal (even if it’s a new normal) and we will want to celebrate our city and continue to support organizations that make us so unique. We are can do this by participating in the Summerfest Business Alliance. We are all still in this together and GRGB will always prop up our fellow businesses. We will of course give our amazing staff first crack at the Summerfest tickets but we also distribute them to clients, auctions and basically anywhere that we can help spread the love!
5.) Favorite Summerfest Memories. When was the first time you attended Summerfest? What is your favorite Summerfest memory? Which artist would you love to see on a Summerfest stage?
We have some very “die-hard” Summerfest fans at our firm that never miss a year and like to enjoy several different concerts each year. Every show brings a new experience and memory which is what makes it so fantastic. We are looking forward to creating the next set of memories ASAP! Also, one can never forget to mention the fantastic food and people watching. Our community attends Summerfest and that’s who GRGB is - the community.