Janel Bergsbaken - Elkhorn, WI

With over a decade of time dedicated to her legal practice, Janel has established herself as a skilled advocate in Wisconsin’s civil litigation field. As an associate at Godfrey, Leibsle, Blackborn & Howarth, S.C. since 2015 and a partner since 2021, she has built a comprehensive trial practice, concentrating in complex business disputes, construction law, land use matters, and personal injury cases.

Throughout her career, Janel has earned recognition from clients and colleagues alike for her exceptional legal writing—characterized as concise, polished, and strategically aggressive. Her ability to deconstruct complex legal issues into compelling arguments has proven instrumental in achieving favorable outcomes for her clients. This reputation was cultivated during her law school tenure, where she served as Editor-in-Chief of the Wisconsin Law Review, developing the research, writing, and citation expertise that continues to set her work apart. Her meticulous attention to detail and talent for crafting persuasive arguments have become hallmarks of her practice, whether she is drafting motions for summary judgment in complex commercial disputes or preparing briefs to compel discovery of electronic records in personal injury litigation. She is particularly skilled at creating detailed chronological timelines of events that help mediators, arbitrators, judges, and juries understand the facts and sequence of events in complex cases.

Janel’s recent successes demonstrate her ability to secure exceptional results for her clients across diverse litigation matters. In a complex construction dispute, she successfully advocated for a homeowner client, ultimately securing an offer from the contractor to buy back the home—a rare and significant outcome that provided her client with the potential for complete resolution to their construction nightmare. Janel has also received favorable outcomes for individuals who suffered personal injuries due to motor vehicle accidents caused by drivers using electronic devices and homeowners victimized by dishonest contractors who engaged in theft and violated Wisconsin's Home Improvement Practices Act. Additionally, Janel recently achieved a significant victory through a successful Daubert motion, which resulted in an order prohibiting an opposing party’s construction expert from testifying at the time of trial—a strategic win that substantially strengthened her client’s position.

Janel is licensed to practice in Wisconsin and the Eastern District of Wisconsin. She is a Double Badger, having earned both her undergraduate degree and J.D. from the University of Wisconsin. Outside of her legal practice, Janel enjoys attending local farmers markets, touring regional wineries, discovering local coffee shops, and, more recently, following professional golf.