Catherine C. Orton
608-847-7363
Assistant: Nicole Clark
Catherine enjoys a state-wide reputation and practice in estate planning and probate, particularly in complex estates. Clients from La Crosse, to Green Bay, to Milwaukee, to Madison, come to Catherine for her expertise and her unique ability to explain the complicated aspects of modern estate planning. Good estate planning requires attention to detail – one of Catherine’s strengths. It also requires an understanding of tax law, marital property law, real estate law, trust law, medical assistance law and probate law, all of which Catherine is adept at using to develop tailor-made estate plans for her clients. Unlike many estate planning lawyers, Catherine seeks to design estate plans which will not only carry out the wishes of her clients, but will do so in the most efficient, cost-effective manner. In many cases, Catherine can design an estate plan which reduces or eliminates the need for probate, with all of the delays, expenses, and loss of privacy that go with it, while enjoying available tax advantages.
Primary Areas of Practice:
- Estate Planning
- Federal Estate and Gift Tax Planning
- Income Tax Planning
- Business Succession Planning
- Probate
- Elder Law
- Medical Assistance Planning
- Real Estate
Education:
- J.D., Marquette University Law School, Milwaukee, WI, 1981
- Executive Editor, Marquette Law Review
- S.F.S., Foreign Service, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C. 1978
- Institut d’Etudes Francaises d’Avignon, Bryn Mawr College, Avignon, Provence, France, 1977
Bar Admissions:
- Wisconsin, 1981
- U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Wisconsin, 1981
- U.S. District Court, Western District of Wisconsin, 1981
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, 1982
Positions Held:
- Michael, Best & Friedrich, Milwaukee, WI., 1981 – 1984
- Curran, Hollenbeck & Orton, S.C., Mauston, WI., 1984 – Present
Professional Associations and Memberships:
- Wisconsin Bar Association, 1981 – Present
- Real Property, Probate & Trust Law Section, Member
- Elder Law Section, Member
- Juneau County Bar Association
Publications:
- Shareholder Rights in Short-form Mergers, 64 Marq. L. Rev. 687, 1981
Community Involvement:
- Wisconsin Historical Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors, Member Emerita, 2022 – Present
- Wisconsin Historical Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors, 2013 – 2022
- Treasurer, 2015 – 2017
- Chairman, 2017 – 2019
- Executive and Finance Committees, 2015 – 2022
- Investment Committee 2019—2022
- Wisconsin Historical Real Estate Foundation, Inc., Board of Directors 2017 – 2019
- Mauston Public Library, Board of Trustees, 1986 – 2021
- Western Wisconsin Technical College, Mauston Campus, Advisory Board, 1997 – 2013
- Lecturer on various estate planning topics, at numerous banks, brokerage firms, hospitals, civic groups and churches.
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