Daniel A. Rottier

Personal Injury Lawyer in Madison, Wisconsin

Daniel Rottier is the President of Habush Habush & Rottier. In addition to managing the firm, Dan handles complex medical malpractice and product liability cases. While practicing primarily in Wisconsin, his career has brought him to courts in 18 other states, and to the United States Supreme Court.

Dan grew up on a farm in West De Pere, Wisconsin, and attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison as an undergraduate, where he obtained an honors degree in English. He also spent a semester studying at the United Nations. Law school followed at the University of Wisconsin, where he graduated in 1976.

His career began in an era where many more cases were tried to jury than we see today. By 1990, Dan had tried 100 jury trials and was the youngest fellow inducted to the International Academy of Trial Lawyers, an organization whose membership is limited to 500 trial lawyers in the United States. In the same year, he was inducted into the American Board of Trial Advocates. Two years later (1992), he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He’s been certified as a civil trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocates since 1982 and has been listed in the Best Lawyers in America for more than 25 years. His most significant honor was being invited to membership in the Inner Circle of Advocates in 2009. This group is limited to the top 100 plaintiff trial lawyers in the United States.

In his career, Dan has resolved more than ninety cases for over a million dollars.  The recovery in twelve of them was over ten million dollars.  In three of those cases the defense had offered nothing to settle before a jury ordered them to pay.  Dan was also part of the Habush tobacco team, spending two years working nearly full-time as counsel for the State of Wisconsin, with a resulting settlement of over five billion dollars.

He has served as president of the Wisconsin Association for Justice, as well as its educational arm, the Civil Justice Foundation. Dan served on the Board of Governors of the American Association for Justice, Wisconsin Association for Justice, and the State Bar of Wisconsin, where he also served as chairman of the litigation section. In 2008 and 2019, he was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Wisconsin Association for Justice, being the first attorney to receive it twice.  He also serves on the Board of Visitors at the University of Wisconsin Law School. In 1991, he successfully represented a Korean War veteran before the United States Supreme Court in Molzof v. United States, insuring the availability of future medical funds for this army veteran.

Dan has taught trial advocacy at the University of Wisconsin Law School for many years and is a frequent lecturer on trial practice techniques and the use of technology in litigation.  Dan resides in Madison with his wife, Frankie.