Michael Cerjak is a dedicated trial lawyer recognized for holding institutions accountable and securing justice for individuals, families, and closely held companies. His practice spans catastrophic injury, complex class actions, institutional misconduct in jails, nursing homes, and hospitals, and business disputes involving contracts, fiduciary duties, and fraud. Whether a case involves a motor vehicle crash, a consumer class action, or a commercial dispute, Michael is motivated by injustice and driven by fairness, his mission consistent: to help give ordinary people — not powerful institutions — a strong and strategic voice when the stakes are highest.

Michael has achieved record-setting results that highlight both his courtroom skill and his dedication to vindicating fundamental rights. He secured a $2.4 million defamation verdict — the largest in Wisconsin history and the largest ever in Taylor County — and a $7 million civil rights judgment stemming from critical lapses in medical care, similarly the largest of its kind. Michael has also led headline-making cases involving environmental contamination, unsafe apartments, and corporate misconduct, including cases tied to the Community Within the Corridor, Lydell Apartments, SoHi Lofts, the Housing Authority of the City of Milwaukee, and the nationwide Kia/Hyundai vehicle theft crisis. Together, these cases have attracted extensive attention and cemented Michael’s standing as a leader in complex litigation. His work has been recognized by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, which has repeatedly highlighted the “high-profile class action lawsuits” he has brought. He was also commended by a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge as an “extraordinarily qualified” class counsel who has gone “well above and beyond” his professional obligations in effectively advancing public impact litigation.

Michael brings extensive experience on both sides of high-stakes cases to clients of the firm. Earlier in his career, Michael spent years defending major insurers, corporations, and government agencies, trying dozens of cases and arguing before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and Wisconsin Court of Appeals. He is also a graduate of the International Association of Defense Counsel Trial Academy at Stanford University, where he received praise for his “innate ability to communicate with jurors” and “impressive trial skills” as defense counsel. This dual experience gives Michael a strategic edge — he knows how the other side thinks, anticipates their moves, and builds effective strategies for his clients.

When he’s not in court, Michael enjoys mentoring law students at Marquette University, helping the next generation of advocates find their voice. And if you’re wondering what keeps him going? It’s simple: a deep sense of fairness, the love of a good fight, and — most importantly — the people he’s been able to help along the way.

Media Appearances

COMMUNITY WITHIN THE CORRIDOR

LYDELL

SOHI LOFTS

HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF MILWAUKEE – COLLEGE COURT

KIA/HYUNDAI VEHICLE THEFT CRISIS

ESTATE OF MARQUIS HACKET – KIA/HYUNDAI VEHICLE THEFT CRISIS

Publications + Presentations

  • How to Prepare for a Successful Mediation, State Bar of Wisconsin, June 2024 (panelist)
  • Handling and Presenting Nursing Home Cases, Wisconsin Health Care Association/Wisconsin Center for Assisted Living, 2021 (invited speaker)
  • December 2015 Amendments to the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure—Should Wisconsin Adopt?, State Bar of Wisconsin, September 2016 (invited speaker)
  • Your Day in Court: Civil Trial Essentials, State Bar of Wisconsin, June 2016 (presentation)
  • Nursing Home Admission Contracts: Enforcing Arbitration Provisions, Wisconsin Lawyer, April 2016 (with others)
  • Defense Strategies to Minimize Damages, National Business Institute, October 2015 (presentation)
  • Earn Your Stripes, Part 2, How to Get Through a Civil Trial, Wisconsin Lawyer, October 2015 (with others)
  • Earn Your Stripes, Part 1: How to Get Civil Trial Experience, Wisconsin Lawyer, September 2015 (with others)
  • Do the Mandates of the Affordable Care Act Affect the Recovery of Future Medical Expenses Under Wisconsin Law?, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2015
  • You Can Do It! Civil Trial Essentials for Young Lawyers, State Bar of Wisconsin Annual Meeting & Conference 2015, June 2015 (presentation)
  • Using the Collateral Source Rule Under the Affordable Care Act to Minimize Damages in Injury Settlements, National Business Institute, October 2014 (presentation)
  • Collecting and Preserving Evidence for a Premises-Liability Trial, Fortune 500 Client, May 2014 (invited speaker)
  • Using Technology at Trial, Firm Seminar, May 2014 (invited speaker)
  • Using Evidence of Healthcare Fraud in Personal-Injury Cases, WIASIU Conference, April 2014 (presentation)
  • Litigating the Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Claim, National Business Institute, March 2014 (presentation)
  • Personal Injury 101, National Business Institute, January 2014 (presentation)
  • Experiences in Appellate Advocacy, University of Wisconsin Law School, September 2013 (guest speaker)
  • Wisconsin Tort Update, Seminar, January 2013 (presentation)
  • Medicare Set-Asides in Personal Injury Litigation, National Business Institute, October 2012 (presentation)
  • The Enforceability of the Drive-Other-Car Exclusion in Light of the Truth in Automobile Insurance Act of 2009, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2012
  • Auto Injury Litigation: From Start to Finish, National Business Institute, March 2012 (presentation)
  • Taking Medicare’s Interests into Consideration, National Business Institute, October 2011 (presentation)
  • What Is an Independent Concurrent Cause?, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, August 2011 (presentation)
  • The Family Exclusion After Day v. Day, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, August 2011 (presentation)
  • Wisconsin’s Timely Payment of Claims Statute Wis. Stat. § 628.46, Wisconsin Defense Counsel, March 2011 (presentation)
  • Improving Your Legal Writing as a Young Lawyer, Marquette University Law School, April 2010 (presentation)
  • Wisconsin’s Proposed E-Discovery Rules, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Winter 2009
  • Reflections on a Year of Practice, Marquette University Law School, October 2009 (presentation)
  • Litigating Multiparty Construction Disputes After Trinity Lutheran v. Dorschner Excavating, Inc., Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Summer 2009
  • The Family-Exclusion Clause Is Ambiguous?, Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, Spring 2009