Domestic Violence Defense in Wisconsin

A domestic-related charge can upend your life fast — a no-contact order, a night in jail, and consequences for your job, your home, and your firearm rights, all before anything is proven. You need someone in your corner early.

Here's something many people don't realize: in Wisconsin, "domestic violence" is not a separate crime. It's a designation added to another charge — most often disorderly conduct or battery — when the alleged act is against a spouse, former spouse, an adult you live with or used to live with, or someone you have a child with. That domestic-abuse designation carries extra consequences, including a 72-hour no-contact period after an arrest and potential effects on your right to possess a firearm.

Examples of charges we defend:

• Disorderly Conduct — The most commonly domestic-enhanced charge.

• Battery — Simple and substantial battery.

A question we hear constantly: "Can my partner just drop the charges?" Not exactly — once police are involved, the decision to prosecute belongs to the State, not the alleged victim. That surprises people, and it's one reason to talk to a lawyer right away rather than assume it will go away