Brian is now licensed to practice law in Wisconsin

I am pleased to announce that I am now licensed to practice law in Wisconsin. I look forward to working with New York families who are building their families through surrogacy in Illinois and Wisconsin - two states with favorable laws for intended parents, in which I am licensed.

My former Baker & Hostetler colleague Hon. William Kuntz II, who is now a federal judge in the Eastern District of New York, was kind enough to do the honors for me.

Being licensed in Wisconsin is a homecoming of sorts for me. I grew up in Sun Prairie, Wis., just outside of Madison. My family has deep roots in the area; George Esser came to Madison in 1852 from a small town near Cologne, Germany. He was a stone mason and built a church that still stands near the Wisconsin capitol. He later went on to start a successful brewery, which was revived some 20 years ago and is still owned by another branch of my family.

My father was mayor of my hometown in the 1980s - and is running for the position again. I held my first job in the law there as well, working as a paralegal during the summers for two local attorneys. From my father and these talented lawyers, I learned the importance of supporting your local community, and I have strived to live these values and incorporate them into my practice.

In the past year I have been working to build relationships with surrogacy matching agencies in Wisconsin and Illinois. I look forward to bringing the benefit of those relationships to New York families.