Joshua B. Cronin
Attorney
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Telephone
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Fax
(414) 238-6426
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Office
Milwaukee
411 East Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1000
Milwaukee, WI 53202 Waukesha
20975 Swenson Drive
Suite 400
Waukesha, WI 53186
Josh Cronin is a Shareholder in the Litigation and Risk Management Practice Group. His litigation and risk management practice focuses on property, casualty, bad faith and insurance coverage matters on behalf of businesses and insurance companies in State and Federal courts. Josh has over fifteen years’ experience in insurance coverage litigation and has obtained favorable decisions at trial, on appeal, in appraisal, and in arbitration. He has significant experience with catastrophic trucking accidents, environmental contamination and bad-faith set-ups.
Josh’s dispute resolution practice focuses on divorce mediation. Josh’s experience as a Family Court Commissioner in Waukesha County provides him with a unique perspective in helping families work through the difficult financial and emotional issues involved in a divorce. Josh’s approach is to be understanding of the emotional complexities of a case, but also focused on practical, common sense solutions that will allow parties to move forward in the lives in a positive manner.
Josh has been a frequent presenter for the Wisconsin Fire Loss Association, Wisconsin Claims Counsel, Wisconsin Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the International Association of Arson Investigators.
I'm Josh Cronin, I'm an attorney here at von Briesen & Roper. Prior to coming to von Briesen & Roper, I was a Family Court Commissioner in Waukesha County and now, here at von Briesen, I work as a divorce mediator, arbitrator, and do other forms of alternative dispute resolution.
What’s your mediation style?
Most of the parties that retain me to serve as mediator do so based on my experience as a Family Court Commissioner in Waukesha County, and I think most of the parties would like my input on how the commissioner, or judge presiding over their matter, is likely to rule on their case, so I like to provide parties that sort of evaluation or prediction on the likely outcome of their case. But at the same time, it's important to recognize I'm not the judge or commissioner on their case, they need a mediator not a dictator, and in that way, I like to facilitate the negotiations. One of the ways that I like to do that best is by getting to know the parties, what their priorities are, where they see their life in a few years, and also getting to know some of the emotional issues that may be barriers to compromise; and when I have that context, I think I'm in a better position to help the parties bridge the gaps and make the tough compromises that are necessary in a divorce.
What makes you a successful mediator?
I think I'm a successful mediator because I care deeply about the parties that come before me. I know how profoundly the lives of the parties are affected by their divorce and I believe it's incumbent upon me to try to help them end that process in an amicable way. So, I think what makes me a successful mediator is I work really hard, I read all the materials that are submitted, I'll call the parties in advance of the mediation, if I think that will help make those compromises easier – to get the ball rolling ahead of time – I’ll try to find creative solutions, whatever it takes to get the deal done. I believe that the parties who are paying me deserve my very best effort and they deserve my caring and my compassion for what they're going through.
Parting thought:
Everybody that talks about divorce says it's the worst experience they've ever been through in their life, and as a mediator or an arbitrator, or whatever capacity I'm retained, my goal is to try to put that misery to an end.
- Marquette University, J.D., magna cum laude, 2007
- Northeastern University, B.S., summa cum laude, 2004
- Wisconsin
- Wisconsin Defense Counsel, co-Chair Insurance Coverage Committee
- Defense Research Institute
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Waukesha County Bar Association, Board of Directors (2020-2024)
- Milwaukee Bar Association
- The Best Lawyers in America®, Insurance Law (2024-2025), Litigation - Insurance (2024-2025)
Areas of Practice
- Insurance Coverage and Risk Management
- Litigation and Risk Management
- Fire & Explosion Litigation
- Dispute Resolution
- Appellate
- Divorce and Family Law
