About Michael
Michael Starkweather built a career at the intersection of two fields that often speak different languages: engineering and law. He earned a B.S. in Engineering from the University of Wisconsin in 1985 and returned to the same campus for a Juris Doctor in 1988. During law school he served as an intern for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, an experience that exposed him to appellate procedure and judicial decision-making early in his legal training.
After earning his law degree, Starkweather moved into legal practice where his technical background proved useful. He handled matters that required parsing technical reports, preparing detailed factual records, and translating complex concepts for judges and juries. Colleagues described him as someone who could step into a mechanical drawing or a regulatory filing and quickly find the legal questions embedded in the technical detail.
Starkweather’s work has been steady rather than flashy. He has often been involved in disputes and counseling that hinge on technical evidence. His engineering training informed how he examined expert testimony and evaluated the strength of technical claims. Over time he developed a methodical approach to case preparation: document review that pays attention to specifications and standards, depositions that test technical assumptions, and pleadings that frame the dispute in clear terms.
Client work ranged across matters where technology and regulation met the law. He drafted motions and briefs, prepared experts for testimony, and worked on negotiated resolutions when they made sense. He has also spent time advising clients about compliance and risk in contexts where a practical understanding of engineering processes mattered as much as the legal rules.
Peers say Starkweather brings an analytical tone to his work. He avoids undue rhetoric and favors explanation over flourish. That style extends to his courtroom presence and to written work. He is known for steady preparation and a preference for clarity. His background in engineering continues to shape how he sees legal problems: as puzzles to be unraveled, piece by piece.
He currently practices law in Wisconsin and applies his combined engineering and legal training to matters that raise technical, contractual, or regulatory issues.
