Caleb R. Gerbitz is an attorney in Meissner Tierney’s litigation practice group. He focuses on assisting clients in complex commercial, insurance, employment, and appellate matters. Caleb brings to his work a dedication to client service and a focus on providing skillful representation throughout a dispute—from pre-litigation, to trial, and through appeal if necessary.
In addition to his legal practice, Caleb makes a point of closely monitoring Wisconsin’s appellate courts. He authors a Substack column, Appellate Approach, which features regular updates on civil cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Court of Appeals. Caleb also co-hosts a periodic “Up for Review” segment on the MTFN Podcast in which he and a colleague discuss the latest developments in Wisconsin’s appellate system. In practice, Caleb leverages his expertise in Wisconsin’s appellate system to secure successful outcomes for his clients, both at the trial court level and on appeal.
Before joining the firm, Caleb clerked for Justice Brian Hagedorn of the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He graduated summa cum laude from Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where he also earned a certificate in conflict resolution and served as head managing editor of the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. Caleb previously served as a policy advisor in the Wisconsin State Senate and as a master-at-arms in the United States Navy Reserve.
Honors
- Best Lawyers®: Ones to Watch (2026)
- Wisconsin Super Lawyers® Rising Star (2024, 2025)
- Special Commendation, Wisconsin Lawyer’s Top 5 Articles for 2023
- Wisconsin State Bar Pro Bono Honor Society (2023, 2024)
- Wisconsin Defense Counsel Bylaws Committee Award (2025)
- First Place Brief, Thurgood Marshall Moot Court (2020)
Professional Organizations
- American Bar Association
- Council of Appellate Lawyers, Wisconsin State Chair (2024 – Present)
- Appellate Practice Committee, Website Managing Editor (2023 – 2025)
- Seventh Circuit Bar Association
- Membership Committee Chair (2024 – Present)
- Young Lawyer’s Committee, Wisconsin Co-Chair (2024 – 2025)
- State Bar of Wisconsin
- Appellate Practice Section, Board of Directors (2025 – Present)
- Wisconsin Judicial Council
- Appellate Procedure Committee (2024 – Present)
- Milwaukee Bar Association
- Milwaukee Bar Association Foundation, Board of Directors (2026 – Present)
- Civil Litigation Section, Co-Chair (2024 – Present)
- Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association
- Independent Business Association of Wisconsin
Speeches & Publications
- Author, What to Make of Wisconsin’s Pleading Standard After Hubbard v. Neuman, 23 Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal, no. 3, 51 (Winter 2025)
- Speaker, Trending Appellate Issues, Trending Topics in Business Litigation, State Bar of Wisconsin (December 2025)
- Speaker, The Communication Compact: Client Counsel and Courtroom Candor, Winter Conference 2025, Wisconsin Defense Counsel (December 2025)
- Author, Keep the Substance Above the Line, American Bar Association (October 2025)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Roundup, Dane County Bar Association (September 2025)
- Speaker, Appellate Approach 2025, State Bar of Wisconsin (September 2025)
- Speaker, Appellate Approach 2025: A Roundup of Notable Civil Decisions from Wisconsin’s Appellate Courts, Mitchell Hamline School of Law (September 2025)
- Author, Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Thieving Employees Were Wrongfully Terminated, 23 Wisconsin Civil Trial Journal 55 (2025)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Roundup, Milwaukee Chapter of the Federalist Society (July 2025)
- Speaker, Tax, Court, and Other Current Legal Developments Impacting Closely Held Businesses, BizTimes Family & Closely Held Business Summit (June 2025)
- Speaker, Supreme Courts and the Separation of Powers, Young Lawyer Conference, State Bar of Wisconsin (March 2025)
- Speaker, Trending Appellate Issues, Trending Topics in Business Litigation 2024, State Bar of Wisconsin (December 2024)
- Moderator, A Writing Workshop with Judges and Practitioners, Milwaukee Bar Association, Seventh Circuit Bar Association, and Eastern District of Wisconsin Bar Association (November 2024)
- Speaker, Insurers on Offense: Claims and Defenses When the Insurer Sues the Insured, We’ve Got You Covered: Insurance Coverage in Wisconsin 2024, State Bar of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Defense Counsel (October 2024)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Roundup: 2023–24 Term, Milwaukee Bar Association (October 2024)
- Author, The Dangers of Divided Argument, American Bar Association (October 2024)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Term in Review: 2023–24, Mitchell Hamline School of Law (August 2024)
- Author, The Transformative Power of Content Creation in the Legal Profession, American Bar Association (April 2024)
- Speaker, Non-Competition and Confidentiality Clauses, Drafting More Effective Contracts 2024, State Bar of Wisconsin (April 2024)
- Author, Is My Non-Compete Enforceable?, State Bar of Wisconsin’s “Know Your Legal Rights” Column (March 2024)
- Supplement Co-Author, Anderson on Wisconsin Insurance Law, State Bar of Wisconsin (January 2024)
- Speaker, Business Litigation in Wisconsin Courts – A Case Law Update, Trending Topics in Business Litigation 2023, State Bar of Wisconsin (November 2023)
- Speaker, Insurer Stigma: Managing the Reputational Aspect of Insurance Litigation, We’ve Got You Covered: Insurance Coverage in Wisconsin 2023, State Bar of Wisconsin (October 2023)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Roundup: The 2022–23 Term, Milwaukee Chapter of the Federalist Society (September 2023)
- Speaker, Wisconsin Supreme Court Term in Review: 2022–23, Mitchell Hamline School of Law (August 2023)
- The Art of Advancing Wisconsin Constitutional Claims, 96 Wisconsin Lawyer 20 (March 2023)
- Note, Are Pre-Dispute Agreements to Arbitrate Online Enforceable?, 7 Arb. Brief 79 (2020)
- Note, Prevailing Parties in Mediation, 45 Mitchell Hamline L. Rev. 611 (2019)
- Twenty-First Amendment Give Way to Dormant Commerce Clause, Mitchell Hamline Amicus Curiae Blog (2019)
- Financial Freedom Comes Paycheck-to-Paycheck. Why Doesn’t the EITC? (2018)
