John Horn, J.D.

I’ve resided in Madison, Wisconsin most of my life. I was born and raised here. In 1986, I received my Bachelor’s degree at the University of Wisconsin—Madison. In 1991, I received my Juris Doctorate at the University of Wisconsin Law School.  Yes, these are great schools—among the top 15 in the nation at that time, public or private. It’s easy to get attached to these schools and this community. But, I decided to stay here and practice law cheifly because I loved the people, the businesses, and the Midwestern style. As a young attorney, I did generalized practice work, as most associates do. I soon discovered though,  I had a particular aptitude and interest in trusts, wills, probate, and guardianship.

This made sense. Before I started my practice in Madison, I was a judicial court commissioner. That’s a “magistrate” or “junior judge.”  So, my earliest experiences as a lawyer are from the judicial bench. For two years, I learned and implemented wide-ranging areas of law. I gained a deep understanding of everything from competency proceedings to 10-day emergency detentions; to search & seizure warrants, bail, arraignments, and preliminary hearings; to civil litigation, collections, small-claims and divorce; to probate and adult guardianship. As you can imagine, I gathered valuable insight– not just on the dry precepts of the law, but on how the law actually functions, especially in regard to estate planning and the elderly. I can’t emphasize enough what a remarkable learning experience it was to be a judicial commissioner!