The attorneys at Schober Schober & Mitchell, S.C. are excited about the recent news that a Commercial Court Docket (“CCD”) will be coming to circuit courts in the Fox Valley, as well as in Southeastern Wisconsin– right here in Waukesha County! On February 16, 2017, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin voted 5 to 2 to adopt a pilot program that creates a separate commercial court docket in these judicial districts. This specialized commercial court will be solely responsible for resolving disputes pertaining to businesses brought in these judicial districts.

Depending on the type of dispute brought in these circuit courts, a case may automatically qualify for placement in the CCD. Cases qualifying for the CCD  will begin being assigned in these courts starting July 1, 2017. Some examples of the types of cases that qualify are those involving internal governance issues, business torts and restrictions in trade, merger and acquisition issues, securities, intellectual property, and franchise issues. Initially, the judges assigned to the CCD will be chosen by the Supreme Court. The Court has said that it will likely choose those judges with business law backgrounds, at least for the initial rotation during the three years of the pilot program.

This is a welcome change to both the legal and business landscape here in Wisconsin, and will hopefully be here to stay. Twenty-Six other states in the U.S. have created some type of special commercial court docket in their states, and studies have shown that this has had a positive impact on communities as a whole within those states. Here are a few reasons why this addition should be celebrated by all Wisconsinites:

With at least the initial judges overseeing the CCDs having demonstrated business law backgrounds, parties will have greater confidence that resolutions of complex commercial disputes will  reflect an understanding of the realities of day to day business issues;

The CCD should attract more businesses—whether they be start-ups or established companies—to relocate and do more business in Wisconsin, because of increased confidence that disputes will be resolved more quickly, fairly, and at a lower cost. This creates jobs, greater tax revenue, and increased quality and quantity of services available to businesses and consumers alike;

Separating commercial issues from the civil docket should significantly speed up litigation time, giving businesses greater incentive to fully litigate complex issues. This creates consistency and reliability in the law for the entire business community, and also reduces costs for businesses that otherwise might be deterred from litigation for purely economic reasons; and

In states that have created commercial court dockets, there has been an increased level of capital investment by venture capital groups and angel investors into start-ups and other early-stage businesses—something Wisconsin desperately needs to help foster growth of the many entrepreneurs and startups seeking to grow in this state.

Have questions or comments about the new Commercial Court Docket and how it might impact you or your business? Contact one of the attorneys at Schober Schober & Mitchell, S.C.