'My brilliant child'

Judges across the state celebrated the graduations of their multi-talented children this May. Meet a few of the judiciary's brilliant offspring:

Artem Beer

Artem Beer
Judge James R. Beer, Green County Circuit Court, reported that his son, Artem Beer, will graduate in June from Monroe High School. Artem, who attended grade school in Russia and junior high school in Estonia, is fluent in oral and written Russian. He also has studied German and is an athlete (football, wrestling, tennis). He will attend the UW-Whitewater beginning in the fall.

Amanda (Bjerke) Kjome
Benjamin Bjerke-Kroll
Emily Bjerke-Kroll
Judge Todd Bjerke, La Crosse County Circuit Court, will celebrate two graduations this spring. His youngest child, Amanda Kjome, and her husband, Kyle Kjome, are graduating from UW-Stevens Point. Amanda will earn a bachelor's degree in business administration with a minor in music. Kyle will earn a bachelor of science in biology and pre-medicine, with a minor in chemistry.

Bjerke family - Judge Todd Bjerke (far right) with his family: (from left to right) wife, Karen Kroll; daughters, Emily and Amanda; son-in-law, Kyle; and son, Benjamin, at Amanda and Kyle's wedding, which Bjerke officiated.

Bjerke's oldest child, Benjamin Bjerke-Kroll, is graduating from the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, with a degree in medicine. He already has a master's degree in chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles, and an undergraduate degree in chemistry from UW-Madison. He is seeking a residency in orthopedic surgery.

Bjerke's middle child, Emily Bjerke-Kroll, graduated in December 2005 from UW-Stevens Point with a degree in art. Since then, she has resided in Taiwan, where she teaches English.

Allison Cimpl-Wiemer
Judge Dennis R. Cimpl, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, reported that his daughter, Allison Cimpl-Wiemer, will graduate from Marquette Law School this month.She will start work at Quarles & Brady in the Commercial Litigation Department in the fall after serving an externship with the Milwaukee office of the State Public Defender. Allison is married to Atty. Jamie Wiemer. She becomes the third generation of lawyers in the family following her grandfather, Atty. Richard F. Cimpl, and her dad. No word yet on who got the honor of moving her admission to the bar on May 18, 2009.

Sarah E. GaleWyrick
Judge Molly GaleWyrick reported that her daughter, Sarah Elizabeth GaleWyrick, will graduate this month from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Sarah is following in the footsteps of her father, Ken GaleWyrick, M.D., and planning a career in primary care as a family practitioner. Sarah will be doing her residency at the UW-Madison Department of Family Medicine, which is ranked third in the nation.

Mathew B. Kuhnmuench
Judge Mary M. Kuhnmuench, Milwaukee County Circuit Court, reported that her son, Mathew Brian Kuhnmuench, will graduate this month from Boston College with both his MBA and law degrees. Mathew earned his MBA with honors from the Carroll Graduate School of Business at Boston College with a finance concentration. He also earned his law degree from the Boston College Law School. He will spend this summer studying for the Massachusetts Bar Exam and will pursue a career in consulting and investment banking. He earned his undergraduate degree in history from Boston College and is a 2001 graduate of Marquette University High School.

Alexis M. Leineweber

Daniel George Murphy

Alexis M. Leineweber
Judge Edward Leineweber, Richland County Circuit Court, reported that his daughter, Alexis M. Leineweber, 21, will graduate this month from UW-Milwaukee with a bachelor's degree from the College of Letters and Sciences. She completed three majors: economics, international relations and political science. Alexis will spend the next year in France teaching English. After France, she looks forward to furthering her education in either graduate school or law school. She will take the LSAT in June. Alexis hopes to find a career that takes her abroad and focuses on humanitarian relief work.

Daniel George Murphy
Judge Kitty K. Brennan, Court of Appeals, District I, reported that her son, Daniel G. Murphy, will graduate this month from UW-Madison with a bachelor's degree in Spanish and communication arts. Dan lived and studied for 12 months last year in Buenos Aires, traveling all over South America. He has worked as a library assistant at the Memorial Library for all of his undergraduate career. Dan has been selected for the very competitive Teach for America program and will be teaching in Kansas City for two years starting this summer. In his free time, Dan is a snowboarder, bicyclist, film student and currently is working on perfecting his skills as a disc jockey. "I am told," the judge reports, "that Madison will be a much quieter place when he's gone."

Kathleen Brennan Murphy

Kathleen Brennan Murphy
Judge Kitty K. Brennan also reported that her daughter, Kathleen "Kate" Brennan Murphy, will graduate from Tulane University in New Orleans this month with a master's degree in Business Administration. Kate hopes to land a job in Boston combining her areas of interest, finance and health care. "She has some serious prospects, but will gladly accept any advice and referrals," Brennan said. Kate had a summer internship in 2008 with the Medical College of Wisconsin under Earnestine Willis, M.D., and she is currently a teaching assistant in the Tulane Freeman School of Business. In her free time, Kate is a runner and triathlete, joining her mother in the Danskin triathlon for the last several years. She has lived abroad in southern Italy and Santiago, Chile, has studied and visited businesses in Bejing, Monterrey and Paris, and has explored Turkey, Argentina, Peru and Spain on her own.

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