MILWAUKEE (Nov. 6, 2020) ─ Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. is pleased to announce that the State Bar of Wisconsin has named Emily Fons a 2020 Legal Innovator for her work with domestic abuse survivors.

From January 2020 – April 2020, there were as many domestic violence homicides in Milwaukee as there were in all of 2019. Fons helped create a telephone hotline that petitioners could use to call an attorney to speak about their case. She teamed up with a handful of lawyers to provide advice to victims of domestic abuse while in the COVID-19 pandemic. On average, they reach about four to five people a week, about half the number of people that they’d usually reach in person.

“We’re still reaching people, it’s just not as many people,” Fons said. “I was glad we were in a position to help. Things like this take a village. … Everybody saw the need, and we worked together to come up with a solution.” As soon as the pandemic is over, she plans on returning to in-person representation.

Fons joined Godfrey & Kahn’s Corporate Law practice group in August. She has a comprehensive transactional practice, focused on mergers and acquisitions, general corporate matters, and antitrust law. She is also a board member at the Sojourner Family Peace Center.