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Craig Mastantuono
Craig is well respected and recognized across Wisconsin as an aggressive criminal trial lawyer and effective negotiator. He understands the benefits of positive outcomes for clients and uses a strategic, imaginative approach to defending individuals accused of a crime in Wisconsin.
DISTINCTION AS A WISCONSIN SUPER LAWYER
Craig has earned distinction by being named in the criminal defense category for the Wisconsin Super Lawyers every year from 2005 to 2024. He has also been featured frequently in the Top 25 Attorneys in Milwaukee and the Top 50 Attorneys in Wisconsin lists from the same publication.
He has been recognized as the Best Criminal Lawyer in the Milwaukee Shepherd Express Readers' Poll in 2012 and 2018. He was named a Leader in the Law in 2008 by the Wisconsin Law Journal, earning this honor for his successful constitutional challenge of Wisconsin's carrying concealed weapons law, as well as for his defense of a 10-year old boy in a high-profile Milwaukee homicide case.
Prior to entering private practice, Craig headed a unit focused on defending drug prosecutions for the Waukesha County trial division of the State Public Defender. He has worked extensively in state and federal courts as well as appearing before Wisconsin Supreme Court, the Wisconsin Court of Appeals and the Federal Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, winning cases before all of those courts. He co-authored an article about one of those cases in 2012, which appeared in the Wisconsin Lawyer entitled SOS: Defendants’ Right to Counsel.
The outcome of your case will have a huge impact on your future. There’s no room for an attorney who doesn’t care.
Outside of the courtroom, he applies his experience teaching criminal practice as a faculty member at Marquette University Law School. He is also a member of The American Law Institute, which publishes Restatements and Principles of the Law, and Model Codes, and whose members have the opportunity to shape the development of existing and emerging areas of law for the public good. Craig served on WI Governor-elect Tony Evers' Transition Team Advisory Council on Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform. He currently serves on Gov. Evers' Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, which interviews and recommends applicants for appointment to Wisconsin Circuit and Appellate Courts.
DEDICATED CRIMINAL DEFENSE EXPERIENCE
Craig’s practice focuses primarily on representing individuals accused of crime in criminal courts or who are the target of an investigation, as well as crisis management and white collar compliance issues. His approach dedicates significant time to client and background investigation, forming a customized strategic approach to each case and reaching a goal defined with the client.
Cases that Craig handles include homicide, reckless driving and vehicular homicide, business fraud and white collar cases, felony drug offenses and conspiracy charges, and sex assault and sexual misconduct charges among other criminal charges in state and federal courts. In particular, Craig excels in helping clients whose cases involve significant mental health and drug addiction issues. He has broad experience entering special insanity defense pleas, challenging competency, and using mental health and drug treatment needs to reach case outcome goals. In addition to Craig's legal experience, he brings his empathy and ability to connect with those often marginalized in our communities.
Over more than 30 years as a criminal defense trial lawyer, Craig has practiced in the majority of counties across Wisconsin and both federal districts. He has litigated countless legal challenges to police action, and persuaded juries in many counties of his client's innocence. Craig's writing has been published and he routinely lectures extensively on criminal defense issues in Wisconsin and nationally.
He received his law degree from DePaul University of Chicago and his undergraduate degree in Business Administration cum laude from Loyola University of Chicago.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
As the son and grandson of immigrants, Craig is a former President of Wisconsin Hispanic Lawyers Association (WHLA), and currently chairs the WHLA Scholarship Committee for Latino Law Students. He has received recognition from the Milwaukee Business Journal, which profiled him as a dynamic young business leader in its annual 40 Under Forty edition. Craig is also a mayoral appointee to the Milwaukee Harbor Commission. He is the current Chair of the American Constitution Society Milwaukee Lawyers Chapter, and was recently named to the board of the Milwaukee Jazz Institute. Craig is also a frequent expert legal commentator for TV Channel 12 WISN/ABC News Milwaukee.