Tomislav Z. Kuzmanovic

Partner in Charge of Milwaukee Office

Milwaukee, WI

He/Him

"I help find ways to resolve the disputes prior to trial but have the experience and ability to try the case if it becomes necessary. My goal is to find ways to solve problems before they get out of hand and expensive."

414-225-4816

Email dGt1em1hbm92aWNAaGluc2hhd2xhdy5jb20=

Tomislav Z. Kuzmanovic

Partner in Charge of Milwaukee Office

Milwaukee, WI

He/Him

414-225-4816

Email dGt1em1hbm92aWNAaGluc2hhd2xhdy5jb20=

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About Tom

With more than three decades of US and international trial and dispute resolution experience, Tom provides litigation services, including trial, for clients involved in business disputes and serious injury litigation in multiple jurisdictions. He has represented insurers, transportation companies, small and large businesses, including financial entities, property management and construction entities, and product manufacturers. Tom also handles international arbitrations and argues appellate matters in a variety of forums.

Tom handles complex business litigation, transportation, toxic torts, construction, hospitality, security, product and premises liability, international and human rights law, as well as foreign and domestic investigations.

Tom serves as the partner in charge of the Milwaukee office and is a former member of the firm's Executive Committee.

Areas of Focus

Industries:

- Transportation & Mobility

Services:

Experience

Secured a motion to dismiss for a freight broker client in a consolidated personal injury case with claimed damages of over $7 million. The judge granted the motion to dismiss all claims based on federal preemption and insufficient pleading.
Defended General Mladen Markač before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, Netherlands. General Markač, who served as the assistant minister of interior and commander of special police (equivalent to special forces) in Croatia in 1995, had been sentenced to 18 years of imprisonment by the ICTY's Trial Chamber for allegedly committing crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war from August to September 1995. Tom began representing General Markač in 2007, with the trial commencing in March 2008 and concluding in August 2010. General Markač was acquitted on all charges when the appeals court verdict was rendered in November 2012.
Successfully attained dismissal in its entirety representing the Order of Friars Minor (OFM), the worldwide order of Catholic Franciscan Priests based in Rome, in defense of a class action lawsuit. The case alleged that the OFM was involved in the transport and misappropriation of gold bars allegedly stolen from the Croatian State Bank at the end of WWII. After six years of litigation, beginning in federal district courts in Los Angeles (where it was dismissed) and San Francisco, and progressing through US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the US Supreme Court, the Ninth Circuit ultimately dismissed the case.
Successfully represented the Republic of Croatia in both federal litigation and international arbitration. In Kahvedzic v. Croatia, Hinshaw obtained a dismissal of claims made by a plaintiff who alleged that the Croatian government misappropriated and converted assets from a Bosnian business owner during Croatia’s war for independence. The federal district court in Tampa dismissed the case and the US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit affirmed the dismissal. The US Supreme Court denied the plaintiff’s petition for a writ of certiorari. In Lalich v. Croatia, the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois dismissed the plaintiffs’ $3.5 billion claim for reparations for property allegedly stolen from them by Croatia during the Second World War.
Successfully defended Croatia in international arbitration against claims brought by the military contractor L3 Communications. After an arbitration hearing in London, the three-person arbitration panel dismissed all claims related to Croatia's war for independence in the 1990s.

Recognition

The Best Lawyers in America®, Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, 2022 – 2026; Transportation Law, 2023 – 2026
Association of Croatian American Professionals (ACAP), Professional Excellence Award in Law, Governance, and Public Policy, 2024
Wisconsin Super Lawyers, Business Litigation, 2005 – 2012, 2014 – 2024
Croatian American Bar Association (CABA), 2012 Vinodol Code Award, 2013
Super Lawyers, "A Small Part to Play," litigation practice profile and human rights work in independent Croatia, 2006
Croatian President Franjo Tudjman, Order of the Croatian "Pleter" Award, 1996
Croatian City of Slavonski Brod, City Council, recognized for contributions to the city's defense, 1992
Milwaukee Young Lawyers Association, Service Award, Outstanding Contributions to the Community, 1991
Martindale-Hubbell, AV® Peer Review Rating
University of Wisconsin Law School, Wisconsin International Law Journal, Senior Managing Editor

Credentials

Education

University of Wisconsin Law School, JD, 1988
University of Wisconsin – Madison, BA, 1985

Bar Admissions

Wisconsin

Court Admissions

US Supreme Court
US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
US Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin
US District Court for the Western District of Wisconsin

Languages

Croatian

Thought Leadership

Presentations

Tom frequently appears on the "Political Power Hour" with Steve Scaffidi on 620 WTMJ, 620 AM in Milwaukee, discussing current national legal issues and international law topics. He is also a regular guest on "International Focus," a weekly television broadcast sponsored by the Institute of World Affairs at the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee. Additionally, he is an active speaker at professional and community events across the country.

His presentations include:

"Contractual Indemnity Agreements: Drafter Beware," 37th Annual Product Liability Conference, University of Wisconsin-Madison Interdisciplinary Professional Program, Madison, Wisconsin, October 8, 2025
"The Decisive Battle of the Croatian War of Independence: A Primer on the ICTY Appeals Judgment That Proved Operation Storm was a Lawful Military Operation," Crodiaspora Webinar, August 4, 2020
"War Stories from a War Crimes Trial," Society of Trial Lawyers, Chicago, Illinois, September 2014
Presenter and Co-Panelist, "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act—What You Need to Know," Wisconsin Real Estate and Business Law Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, June 2013
Panelist, "The Role of International Criminal Courts and Tribunals; How Do We Measure Success?" Section of International Law, American Bar Association, Paris, France, November 2010

Events

Hinshaw Alert

Discovery Rule Permits Accrual of Survival and Wrongful Death Claims After Decedent's Death, Jul 1, 2015

In The News

Press Releases

Webinar

A Group of Hinshaw Attorneys Will Review COVID-19 Considerations for Business Owners and Lenders, Apr 24, 2020

View all of Tom's Insights

Interests

Did you know...

Tom wrote the forward to a book, in Croatian, about the Foreign Press Bureau and its establishment during Croatia’s war for independence in the 1990s. In another life, he may have pursued being a foreign correspondent. Tom also is an avid fitness enthusiast, former Division I collegiate tennis player, and vinyl music and music memorabilia collector.

Community/Civic Activities

The Federation of Croatian Societies, Inc., Milwaukee, President
Greendale Police and Fire Commission
Croatian American Association, Board Member and Vice President, 1994 – 2002
University of Wisconsin at Madison, National W Club

Thought Leadership

Presentations

His presentations include:

"Contractual Indemnity Agreements: Drafter Beware," 37th Annual Product Liability Conference, University of Wisconsin-Madison Interdisciplinary Professional Program, Madison, Wisconsin, October 8, 2025
"The Decisive Battle of the Croatian War of Independence: A Primer on the ICTY Appeals Judgment That Proved Operation Storm was a Lawful Military Operation," Crodiaspora Webinar, August 4, 2020
"War Stories from a War Crimes Trial," Society of Trial Lawyers, Chicago, Illinois, September 2014
Presenter and Co-Panelist, "Foreign Corrupt Practices Act—What You Need to Know," Wisconsin Real Estate and Business Law Institute, Madison, Wisconsin, June 2013
Panelist, "The Role of International Criminal Courts and Tribunals; How Do We Measure Success?" Section of International Law, American Bar Association, Paris, France, November 2010