About
Art Kurtz is a partner in the firm and member of the Litigation Practice Group, practicing across a broad range of litigation matters. He practices primarily in the areas of insurance defense, insurance coverage, disciplinary matters, and personal injury and also has a significant family law practice. Mr. Kurtz has represented clients in jury trials, court trials and administrative hearings throughout the state of Wisconsin, as well as in federal court. He has made numerous presentations regarding insurance law including bad faith claims and has been retained as an expert witness. He is admitted to practice before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and various federal district courts.
Mr. Kurtz was employed in the claims department of Progressive Insurance Companies for 10 years and held the position of regional claims manager, responsible for offices in five states.
Admitted to practice in the State Courts of Wisconsin, Federal Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin, and United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh District.
Education
J.D., M.B.A., University of Wisconsin-Madison
B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, Rutgers University
Involvement & Recognition
Involvement:
- Member, Civil Trial Counsel of Wisconsin
- Member, Dane County Bar Association
- Member, State Bar of Wisconsin
Recognition:
- Recognized in The Best Lawyers in America© (2013-2025 Edition) – Insurance Law
- AV Preeminent® Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review Ratings™
- Named to the 2021 Wisconsin Super Lawyers List
Client Successes
Represented insurance company and its insured in regards to a slip-and-fall which occurred in the insured’s home. Plaintiff’s counsel offered to settle the case based on a 90-10 liability split against the insured. The Dane County jury determined that the insured was not negligent and the Plaintiff was solely negligent. The Plaintiff rejected an offer of over $20,000 and instead received no recovery.
Endorsements
Art is an amazing lawyer and person! He has a very deep understanding of the law, and is very thorough and well-prepared. He was not only able to help us be prepared, but he was able to see through the strategies and tactics of the other side as well.
Whenever you are engaged in any sort of legal dispute there are a lot of things to be worried about. Fortunately for us, because we had Art, having a well-prepared competent lawyer with a deep understanding of the law was not one of them.
I was referred to Art 13 years ago. He’s helped me navigate many difficult and trying times (divorce and post-divorce matters). From my first meeting with him he has been approachable, genuine, and honest. His knowledge and professionalism have proven top be top notch, and his insight has been invaluable to me and my family on numerous occasions. Highly recommended!
Custody and placement issues are truly heart wrenching. I am grateful to have had Attorney Kurtz on my side. His tenacity, thoroughness, and compassion for my situation were nothing short of amazing. He fought for my parental rights and for my son’s best interest and I couldn’t be happier with the outcome.
I would like to thank Attorney Art Kurtz for the wonderful job he did with my brother’s divorce case. It was a difficult case and he helped my brother tremendously. Thank you so much,
Alison Ryan
Art Kurtz is kind, compassionate, & a man of true character!
Art was brought on as my second attorney in my complicated (to say the least) divorce and child custody case. My first attorney and my wife’s attorney could not communicate, and it only made matters worse. As soon as I retained Art my comfort level skyrocketed! Art successfully negotiated my 2-day contested divorce down to a few hour mediation in court. Both parties were extremely satisfied with the result!
Thank You Art Kurtz
Art jumped into our case after the fact without much time to get familiar and prepare. Art went above and beyond putting invaluable effort into the divorce. Art also took the time to explain & provide counsel, beyond litigation, which was extremely valuable to a family that has never dealt with attorneys or the court system. Art brought an extremely messy divorce under control in a short amount of time with the utmost respect and professionalism. I highly recommend. Thank you so much Art!
This being my first (hopefully only) divorce, I selected Art Kurtz because of his demeanor, professionalism, and kindness, really stood out to me. During the whole process my Father, myself, and Art worked diligently to help me keep my house as well as the assets I had prior to my marriage. During this process there were snags, yet through it all Art was professional, kind, courteous, and patient. He is a Great Attorney and person as well!!!!
I would highly recommend him!!
Thank You Art!!
I would highly recommend Art Kurtz at Axley. I had met with other family practice attorney’s, and the second I met with Art I felt like family. Let’s face it, divorce is not an easy matter especially when you have children involved. From the beginning, he assured me that the children would be his number one priority and he did just that. Since my family matter, I have sent numerous people to Art and all have had an excellent experience. I wish there was more stars to rate his service on. Thank you so much for making a difficult matter a little bit easier and less stressful. His friendship will never be forgotten!
I had never experienced any real litigation before I had to fight for my rights as a father for my children. It was the most arduous and emotionally taxing time of my children’s and my life. I am so grateful for the events that led Atty. Kurtz to represent us. He was direct, uncompromising and capable.I had the best possible outcome for my case and as I look at my kids and get to enjoy the experience of raising them; I have such appreciation for his sage advice and proficient representation.
Thank you for all of your help on this. It’s been the most difficult thing I’ve been through and I’m thrilled and relieved to be able to come out with equal placement–although it was a long and painful process–and move forward with my life. I was most interested in the end result and with your help and guidance I was able to achieve it. Best of luck in the future.