Native Milwaukeean James J. Podell died Jan. 29 of cancer. He was 64.
He earned undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Michigan. “[He] remained a true and loyal fan to the Michigan teams and was forever grateful for the education the university afforded him,” his family said.
He owned a company that provided continuing legal education programs for lawyers throughout the country from 1981 until 2004, when his health declined.
He served as president of the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and chair of the Family Law Sections of the Milwaukee Bar Association, the State Bar of Wisconsin and the American Bar Association.
According to his family, he was named in every edition of the publication, “The Best Lawyers in America” from its inception in 1983 to the present. He was also recognized for his excellence in the legal field in various other publications including Milwaukee Magazine and National Law Journal.
He was a member of Congregation Shalom.
According to his family, though he was proud of his achievements in the legal field, “his family and friends were far more important to Jim than any honors that may have been bestowed upon him over the years.”
He is survived by wife Peggy (nee Donovan) Podell of Mequon; daughters Laura (Ilker) Bizer of Lockport, Ill., and Elizabeth (Steven) England of Anthem, Ariz.; brother Richard (Penny) Podell of Milwaukee; and four grandchildren.
Rabbi Ronald Shapiro officiated at funeral services at Congregation Shalom on Feb. 2. Burial was in Second Home Cemetery.
Memorial contributions to the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, the University of Michigan Law School or the charity of the donor’s choice would be appreciated by the family.
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