Honoring Ellen Frantz after 46 years of service
Before smartphones, email, or even routine fax transmissions, Ellen Frantz found herself preparing to argue a case that would help shape Wisconsin law.
The case involved a man in a persistent vegetative state whose guardian wanted to withdraw life-sustaining treatment. The legal question was whether a guardian could make that decision when the patient could no longer speak for himself.
Working alongside medical ethicists and legal experts, Frantz argued that, in some circumstances, continuing treatment was not required.
The case eventually reached the Wisconsin Supreme Court, where the decision helped clarify how doctors, guardians, and courts approach end-of-life care when recovery is no longer possible — an issue few states had yet addressed at the time.
“It was one of the first cases of its kind in Wisconsin,” she said. “It raised difficult questions about medicine, ethics, and the law.”
For Frantz, it was one of many moments during a 46-year career spent helping people navigate some of life’s most difficult situations.
“It’s really about people problems,” she said. “Whether it’s employment issues, family matters, or something involving children, people need someone who will listen and help them find a path forward.”
That perspective traces back to the beginning of her career.
From social work to the law
Frantz didn’t initially set out to become a lawyer.
Her father practiced law in Fennimore, Wisconsin, and she initially resisted following the same path. After college, she worked for a few years as a social worker in Oconto County, north of Green Bay. The experience proved formative.
“I really enjoyed working with people and trying to solve problems,” she said.
Working alongside the county’s corporate counsel showed her that the legal profession could offer another way to do that work.
Shortly before graduating, she accepted a position with Johns, Flaherty & Collins, S.C. What she found at the firm confirmed she had chosen well.
A practice focused on people
Frantz quickly gravitated toward practice areas that involved complex human dynamics, including family law, employment matters, and guardian ad litem work representing children.
Her earlier experience as a social worker proved invaluable.
“In those situations, people need validation for what they’re experiencing,” she said. “You have to listen carefully and understand what they’re going through.”
One case is particularly memorable. It involved a guardianship dispute following a tragic accident that left two children without parents (Frantz was the attorney for one of the families seeking guardianship of the children). Competing family members sought custody, and the case became deeply contentious. Ultimately, the court placed the children with Frantz’s clients, the guardians who had already had a relationship with the children.
The case later revealed an unsettling twist: a competing family member had attempted to alter court documents to claim life insurance benefits intended for the children.
“It confirmed that the court had made the right decision,” Frantz said.
Giving back to the profession and the community
Throughout her career, Frantz remained actively involved in professional and civic organizations — not as a strategy for building business, but because she believed it was simply the right thing to do.
“I grew up in a family that believed in giving back,” she said.
Her contributions included volunteer service with the State Bar of Wisconsin’s call-in legal information program, where attorneys provide guidance to individuals seeking help with legal questions.
She also helped lead a low-income divorce referral program funded through interest on lawyer trust accounts, connecting individuals with legal representation at reduced cost.
Beyond the legal profession, Frantz spent nearly three decades serving on the Institutional Review Board at Gundersen Health System. The board evaluates research proposals to ensure that participants understand the studies and are treated ethically.
Her role was not to analyze the science but to determine whether the research materials were clear and understandable to the participants.
“I learned a lot more about science than I expected,” she said with a laugh. “But my role was really to look at it from the participant’s perspective.”
Frantz was also active for many years with the League of Women Voters of the La Crosse Area, where she served on the board and twice as president. She also helped organize and participate in numerous community voter forums.
Community involvement also broadened her personal connections in La Crosse.
“I didn’t grow up here,” she said. “Serving on boards gave me the chance to meet people I wouldn’t otherwise have known.”
What matters most
When asked what clients have taught her over the years, Frantz doesn’t hesitate.
“Listen more than you talk,” she said.
In emotionally charged situations such as divorce or employment disputes, people often need someone to acknowledge their experience before they can begin working toward solutions.
That ability to listen — and to remain empathetic while guiding clients toward practical outcomes — became one of the hallmarks of her practice.
Looking ahead — and looking back
As Frantz retires on April 2, she plans to continue many of the activities she already enjoys. Since transitioning to part-time work, she has spent more time traveling, biking, swimming, and walking with her dog. One of the biggest adjustments will be the freedom to plan her time without wondering whether a case requires her attention.
Reflecting on her career, Frantz doesn’t measure it by the cases she argued or the results she achieved in court.
Instead, she hopes to be remembered for something simpler.
“I hope people think of me as someone who treated them well,” she said. “That I listened to them and treated them with respect.
“Courtroom victories and legal arguments are fleeting,” she said. “What matters is how you deal with people.”