Gottbetter, Paul B.

Stephen M. Govin formed the Law Office of Stephen M. Govin, LLC in 2013 after practicing law with the law firm of Reddin, Singer & Govin for the past ten years.  Stephen’s practice is dedicated exclusively to criminal defense in state and federal courts across Wisconsin.  He decided to form the Law Office of Stephen M. Govin, LLC to provide clients with the highest level of legal services while being personally involved with every aspect of the client’s case from start to finish.  Stephen has always been recognized for his personable and professional demeanor in court and has achieved extraordinary results for his clients for over a decade by aggressively defending his client’s rights.   

Stephen was raised in Waukesha, Wisconsin by his parents Charles and Beatrice.  The youngest of four boys, Stephen was raised in a very competitive environment which has served has him well on the athletic fields and in the courts.  Stephen was a highly decorated athlete, competing in both soccer and wrestling as a youth before attending Catholic Memorial High School (CMH) in Waukesha.  While at CMH, Stephen earned eight varsity letters (four in soccer and four in wrestling) while competing on three separate state championships teams.  In soccer at CMH Stephen was a prolific goal scorer, he was recognized as a first team all-conference player twice, the conference player of the year once, and as a senior was one of the most recruited players in the Midwest.  In wrestling at CMH Stephen was tenacious, he was recognized as the wrestler of the year twice at CHM, was a four year state tournament place winner (freshman-4th, sophomore-3rd, junior-2nd, senior-1st), and as a senior was an undefeated state champion with a record of 30-0.  Because of his accomplishments athletically at CMH, Stephen was voted the CMH male athlete of the year as a senior and was honored by the Waukesha Freeman newspaper as the Waukesha County male athlete of the year that same year.  Following high school, Stephen accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Marquette University and played Division I soccer at Marquette while majoring in criminology and law studies.  Athletically at Marquette, Stephen was a starting forward each year and helped Marquette reach its first ever NCAA Division I soccer tournament in 1997.  As a senior, Stephen led Marquette in goals scored and total points.  Stephen’s name still appears in the all-time record books for Marquette soccer in a number of categories. 

Following his undergraduate graduation from Marquette, Stephen turned down playing professional soccer and decided to attend Marquette University Law School and pursue his passion for criminal law.  He put himself through law school by bartending on the eastside of Milwaukee for three years and coaching numerous youth soccer teams in southeast Wisconsin including with Waukesha Spring City Soccer Club, Brookfield Soccer Club and four years as a head coach for the Wisconsin Olympic Development Program (as a player, Stephen was selected to play for the Olympic Development Program and competed for the Olympic Development Program at various national and international competitions).  A number of the players Stephen coached went on to play Division I soccer in college and some even represented their county’s national teams at youth World Cups and other international matches.  While at Marquette University Law School, Stephen focused on criminal law from his first day; unlike many law students who don’t know what area of the law they want to practice, Stephen knew going into law school he was going to be a criminal defense attorney.  Because of his focus on criminal law from the beginning of law school, Stephen was able to tailor his experience at Marquette to take advantage of coursework that would prepare him for the criminal courts.  He excelled in courses on evidence law, criminal procedure, federal criminal procedure, trial advocacy, the constitution and criminal investigation and many others.  Stephen not only focused his coursework on criminal law but he applied for and received a number of clerkships while in law school that gave him real world legal experience even before graduating from law school.  Stephen clerked for the Honorable Victor Manion in Milwaukee County Circuit Court, the Honorable Chief Judge of the Wisconsin Court of Appeals Richard Brown, and spent his last year of law school practicing law at the Milwaukee office of the State Public Defender.  By the time Stephen graduated from Marquette University Law School he had more courtroom experience than many second or third year lawyers.

After being admitted to the bar, Stephen began working as a trial attorney at Reddin & Singer which would later become Reddin, Singer & Govin.  From his first day of practice Stephen was solely responsible for his client’s files from start to finish and began trying cases in criminal courts throughout Wisconsin immediately.  Because of Stephen’s unique background both athletically and academically, Stephen was quickly recognized as a formidable opponent in the criminal courts and as a rising star within the Wisconsin legal community.  For over a decade Stephen has aggressively defended his clients in cases involving a wide array of charges from misdemeanor offenses to the most serious felony offenses in both state and federal courts throughout Wisconsin.  Stephen has won numerous acquittals for his clients at jury trials and has successfully argued for the suppression of evidence in his client’s cases on a regular basis.  Stephen has built solid relationships within the Wisconsin legal community and is known for his quiet confidence and personable demeanor.  Not every case requires litigation or is appropriate for litigation and Stephen has the experience to know what is best for each case; however, Stephen’s competitive nature is on full display while litigating trials and he has never shied away from a tough fight when that is what is required.  Year after year Stephen has been named a Rising Star by Milwaukee Magazine, recognizing him as a top criminal defense attorney in Wisconsin as voted on by other attorneys and judges. 

Stephen is a member of various professional organizations and legal bodies.  Stephen has lived in the Milwaukee and Waukesha County area since his first birthday and is deeply engrained in the southeastern Wisconsin community.  Stephen is married and has one daughter and his family presently lives in Waukesha County.  In his free time Stephen enjoys traveling the world with his family, music, playing soccer, surfing, and food and wine.