High School Education 2020
Gino Alia (second from right) with his wife Vicki (center) and three children. (Submitted photo)
Kenosha attorney Gino Alia credits his Catholic education for forming him into the husband, father and professional he is today. He attended Our Lady of Mount Carmel Grade School and graduated in 1988 from St. Joseph High School.
“The importance of character, the sense of responsibility beyond one’s self and the commitment to a life of faith, no matter what challenges may come, all stem in no small part to my Catholic education and St. Joe’s experience,” he said.
Alia attended Marquette University for his undergraduate and graduate degrees. Becoming an attorney was something that interested him as a child.
“I don’t know when the ‘plan’ or decision was firmly established, but I can say that growing up, I really enjoyed critical, detailed analysis and being an advocate for whatever cause was important to me at that moment,” he said. “Curfews come to mind.”
An experienced trial attorney, Alia’s practice focuses in the areas of personal injury and business litigation. Through preparation and hard work, in conjunction with his established trial skills, he has become one of the few attorneys able to successfully represent both plaintiffs and defendants in complex injury and commercial cases.
Alia has maintained a “Distinguished Rating” by Martindale-Hubbell. Prior to joining Alia, DuMez, Dunn and McTernan, S.C., he worked for a large, national law firm. He also served as a Public Service Special Assistant District Attorney for Milwaukee County. His lectures include “Identifying Juror Attitudes During Voir Dire” (presented to Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers) and “Anatomy of a Lawsuit” (corporate presentation).
Despite working with individuals and large corporations, Alia is always mindful of the Catholic moral teaching and values he learned at St. Joseph High School.
“I try to keep the big picture in mind with everything I do,” he said. “Simple things like respect and acceptance of others who oftentimes don’t agree with you or see things the same way, are values I follow on a daily basis. St. Joe’s played a part in making me understand what really should matter at the end of each day, and it’s not winning every argument.”
Faith, and namely his St Joseph education, is part of Alia’s personal foundation.
“It kept my faith front and center, and not just an extracurricular activity,” he said. “My favorite high school memories include being part of the 1988 state basketball runner-up team and our senior retreat.”
Alia is a member of St. Anne Parish in Pleasant Prairie and has served on a number of St. Anne Catholic Church service ministries. He has also been active in numerous civic, community and charitable organizations in Kenosha County. He has served as president of the Pleasant Prairie Basketball Association, chairman and board of directors of St. Joseph Catholic Academy, board member and director of development/operations for Red Star Soccer Club, member of United Way of Kenosha’s Community Caring Team, and as a youth basketball and soccer coach for many years.
He and his wife, Vicki, have three children, Nicholas, Elizabeth and Andrew, and all three are Catholic-school educated.
“Nick was in the class of 2018 (and) is now a junior at Northwestern University, Elizabeth was in the class of 2020 and is now a freshman at Marquette University, and Andrew is a junior at St. Joe’s and will graduate in 2022,” said Alia.
Alia is a huge proponent of Catholic education and feels it gives children an important foundation for the rest of their lives.
“It really is a worthy investment. It’s not the ‘end all, be all,’ but like anything else, you get out what you put in,” he said. “Faith, values and morals in action beyond the classroom is part of Catholic education, and for me that is invaluable.”