Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek’s Barthel fueled by life experiences

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Learning that Ted Barthel ended up an intellectual property lawyer is kind of like skipping to the last page of a whodunnit.

Sure, you know how it ends. But how did he get there?

It started with a triple major in chemistry, German and political science. Barthel studied for a year abroad, then came home to work as a chemist.

“I had a good job doing good work,” Barthel said.

But, for a guy who grew up playing jazz saxophone, something was missing. So, after a couple of years, Barthel decided to make a change.

“I said, ‘I’m young. I’m single. I’m gonna go for it. I’m going to pursue a dream. I’m going to music school,” Barthel recalled. “Then, I took a vow of poverty, I moved in with my folks, and I practiced my tail off.”

He studied and taught in Milwaukee, then auditioned for the U.S. Air Force jazz band. Joining the band meant joining the Air Force, so that’s what he did.

He toured the country as a musician, then went to officer training school and launched and operated satellites.

After seven years of military life, Barthel decided it was time to move on – this time to graduate school.

Torn between business and law, Barthel said, “I took the path of most resistance – more debt and longer study. I turned down a full ride at a top-20 MBA school and went to law school in Chicago.”

After working at firms large and small, Barthel landed at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek in Milwaukee, where he is now a shareholder.

As an intellectual property attorney, he represents everyone from private inventors to global 500 companies.

“I help creative and innovative people protect their ideas or leverage them,” he said.

He enjoys helping others pursue their dreams, he said, just as he did.

“I’m blessed to not be afraid to dream and take a chance and carve my own path,” Barthel said. “My life path is a testament to the remarkability of our society – just an everyday kid who had a dream and wanted to try a lot of things. I think that’s truly American.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What is the best part of being an attorney?
Ted Barthel: I have to say that the neatest part of my practice is working with clients and my partners. I work with motivated, really dedicated, really smart people – and all over the world, too. So, I learn things every day.

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be?
Barthel: That’s a hard one. For one day, just to walk in the shoes of the president and see what that’s like. Not the politics, necessarily; just what the day would be like. It’s got to be unbelievably stressful. Plus, presidents are isolated. They can’t go for a beer at the corner taps. They can’t go for a jog without a unit clearing the path. That’s kind of intriguing.

WLJ: What was your most useful law school course?
Barthel: Nothing really sticks out. But what I carry away from my law school experience is that it was just a great equalizer. People came from such diverse backgrounds, from a dancer who danced on a riverboat to a Ph.D. university professor and everything in between — young kids, military vets, engineers. That just impressed me. You can come in and bust your tail and in three years have a completely different life.

WLJ: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?
Barthel: We do this routinely at our firm. My colleagues in IP gave a CLE on patent law.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?
Barthel: It goes back to my background. I think my life path, the ability to study abroad, master a foreign language, then work as a scientist, then do a 180 and pursue a dream to tour the country as a jazz musician, then launch satellites into space for the Air Force, then be a legal advocate. It’s an American story.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?
Barthel: If it’s a luxury, you should be able to live without it, right? But, anyway, I recently got a smartphone, and the technology is unbelievable. There’s more technology in a smartphone, which you’re carrying in your pocket, than they had on Apollo 11.

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Barthel: That’s an easy one. Easy and short. Being oblivious to time and money.

WLJ: What is the first concert you attended?
Barthel: I remember it vividly. Sonny Rollins. I was in eighth grade. I saw him live at Summerfest in Milwaukee at the Jazz Oasis.

WLJ: Finish this sentence: Happiness is …
Barthel: This is a tough one. But, you know, I think having kids. Right now, my wife and kids are the joy of my life. I was going a mile a minute with all those twists and turns in life, and I almost missed having kids. Then I met a wonderful woman and we have two beautiful girls, and they’re just a joy. And I appreciate them because of everything that I’ve done.