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Corning’s continued learning is recipe for success

Corning’s continued learning is recipe for success

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Jordan Corning (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)
Jordan Corning (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Jordan Corning first felt the pull toward becoming an attorney after watching the movie “A Time to Kill.”

He said he liked the idea of helping others while submersing himself in the drama of the courtroom. He answered that call by joining the business and commercial litigation team at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek SC, Madison.

“You’re constantly learning in business law,” Corning said. “I like to say business law is the recipe, and each case has its own ingredients and you work through it to create a solution.

“Business law really allows you to take in a wide breadth of subjects.”

Corning’s work includes cases such as contractual disputes, shareholder disputes, labor disputes, construction disputes and general litigation. But he has not had many opportunities in the courtroom, he said, because many cases settle before trial.

“A lot of what I do is contract disputes between large commercial entities, but every good litigator lives for the opportunity to get into court,” Corning said. “You learn by doing, and you can only improve your litigation skills through practice.”

He had a chance to practice those skills about 18 months after starting, when he was first chair for a trial between a business and a former employee.

“I remember I got to take the reins on the case and I was so nervous,” Corning said, “but we won.”

His work covers a variety of industries, but Corning said they all have similar qualities.

“I really get to know the client and the industry,” he said, “and see what their strengths are as we get into a case.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your favorite class in law school?
Jordan Corning: Food law with Barry Levenson, the curator of the Mustard Museum and former Wisconsin attorney general. I took the class in the spring semester of 3L year, which was the perfect time to take it. The course, which featured weekly blind taste testings of different food products and weekly “team trivia,” was the perfect change-of-pace course to close out my legal education. I also managed to learn a great deal about concepts like economic adulteration and compelled speech.

WLJ: Who is someone you admire?
Corning: My parents. They had me at a very young age, 18 and 20 respectively, and made a lot of sacrifices so I could have every opportunity in the world. They both went on to achieve post-graduate degrees and are terrific public educators. They instilled the value of hard work and perseverance in me at a young age. Also, my wife, for putting up with me on a daily basis. She’s also the best lawyer in the family.

WLJ: What was the first concert you attended?
Corning: I remember it vividly. My dad, likely against his better judgment, took me to see Motley Crue and Def Leppard at Rock Fest ’99 in Cadott. I was 13. It was an eye-opening experience to say the least.

WLJ: What is your favorite place to vacation?
Corning: Northern Wisconsin in the summer. I would take that over the Caribbean any day of the week.

WLJ: What song gets heavy rotation on your iPod?
Corning: It’s hard to limit it to one song. I’m a sucker for cheesy 80’s rock. ‘Your Love‘ by the Outfield is timeless, but ‘Working for the Weekend‘ by Loverboy was my go-to karaoke song in law school.

WLJ: If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Corning: I would learn to worry less and relax more. Of course, that’s likely an occupational hazard.

WLJ: What activity could you spend hours doing outside of work?
Corning: Taking road trips to different college football stadiums. So far, we’ve been to most of the Big 10 schools. I’m biased, but Camp Randall beats them all. I’d love to take an RV to a different stadium every weekend. When the Badgers are away, of course.

WLJ: What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?
Corning: Head to a Packers playoff game. Something about the energy of a Lambeau Field crowd seems to keep you warm in subzero temperatures.

WLJ: What was your favorite toy as a child?
Corning: When I was 10, I saved up $100 to buy an electric guitar at Toys-R-Us. I still remember the day I brought it home and the pride I felt handing my own money to the sales associate. Once I began to play it, it became my parents’ least-favorite toy.

WLJ: What app can’t you live without?
Corning: Mobile email. Haven’t we all become chained to that thing?

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