Hebl carries on legacy of helping others

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Andrew Hebl doesn’t keep his cape in his briefcase, although he should probably consider it.

“I’m not a hero,” insisted Hebl, an insurance litigator at Boardman & Clark in Madison. “I just provide a valuable service. I represent everyday people who get sued. Somebody makes a mistake; they run a red light, they blow a stop sign, they’re going a little too fast, they’re not trying to do anything wrong. But they make a mistake and somebody gets hurt. It’s why we all have car insurance.

“I get to come in tell them everything is going to be OK, tell them they shouldn’t worry about this, it happens all the time. I can be the one to worry about this. And it’s rewarding. It’s nice to take this burden off them. And they don’t have to pay me; their insurance company is going to pay me, so they’re protected.”

It’s an example he took from his father, Gary Hebl, an attorney in Sun Prairie.

“I look up to my dad. He helps people. And I’ve always appreciated that. It’s what we do or, at least, try to do. I represent people who, hopefully this is going to be their only involvement with the civil court system. If I can bring them through that with a minimum of worry — and, I’m happy to say, I almost always do — it makes you feel good. It’s rewarding. It makes you feel like you’re doing something good.”

It’s part of the reason he has participated in panel discussions on deposition techniques, why he’s written about tort law for the State Bar of Wisconsin’s annual survey, and why he continues to pen other legal articles.

“It’s just something lawyers have a responsibility to do. As attorneys, we all have a collective responsibility to serve our communities,” said Hebl, who also volunteers for the United Way in Dane County.

It’s that commitment to the profession that inspires Amanda Kaiser.

“He’s an integral part of our insurance defense practice and litigation group. But he adds value beyond doing legwork,” said Kaiser, a partner with the litigation practice group at Boardman & Clark, who often works cases with Hebl. “He reinvigorates me. It’s really nice to have enthusiastic, fresh blood looking at things.”