Pagels thrives on tricky product liability cases

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Sarah Thomas Pagels realized long ago that she couldn’t really be Wonder Woman when she grew up.

But the abilities she’s shown on the path to her career as an attorney — from working as a wedding planner and late-night sports desk copy editor, to dealing with her father’s leukemia diagnosis as she started law school and arguing cutting-edge toxic tort cases in court — aren’t that far off from the fictional comic book hero.

“[Wonder Woman’s] Lasso of Truth could be useful,” Pagels, 33, said with a laugh.

The attorney with Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek SC has built off her varied background and continues to rise in the area of toxic tort litigation in Wisconsin.

She’s argued tricky product liability cases to victory before the state Supreme Court and led her firm in the drastic learning curve for everyone in the state after new lawsuit reforms were put in place this January.

Through pro bono work with the Guardianship Clinic, which provides legal assistance to developmentally disabled young adults and their families, Pagels said she’s also found the personal side of the legal mire.

She’s following through on her “back up plan” to read, research, write and present cases of meaning in court.

“Knowing that the work that I do has real-world impact … has been really meaningful to me,” she said.

— Justin Kern

What was your most useful law school course?

I can’t pick just one. My most useful courses were the practical classes. The entire series of negotiation and mediation advocacy classes that I took during my second and third years of law school taught me skills that I use every day — both at work and in my personal life.

What is the best part of being an attorney?

The opportunity to be constantly learning. I love that as a litigator, I have the chance to get totally engrossed into a particular client’s product or business in a very short time. Over the years,
I’ve become an “expert” in fields I never thought I’d learn about.

How many countries have you visited? Which ones?

I’ve been to Canada, Jamaica and Italy

What would you never wear?

A chip on my shoulder

What was your favorite toy as a child?

It’s probably a tie between the wooden stove my grandfather made for me and my Easy-Bake Oven.

If you could be a superhero, who would you be?

Wonder Woman

What famous person you would most like to have a drink with?

Hillary Clinton

What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?

Again, it’s impossible to choose just one thing. Year-round, it’s probably enjoying frozen custard at Kopp’s. In the summer, I love to spend time at the lakes ‘up north’ with my extended family.

What can you spend hours doing that’s not law-related?

I am a total foodie — I love eating (both at home and in restaurants), cooking, shopping at farmer’s markets and gourmet food shops, reading about food, eating and cooking and collecting cookbooks. I also love spending time with my 1-year-old daughter, Hannah. Nothing melts away the stress of a hard day’s work like her smile or laugh.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

To be more patient