Milwaukee personal injury lawyer rides success

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Milwaukee attorney Jason Abraham’s personal injury practice makes it harder for him to enjoy riding motorcycles, because he’s all too aware of what can happen if things go wrong.

“It’s hard not to think about my injured clients when I’m on a motorcycle,” said Abraham, a shareholder at Hupy and Abraham SC. “Surprisingly, every time I ride I am thinking about the people I represent. It makes it less enjoyable.”

Still, every September, Abraham joins former clients, breast cancer survivors and others on a bike for the annual Ridin’ to a Cure event for cancer research. It’s a risk he’s willing to take for a good cause, he said, and one that his firm fully supports.

“We feel that since we’ve been very successful that we owe it to the communities we practice in to give back,” Abraham said. “We want to make a difference for the people who have made us successful.”

Abraham is president of the Rock River Cancer Research Foundation and has helped raise more than $4 million for breast cancer research through Ridin’ to a Cure, which is organized by the Rock River Harley Owners Group in Oconomowoc. He was initially asked to participate in the event by a former client, he said.

“It’s an unbelievable event,” Abraham said. “All the roads are shut down, maybe 60 miles long. The rides start about 8 in the morning and go until the afternoon. We’ve had thousands of bikes.”

The event inspires him to do more, he said.

“It’s local people making a difference,” Abraham said of the ride. “Just everyday people who are spending a lot of time and effort trying to raise money for a good cause. It shows everyday people can make a difference.”

He enjoys helping others through his practice, as well.

“I love what I do,” Abraham said. “There’s a ton of personal satisfaction because you’re really helping people. You’re helping people’s lives when they’re turned upside down.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What is the best part of being an attorney?
Jason Abraham: For me, it really is just helping people. And I feel really lucky that every day when I come to work, I love my job. I don’t think a lot of people, in whatever they do, get to say that. And that makes a huge portion of your life really easy.

WLJ: If you could trade places with someone for a day, who would it be? Why?
Abraham: For me, I think it would be the president, and only for one day. And the reason is I can’t imagine what it would be like to be president for one day and learn all the covert things, all the things we’re doing that no one knows we’re doing. It would be very interesting and unbelievable to learn that information.

WLJ: What was your most useful law school course? Why?
Abraham: I think it was an internship at the Legal Aid Society. I was able to handle traffic tickets in court for the indigent. And it was most valuable in two ways: It allowed me to relate to people much less fortunate than me, and it got me in front of a municipal court judge right away. And I knew I wanted to be a trial lawyer. It was exhilarating and fun.

WLJ: What was your least favorite course in law school and why?
Abraham: It was property and the reason why was I didn’t do well in it. I just didn’t find it interesting, and I did poorly, which is funny because I was always a good student.

WLJ: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?
Abraham: What I would do is how to run a business, because I think for a lot of people you’re going to understand the gist of how to practice your craft, once you’ve been a lawyer for a while. But I think they could struggle with how to run a business. And, at least when I was in law school, there weren’t any courses for that. And when you have the responsibility of hiring and firing, that’s a real challenge. And, if you don’t have experience with that and HR, there can be a lot of growing pains there, the idea of wanting to be liked. And when you’re a business owner , whether you’re liked or not doesn’t really matter. It’s about whether you’re respected. So, I would do a class on being a business owner.

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date and why?
Abraham: To be honest, I would say it’s not law related. It’s being a father. I look at my daughter, who is now 13 and in eighth grade, and being so proud of who she is — kind and considerate and a good student and so friendly. Being a parent is a lot of hard work, and I look at who she is and my role in who she is as probably my biggest achievement.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?
Abraham: It’s my iPhone. Ooh, every time I hear a buzz, I’m checking my phone. But if I would forget it or not have it, I would go crazy.

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Abraham: I think sports. I was very active in sports. Each year, I played four sports. I just miss that whole teamwork. I miss the camaraderie and not having any worries.

WLJ: What is the first concert you attended?
Abraham: It’s crazy. It was Prince, The Time and Vanity Six at the Mecca. I loved it.

WLJ: Finish this sentence: Happiness is …
Abraham: spending quality time with family.