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Hartland attorney takes matters into her own hands

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//December 28, 2012//

Hartland attorney takes matters into her own hands

By: JESSICA STEPHEN//December 28, 2012//

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Lisa Holahan (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Lisa Holahan devotes her work to helping others, but recently, she decided to help herself.

Tired of working for other people, Holahan last month joined with the father and son team of Louis and Michael Kaiser to form Kaiser Holahan LLC in Hartland.

“I was getting restless,” Holahan said, “wanting to do more in terms of management and having more control over the business side of things.”

Only weeks into the endeavor, Holahan said, “there’s already a contentment that might not have been there before.”

Finally, she said, she’s been able to merge her desire to run a business with her drive to help people in need.

Holahan has been practicing family law since 1998. The practice area offers technical challenges and a variety she enjoys.

“It’s not just focusing on one certain thing,” Holahan said. “You’re focusing on children. You’re focusing on finances. You’re focusing on real estate. You’re focusing on retirement funds.

“There are so many different things. It never really gets boring.”

The subject matter can be difficult, she said, but it’s rewarding.

“It can be emotionally draining,” Holahan said. “This is a challenging job for sure. But everything is affected by divorce. It’s important for me to keep that in mind, that it makes a difference for that one person.”

As a member of the Society of Family Lawyers, the Divorce Cooperation Institute and the matrimonial chapter of the American Inns of Court, that’s a perspective Holahan is happy to share.

“It sure is neat to be able to affect someone’s life – when they’re going through a horrible experience – in a positive way,” she said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What do you consider your biggest achievement so far?
Lisa Holahan: Personally, my biggest achievement would be raising two respectful, responsible boys. Professionally, it would be finally opening my own law practice.

WLJ: What is the best part of being an attorney?
Holahan: I think, as an attorney, one of the greatest things is knowing I can make a positive, meaningful difference in people’s lives. I feel I have a heightened sensitivity, and I respect and appreciate the magnitude my impact can have on their lives — that they can walk away from this situation saying, ‘That was a horrible ordeal, but she made it somewhat less horrible, even dignified.’

WLJ: What can you spend hours doing that’s not law-related?
Holahan: Having two young boys, I don’t have a lot of time. But I think back to the summer. We have a boat, and we go out on the lake and we enjoy that. We could do that for hours and hours; and we did.

WLJ: What trait do you most admire in others?
Holahan: Trustworthiness. That is critical in building both personal and professional relationships.

WLJ: What do you consider to be the most overrated virtue?
Holahan: Assertiveness. I think that, although assertiveness can be a positive quality, it can also come across as kind of pushy.

WLJ: What was your least-favorite course in law school?
Holahan: UCC, and that was for two reasons: The first is I didn’t really understand it; and the second was it was a summer school class.

WLJ: What was your most useful course in law school?
Holahan: Most definitely civil procedure, because if you litigate like I do, you need to understand that.

WLJ: If you could develop one CLE course for credit, what would it be about?
Holahan: It would be about law in general, and it would be called, ‘Professional Courtesy.’ I think a lot of us forget to extend professional courtesy.

WLJ: Which famous person would most like to have a drink with? What would you drink?
Holahan: I would drink a Miller Lite. Who? I would say Aaron Rodgers. He’s a popular guy, and I’ve heard just wonderful stories about him. He seems like a good guy with a decent heart. And good for him.

WLJ: What is your greatest fear?
Holahan: That would be something happening to one of my kids.

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