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Grady demonstrates judicial ideals

By: Jane Pribek//June 25, 2013//

Grady demonstrates judicial ideals

By: Jane Pribek//June 25, 2013//

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gradyIt’s not about looking the part. It’s about playing the part well.

At the Milwaukee County Family Court Commissioner’s office, for domestic abuse restraining order hearings, the commissioners call their own cases and escort the parties to the hearing room.

As a result, Sandra Grady said she’s sometimes mistaken for a clerk. But her work as a judge and court commissioner is top notch, said former Court Commissioner Lucy Cooper, her colleague for 18 years.

“Sandy was the steady person who made the systems work,” Cooper said. “Without a great deal of fanfare, she organized the work, set up the calendars, offered legal insight and worked with the egos of a bunch of strong-minded lawyers.

“And all this with unfailing good humor and a sense that there was a greater mission of serving the public good.”

Grady’s goal is simple: make fair decisions after letting people speak their peace.

“The cases that I’m proudest of are not necessarily anything unique or large,” she said. “They’re just cases where when people left, they felt they were heard and they understood a little better how the courts and the law work. I think I have done that more often than not.”

When Grady earned her J.D. in 1982, job opportunities were limited for women, she said. At job interviews, she often was asked what she planned to do when she had children.

It took her about a year to find employment in the Milwaukee child support enforcement agency. She then became an assistant family court commissioner in 1988. She was appointed to the top spot last fall.

Although the new position requires significant administrative work, Grady still hears cases.

She’s gained a reputation as a family law expert, and every day she fields a sizeable number of calls, from within her office, all around the state, and even outside it.

Although progress has been made, Grady said, compared to when she became a lawyer, stereotypes remain regarding what a lawyer or judge should look or act like.

“I think there will always be some people who think that they can push you around, that you don’t have the strength to stand up to their verbal abuse in court, or that being small or soft-spoken makes you an easy target,” she said. “To the extent that more women are 5 feet, 4 inches than 6 feet, 2 inches, that puts us at a disadvantage.

“I think that remains a challenge for women. They still have to prove themselves more than men do.”

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