Employment law variety keeps Platt engaged

Listen to this article

Sarah Platt enjoys variety and finds plenty of it as an attorney specializing in employment law at von Briesen & Roper SC.

“Every case – even if you’re dealing with some of the same issues – is different because of the people involved,” said Platt, a shareholder in the Milwaukee firm’s Labor and Employment and School Law sections.

Platt first became interested in employment law while in law school at DePaul University and appreciates the direct impact of her work.

“What you are doing affects someone, and if you are able to help a person it’s very gratifying,” she said.

Platt deals with all areas of employment law, including leave, accommodation, discipline issues, employment policies and agreements. She also litigates cases before administrative agencies as well as state and federal courts.

“About half the time is spent in some part of the litigation process, while the rest of the time is about counseling employers on policies and any issues they may have,” Platt said.

In the past few years, Wisconsin’s public sector employees saw many changes with Act 10, which eliminated collective bargaining rights for public employees represented by a union.

“It’s definitely been interesting and a bit turbulent. Public sector employers have to look at things they’ve never done before such as employee handbooks and have management-driven policies rather than relying on collective bargaining,” Platt said. “Since I also work with private employers where these types of issues are already dealt with, I can bring that experience to the table.”

With keeping her practice a mix of private and public employers, Platt definitely finds that no day is really the same.

“Employment law is diverse and always interesting since you are always dealing with different players and different issues,” she said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your favorite class in law school?
Sarah Platt: Asylum law clinic. I always prefer hands-on learning and coupling that with helping someone change the course of his life was really rewarding.

WLJ: If you hadn’t become an attorney, what career would you have pursued?
Platt: Probably something in the foreign service. That’s something I thought I would do when I went to college in Washington D.C., but I realized that moving every two years and being so far away from family was not what I wanted in the long run.

WLJ: What is the hardest case you’ve ever worked on?
Platt: The pro bono asylum cases were probably the hardest because the stakes were so high, but the constant challenge in my current practice (which keeps things interesting) is to balance clients’ practical business considerations with their legal obligations in the most efficient way.

WLJ: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?
Platt: Teleportation. It would be so much fun to be able to teleport to Barcelona for dinner, to Miami for a play date with my good friend and her kids, or even just to avoid wasting time in transit during the day.

WLJ: What is your favorite thing to do in Wisconsin?
Platt: Yoga at the Milwaukee Art Museum is pretty amazing.

WLJ: Do you prefer going to Badger or Packer games?
Platt: Badgers.

WLJ: What is one thing you could spend hours on?
Platt: Playing with my daughter.

WLJ: Which words or phrases do you overuse the most?
Platt: I have a tendency to say “I feel like …” instead of “I think …” or just making a declarative statement.

WLJ: Where would you like to live?
Platt: For real life, where I live now (Wauwatosa) is pretty ideal. If all practical considerations are put aside, the coast in Croatia or Slovenia.

WLJ: What is your greatest extravagance?
Platt: Travel. Before our daughter was born, my husband and I would plan one big special trip a year.