Falk’s Reise gets early start making her case

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Kaitlyn Reise acted like an attorney long before she went to law school.

“If I wanted a birthday party, for example, I had to write a proposal for it and then argue why I should be able to have one,” said Reise, an associate attorney with Falk Legal Group LLC, Milwaukee. “My mother wanted us to not just get something because we wanted it; we had to state our reasons for it.”

And after she saw attorneys making their oral arguments in court, Reise said, she knew she wanted to do the same, even after law school professors warned her that few attorneys become litigators.

“I did keep my mind open during that first year of law school to other possibilities, such as business law, but as time went by, I just knew litigation was what I wanted to do,” she said. “Litigation is definitely where I belong.”

Reise said she honed her oral argument skills by joining Marquette Law School’s Moot Court. She participated in Marquette’s Jenkins Honor Moot Court Competition and the National Moot Court Competition.

“In moot court, you are on your own and have to think a lot on your feet,” Reise said. “That’s invaluable training for attorneys and really does a lot for your confidence.”

At Falk Legal Group, Reise puts that training to use working on insurance law and commercial litigation cases.

“I didn’t come in with an extensive background in business, so I’m constantly learning new subject matter,” she said. “But that’s been a wonderful challenge. It really keeps me interested and engaged.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What career would you have chosen if you had not become an attorney?
Kaitlyn Reise: a teacher or professor

WLJ: What app can’t you live without?
Reise: It sounds silly, but the weather app. It helps me know what to wear that day.

WLJ: If you could have drinks with anyone, who would you choose?
Reise: Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. I would love to pick her brain. She has been around a long time and has done so much.

WLJ: What was your favorite toy as a child?
Reise: My sister and I saved up and bought a go-kart. We spent one summer just racing around the neighborhood in it with all our friends. It was great.

WLJ: What’s your favorite activity to do in Wisconsin?
Reise: water-skiing or boating on a lake

WLJ: What’s your favorite season?
Reise: It’s definitely summer. I love being outside and being barefoot.

WLJ: What was the last movie you saw?
Reise: My boyfriend and I are on a documentary kick, and we saw ‘Crime After Crime,’ which is about some attorneys who get justice for a battered woman who was wrongly jailed after her abusive boyfriend was killed. It was very powerful.

WLJ: If you could have one super power, what would you choose?
Reise: Flight. Being able to fly would be awesome.

WLJ: What was the first concert you attended?
Reise: I saw the Smashing Pumpkins in fifth grade.

WLJ: What is your most prized possession?
Reise: This sounds silly, but it’s my computer. My whole life is in there — my photos, my music — and I rely on it so much for work and life.