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Cleveland gets personal with business clients

Cleveland gets personal with business clients

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Gretchen Cleveland (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)
Gretchen Cleveland (Staff photo by Kevin Harnack)

Working on a merger and acquisition case during a law school internship was all Gretchen Cleveland needed to convince her to move toward corporate law.

“I just found it so fascinating,” the member of Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek SC’s corporate and finance team in Madison said. “I knew that was what I wanted to do and saw it would be good for me.”

The easy fit was a welcome change after her initial career path, teaching high school English, which she did for two years before law school, turned out to be the wrong choice.

“It just wasn’t a good fit,” Cleveland said, “and I started looking around to other areas where I could use my writing and reading skills while still being able to help people.”

Now, Cleveland typically represents sellers, a role in which she works hard to establish strong working relationships.

“I work with clients and learn what their needs are and what they expect from the sale and then figure out how I can help them meet their needs,” she said. “I really enjoy establishing that personal relationship with clients. That helps me do a better job since selling a business is so personal.”

Cleveland said she spends about a third of her time on negotiations involving a sale, while the remaining time is devoted to writing and preparing documents.

“I let the business people figure out the financial aspects of the sale,” she said. “I’m just there to make sure everything is legally correct and answer any questions about taxes and such.”

While Cleveland has worked on many cases in her career, two cases stand out, she said. Both needed to be complete under a tight timeline.

“The first one was right before we were supposed to go on a special anniversary trip overseas and the other one was right before my due date with my first child,” she said. “Both cases got done, but it was very high pressure. In the end, they got done.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: What activity could you spend hours doing outside of the office?
Gretchen Cleveland: Reading novels.

WLJ: What was the last movie that you saw?
Cleveland: “Gone Girl.” When I read the book, I hated the ending, but it seemed to work well for film.

WLJ: If you could have any super power, what would you pick?
Cleveland: I would choose the ability to fly because I’d like the sense of freedom and independence associated with flying.

WLJ: What is your favorite book?
Cleveland: It’s a toss-up between “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” and “The Power of One.” Both tell lovely tales about strong and unlikely friendships and are written beautifully.

WLJ: If you could have drinks with anyone, who would you choose?
Cleveland: E. E. Cummings because I love his poetry.

WLJ: What is your most prized possession?
Cleveland: My iPad, partly because it’s a great source of diversion and partly because it houses notes and pictures of all my dreams and ideas.

WLJ: What song gets heavy rotation on your iPod?
Cleveland: “Breakdown” by Jack Johnson; a longtime favorite

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