Semrow stays on top of changing health care field

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Sarah Semrow didn’t take the usual path to becoming an attorney.

After graduating from college, she worked for the Cancer Legal Resource Center, earned a paralegal degree and worked for a major insurer as a legal services specialist.

“I always knew I would be in the legal field but I didn’t know if I would end up in law school when I started out, but I felt each step got me closer. As my career progressed in the legal health care field, law school seemed like the next logical step,” said Semrow, an attorney with Hall, Render, Killian, Heath & Lyman in Milwaukee.

“I’ve seen the health care industry from all sides of the equation — from the patient side when I was at the cancer center, the insurer’s side when I worked for an insurance company and now mostly I see it from the provider’s viewpoint,” Semrow said. “I’m a naturally curious person and always want to know more and figure out how it all works.”

Semrow works with health care clients on business and transactional matters and helps with the analysis of general health law matters, along with regulatory and compliance issues. She also works three days on site with an area health care provider assisting their general counsel.

“I really enjoy the work I do. There’s so much going on in health care,” she said. “You can’t get bored.”

That’s unlikely to happen given how quickly the health care industry is changing. Semrow does a lot of research, talks with other health care attorneys, and uses firm resources to keep up on all the latest rule changes.

“There’s so many issues that come across my desk and sometimes you really need that quick response, so it’s great to have other attorneys to turn to and ask how they’ve dealt with a particular issue,” she said.

Wisconsin Law Journal: What was your least-favorite class in law school?
Sarah Semrow: I think it would be juris prudence because it was very heavy on philosophy and I’m more of a practical person, so it took me awhile to really get into it and appreciate it.

WLJ: Who is someone that you admire?
Semrow: Tanya White, a friend of mine who is a sports psychiatrist in Chicago. She is so positive and it’s great to have that influence.

WLJ: What was the last concert you attended?
Semrow: Gaelic Storm on St. Paddy’s Day.

WLJ: What song gets heavy rotation on your iPod?
Semrow: Anything country.

WLJ: What activity could you spend hours doing outside of the office?
Semrow: I’m recently engaged so wedding planning is taking up a lot of my time. But otherwise, I enjoy anything outdoors.

WLJ: Where is your favorite place to vacation?
Semrow: Florida

WLJ: If you could have one superpower, what would you choose?
Semrow: Invisibility. I’m a curious person and I always want to know what’s going on.

WLJ: What is your favorite season?
Semrow: The early part of winter when everyone is cheerful and in high spirits because of the holidays, but once we come to early January, I’m ready for June.

WLJ: What was your favorite toy as a child?
Semrow: Cabbage Patch dolls

WLJ: Do you have a phrase or word that you tend to overuse?
Semrow: I say ‘that’s crazy’ a lot.