Sky’s the limit for association general counsel’s Jurowski

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Nathan Jurowski wasn’t always an attorney.

“I was a manager trainee with Hertz Rent A Car for a couple of years,” Jurowski said.

He eventually concluded that business was never going to be a fit.

But, Jurowski said, the experience helped him appreciate the path he eventually found — first, in 2009, as a public defender in Walworth County, where he handled 400 and 500 cases a year; then in private practice, working as part of a firm and, later, on his own; and, since October, as general counsel for the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee.

“It’s a new position, at least for our chapters,” Jurowski said.

So far, his job is two-fold: offering individual legal resources to the dozens of AGC members in the Milwaukee area while developing luncheons and seminars to help members deal with more general issues.

The opportunity has not only reinvigorated Jurowski’s childhood dream of being an attorney, but also and helped him realize his adult ambition to contribute to the community.

“When I was younger — middle school, high school — (being a lawyer) was something I had wanted to do, but I talked myself out of it so many times, like a pie in the sky aspiration,” he said.

It took spending time in southern Illinois, where his wife, Kimberly, was earning her master’s degree, for Jurowski to realize he could reach for that sky.

“If it weren’t for her, I don’t know if I would have graduated, let alone be where I am today,” admitted Jurowski, who took winter and summer classes to finish law school in 2-1/2 years instead of three.

But, he said, “That’s when it just clicked for me. I was able to really take stock and figure out that it would be a regret if I didn’t go to law school. It’s my path.”

Connecting with AGC has helped him forge further down that road.

“Basically, I get to be involved in a community organization — the community being the association — and I get paid to do it,” he said. “I get to be a valued member of a team, of a community. That’s really what I appreciate the most.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: When you have a bad day, what keeps you coming back to work?
Nathan Jurowski: Fortunately, I don’t have any bad days. As a professional, I have always enjoyed my role as a legal resource to individuals. I appreciate this opportunity, and I don’t take a single day for granted.

WLJ: What is the most useful thing you’ve learned since starting your job?
Jurowski: That, just like everything else in life, this industry is about people with common interests. My job is as simple as focusing on connecting with members and helping them advance their interests.

WLJ: What is the one luxury item you cannot live without?
Jurowski: My Family. They are the best part of me. Without them I wouldn’t be where I am or who I am.

WLJ: What do you miss most about your childhood?
Jurowski: Summers. Nothing beats an annual three-month vacation.

WLJ: How would your mother describe you in one word?
Jurowski: Fearless.

WLJ: What was your first concert?
Jurowski: The Whitehall Memorial High School Concert Band. Go Norse!

WLJ: What song is in heavy rotation for you right now?
Jurowski: Stone Sour does a great cover of The Rolling Stones’ ‘Give Me Shelter.’

WLJ: What do you consider your biggest achievement?
Jurowski: Being a father to two young daughters. The greatest thing I can do is to guide and support them to become strong, independent women.