Employment law changes keep Hanneman on balance

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To Ann Hanneman, change is good — it’s what she enjoys the most about her area of law.

Employment law is constantly changing, and with those changes come new difficulties.

Hanneman, a principal at Waukesha-based Simandl Law Group, said she has always had a great interest in helping employers navigate those shoals.

“I have never been bored,” Hanneman said. “It’s always new challenges and new changes in the law. That’s what makes it so exciting. “

Her interest in employment law started in college, when she pursued a degree in industrial relations, which exposed her to business and management law.

“I feel very fortunate that I found an area of the law I really like,” she said. “I really love the area. If you’re passionate about your practice, it is very rewarding.”

That passion also helps explain why so many employers have sought out Hanneman’s services over the years.

Julie Buchanan, whom Hanneman worked with for 15 years at Buchanan & Barry, hired Hanneman in the 1990s after hearing Hanneman’s name come up again and again during her search for an employment attorney. And Buchanan says she wasn’t disappointed, calling Hanneman a great writer and person of great integrity.

“She is an exceptional attorney,” Buchanan said. “She is a superb advocate. She is great with clients and always goes the extra mile for those she represents.”

Bob Simandl, founder of the firm that Hanneman now works at, can’t imagine a day without her being around to help out.

“Having seen her grow as a person and professionally and for her to honor me and join me in the firm, it was a great moment,” Simandl said. “There’s not a day I don’t walk into the office and say, ‘Thank God Ann is here.’”

And although enthusiasm has been a big part of Hanneman’s career, so has balance.

“Generally as lawyers we like to think we are exclusively practicing law, but we are also practicing business,” she said. “I think maintaining that balance is important; you really can’t lose sight of one or the other.”

That balance entails fostering a network outside of the law and seeking out opportunities — something Hanneman says she was never afraid to do despite working in a profession dominated by men.

“I grew up with five brothers and I personally never felt I couldn’t do anything because I was a woman in this profession,” she said.