Small claims court opens door for Engelke’s career

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Kyle Engelke was a senior journalism major at UW-Madison and on his way to a life as a sports writer the day his career plans changed.

A soon-to-be former landlord came into small claims court carrying a damaged closet door that he said proved Engelke and his roommates had trashed their rental house. The landlord was hoping to avoid refunding their security deposit.

“The problem was the door didn’t match the photos the landlord brought,” said Engelke, “and that annoyed the court commissioner, who ordered him to give us our deposit.”

Journalism’s loss was the law’s gain.

“I liked winning,” said Engelke. “And when I smelled the blood in the water, I knew my future was in the law.”

Engelke draws a lot of parallels between journalism and the law.

“Good legal work is about good storytelling,” said Engelke. “You investigate, you win a client’s trust and you fight for the facts of your case.”

Much in the same way that baseball prospects are sometimes deemed four-tool players because of their ability to run, hit, throw and field, Engelke’s colleagues call him a four-tool attorney because he’s motivated, active, involved and impressive.

In his first three years of practicing law, Engelke has run the gamut in his representation of clients in wrongful-death claims, working as a local counsel in national cases, and for municipal enforcement.

As the local prosecutor for Verona, Shorewood Hills and Windsor, he’s also involved in policy and political issues.

“Even if it’s a dispute over parking tickets, I try to be fair to everyone,” Engelke said. “But it can sometimes take tact to persuade someone to pay a fine they don’t want to.”

“I wear a lot of hats at this point in my career and that’s fine with me,” the New Glarus native said. “I didn’t just win that day in small-claims court. Advocating for my clients became my life’s purpose.”