Hard work ticket to success for Premo

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At work, Maggie Premo keeps on her desk a ticket from a University of Wisconsin basketball game she attended in 2013. It was the game in which Frank Kaminsky scored 43 points, setting the record for the most points scored by a Badger in a single game.

Premo noted that before that game no one knew who Kaminsky was.

“I keep that ticket around … as a reminder that if you work really hard, eventually people will notice,” she said.

The hard work that Premo has done includes spending the early part of her career as a general practitioner. She often found herself called on to cover court appearances on short notice. That was a challenge, Premo said, because she is the kind of person who maps out every scenario and over-prepares.

“I had to learn to get over that,” she said. “I learned to trust my instincts and trust that I knew enough about the fundamentals of the law and litigation.”

But also during that time in general practice, Premo got a chance to sample a variety of areas of law and found that her favorite was estate planning – the area in which she now practices at Neider & Boucher.

“Even though I do spend most of my day talking about death, dying and disability, I actually think it’s the happiest area of the law because when people leave with an estate plan they just feel this peace of mind and this huge weight has been lifted off their shoulders,” she said.

Typically, people put off setting up an estate plan because it’s not pleasant to think about and are grateful after someone has helped them create one, making it a rewarding area of law.

However, she noted that the area is not without its challenges, making the job mentally stimulating.

“I think there’s a misconception that it’s just filling names into forms,” she said. “But it’s not like that at all. Every situation is different. Every day single is different. You don’t know what you’ll get when you walk in the door.”

Her fellow estate planning attorney Marilyn Crowley, who has gotten to know Premo both personally and professionally at Neider & Boucher, said that her colleague is a knowledgeable, caring person.

One of Premo’s strongest points, said Crowley, is that she listens to clients and asks them what they want to accomplish before making recommendations. Crowley also noted that Premo doesn’t just take the time to meet with clients, she also educates them.

“She’s just top notch,” Crowley said. “I really have enjoyed getting to know Maggie.”