In-house work lets Clefisch use her business, legal talents

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In the early 2000s, Heather Clefisch helped a woman from Sierra Leone obtain political asylum in the U.S. The woman had been abused, and her home had been burned down.

“It was the most rewarding legal thing I did in my life,” Clefisch said.

But that’s just a small snapshot of what the vice president and division general counsel for Spectrum Brands does with her spare time.

Clefisch also advocates for women and girls, including by serving on the Circle of Red for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign.

“I have been an advocate of girls’ rights since I was in third grade, whether it was arguing with the boys over what girls could do versus what boys could do to identifying as a feminist at a very early age and not thinking of it as an ugly word,” she said.

Clefisch started her career in business, working in sales for Quad Graphics before going to law school. The 2001 University of Wisconsin Law School graduate spent more than a decade in private practice before landing an in-house position at Spectrum Brands.

“I really like the in-house position because it’s a combination of business and law, which I think my skillset is well-suited to,” she said.

Clefisch enjoys the variety the work brings and especially enjoys being on a team made up of lawyers and non-lawyers. The biggest difference between her work in private practice and her work as an in-house lawyer is that she finds herself now weighing in more often on business matters.

“You’re valued not only for your legal experience but also your business experience,” she said. “I really love that part of it.”

Outside of work, Clefisch spends time with her husband and two young children. She also serves on the boards of the Madison Public Library and REAP Food Group, a nonprofit organization focused on local, sustainable food.

“It’s another way to give back in a way that we don’t give back at our jobs and model that for our children,” Clefisch said.