Varied experiences ultimately led Goudie to paralegal work

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Before John Goudie found his niche in paralegal work, he had a variety of experiences.

In addition to earning his associate’s, undergraduate and graduate degrees, Goudie had worked as a licensed EMT, an orderly and a licensed chauffeur. He also went to nursing school and worked the night shift at UPS for about five years.

Goudie got his first paralegal job with a law firm shortly after graduating from Concordia University’s paralegal-certification program.

But his useful experiences didn’t end there. The firm eventually had him obtain a license to represent people in workers’ compensation cases.

Goudie’s most memorable case involved a client who survived being pulled into a machine at a paper mill in a town in northern Wisconsin. Although the client recovered physically, her mental scars were so severe, she vowed to never set foot in the town again.

In the end, Goudie got her employer to provide her with enough money to move to Milwaukee and return to school. The client later became a medical assistant and had a family.

“She was really a great success story based on how the case played out well,” Goudie said. “It’s hard to prove PTSD. It’s tougher to prove that someone couldn’t even be in the town. It was a great case; she was a great client.”

Now a litigation paralegal at Milwaukee-based Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, Goudie works with lawyers at the firm primarily to provide legal defense for healthcare providers appearing before state and federal licensing agencies.

“I like the diversity,” Goudie said. “Even though the cases are very similar in nature, there’s always little quirks and twists and turns that make it different. I enjoy the camaraderie, the interaction. We have some great legal minds here. They just boggle you sometimes with how smart they are.”

Outside his work, Goudie enjoys traveling with his wife and spending time with his grandchildren. He is on the board of directors of the Wauwatosa Historical Society, and Goudie and his wife spend some of their time at the oldest post office in Milwaukee County, Wauwatosa’s Little Red Store. He and his wife run the committee that oversees the office.