Walny Legal Group breaking the ‘cookie-cutter mold’

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Working in a field where men are much more common than women, Walny Legal Group is changing the status quo.

Ninety percent of the employees of the estate-planning firm are women, including 10 percent African-American. Eido Walny, firm founder, said the diverse workforce came about naturally.

“We’ve always had an open mind to servicing our clients and doing good work, and we’ve been fortunate in recruiting minorities and women,” Walny said. “We just happen to be very outside of the cookie-cutter mold.”

Walny founded the firm in 2011 and has watched it expand quickly. He and his colleagues are now in the midst of opening a second office in Elm Grove and doubling the size of their office in downtown Milwaukee.

“Estate planning is one of those few areas of the law that affects everybody,” Walny said. “At the end of the day there are a lot of demographic not being serviced. … Unfortunately, the law has gotten a reputation of being more accessible to some groups than others and I think when you can make a diverse firm, you’re really just connecting with those underserved markets.”

“It’s a great work environment and it’s important and empowering for women in this field to be in this position, so I’m really proud of us and how we’ve represented ourselves,” said Kelly Dancy, a lawyer who joined the firm in 2012.

From having staff employees who speak Spanish to making it point to give female clients opportunities to discuss delicate topics with someone who understands them, WLG is working hard to connect with people both inside and outside the office.

Lawyers are encouraged to take on leadership roles in organizations that promote Milwaukee and bring attention to minority and women’s causes. These groups include Professional Dimensions, the Wisconsin Association of African American Lawyers (a Wisconsin Law Journal diversity award-winner in 2017), Jack and Jill Int’l and the Association of Women Lawyers.

“Our firm is a very good example of within limited means, being able to affect change not only in the industry but in the community, and that’s the thing I’m most proud of,” Walny said.