Krueger’s role at Godfrey goes well beyond job description

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No two days are alike in the life of an office manager who is expected to provide help whenever it’s needed.

For Michelle Krueger, of Godfrey & Kahn’s Madison office, the tasks are as varied as ordering office supplies, helping organize evening events, following up on requests for building repairs, preparing spaces for attorney-client meetings, processing vendor payments and working with the firm’s other offices.

“It can be something as small as, ‘Hey, my stapler doesn’t work. Can you fix it?’” she said. “My list of responsibilities is unlimited.”

All this can sometimes mean putting in long hours.

Jon Anderson, managing partner at the firm’s Madison office, praised Krueger for her energy and work habits that are “beyond compare.” He said she has a calm demeanor and handles stressful situations with grace.

For over a year, until this June, Krueger also took on overseeing an extensive renovation of her office. She helped manage the phasing of the construction work, which involved moving employees, computers, phones and furniture while the work was ongoing.

“With Michelle’s particular attention to detail all was accomplished with very little interruption of productivity,” Anderson said. “She planned the moves well and executed the plan with precision despite the normal frustrations and delays attendant to construction.”

Krueger, who has an associate’s degree in business administration, joined the office as an administrative assistant in 1997. The firm was then known as LaFollette Sinykin, which merged with Godfrey & Kahn three years later.

Krueger enjoys the variety that comes with being an office manage.

The work, though, can sometimes almost require her to be a mind reader.

“Trying to figure out the minor details that perhaps were not communicated when a project or task was given,” Krueger said.

Having an open mind is important, she said, since law firms are always changing.