Paralegal work keeps Skoug on the run

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Paralegal work hadn’t really been on Andrew Skoug’s mind when he started working for Stafford Rosenbaum in 2002, performing tasks such as making copies, while he was attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But then the accounting department saw the economics major’s potential and hired him on as an accounting clerk.

And when a paralegal decided to move into an operations management job, Skoug was offered the open position.

The rest is history.

Skoug says what he enjoys most about his work is that it lets him see a variety of cases. One of his favorite areas is personal injury.

“My favorite ones are where there’s a significant injury and complex legal issues to work through,” he said. “Those are challenging and more fun.”

His job can be tough, however. At a large firm like Stafford Rosenbaum, which has more than 50 attorneys, he often finds himself working with different people from one day to the next.

One of Skoug’s best qualities is his ability to cope with change, said Lori Dorn, director of administration at Stafford Rosenbaum.

“He is the type of person who can adapt his communication style to be effective in communicating with both our clients and his peers, coworkers and attorneys at Stafford Rosenbaum,” said Dorn.

“He’s a joy to work with.”

Laura Skilton Verhoff, a former partner at the firm and now senior vice president at Associated Bank, agrees.

“Andrew has a trifecta of talent: His intelligence, unbelievable organizational ability and a cheery demeanor make lawyers and clients both want to work with him,” she said.

Dorn noted that one of Skoug’s top accomplishments has been helping the firm go paperless.

“It was great because he worked with me to both figure out the overall plan for moving to a paperless office and not only helping with the plan but with the implementation of it,” Dorn said. “It was a huge contribution and help to me.”

Outside work, Skoug enjoys running. He runs one marathon a year and has run nine so far. He completed his most recent one in October in Toronto.