Wisconsin Law Journal – WI Legal News & Resources Wisconsin Legal News & Resources

Amy Westrup, executive director of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Wisconsin chapter, knows something about timing. When she and her husband moved to Wisconsin in the late 1990s, her first job was working for the Wisconsin Law Journal as a marketing director. That happened right when legal marketing was becoming a career opportunity. “The timing was such that I got ...

As a paralegal at Boardman Clark, Michele Walker often finds herself steering the ship. Walker has been with the company since 1986, joining when it still went by the name Lathrop & Clark. Her training in secretarial science put her in line for a position as a secretarial legal assistant. “I worked with some really great attorneys along the way ...

When the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, Beatrice “Bea” Thorson received an important assignment. Thorson, project manager at Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, had to make sure that everyone at the company could work remotely. She organized laptops for employees to take home and set up new work procedures. “Luckily, one of my previous roles had been to help our ...

Jenna Schreiber is always willing to lend a hand to her colleagues. Schreiber, a legal assistant at Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs, has worked at the firm for about 10 months. She said her favorite part of the job is “working with great, knowledgeable people that are always willing to lend a helping hand to those in need.” “I also appreciate ...

Shortly after Olivia Ruckstuhl joined Arellano & Phebus in 2015, it became clear that she would have a big influence on the firm. Ruckstuhl was hired as a receptionist and legal assistant for a bilingual position. After six months, she was working with the company’s litigation team. With that change, she was responsible for assisting partners with every aspect of ...

Kelly Newman, billing manager at Godfrey & Kahn, is known by colleagues and clients for going above and beyond to help others. “I get a lot of emails and phone calls where people will say, ‘I’m not sure who this should go to, but I wanted to start with you,’” Newman said. “I always try to think, ‘Well what if ...

Davis Matos has always had a love for information technology.

Jason Masterson is a big believer that personal and professional improvements are most likely to happen in tough circumstances. So, when the coronavirus pandemic hit in March, Masterson — a paralegal at Cottle | Pasquale | Laborde — resolved to make the most of a tough situation for everyone at the firm. “At my firm, it highlighted our team’s individual ...

Amanda Klein’s initial plan was to go to law school.

At Jones Law Firm, Laura Jones is the one making sure the trains are running on time. Jones, a paralegal, manages to stay on top of busy lawyers’ calendars while also ensuring her firm’s filings are all being made in a timely manner. “Laura is a wizard at logistics and balancing the needs of the law firm,” said Russell Jones, ...

Despite all the difficulties the coronavirus pandemic has tossed at companies, Trisha Ives has managed to remain an optimist. “It has really brought our firm, with four locations, together as one,” said Trisha Ives, firm administrator at Gingras, Thomsen & Wachs, which has offices in Madison, Milwaukee, Eau Claire and Waukesha. “It was no longer about which brick-and-mortar office you ...

Bob Isacson’s decade-plus experience as office administrator at Quarles & Brady in Milwaukee was more essential than ever last spring.

Even in normal situations, Alma Inger’s workload is intense.

Management functions better when you have two people making decisions together — at least that’s the case for Nicole Hoadley and Katy Jager at Hupy and Abraham.

Carolyn Doyle has been an indispensable part of the University of Wisconsin Law Library for more than a decade.

Andrea Dietzel-Luedtke didn’t need much time working for a chemical company in Milwaukee before she realized the job wasn’t for her. Unsure what to do next, she took a friend’s advice and applied for a position at a local intellectual-property law firm. With a business degree from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, Dietzel-Luedtke was at least somewhat prepared for the work. ...

For families going through difficulties, Karryn Dawood’s compassionate approach to estate planning makes grieving a little easier.

Having an empty spot on your desk may seem like a small feat. But for Kim Bernards, office assistant at Boardman Clark, it’s a notable accomplishment as she scrambles amid a global pandemic to pick up mail, sort and scan it, and then make sure it reaches its intended recipients. Bernards has worked in the firm’s Office Services Department since ...

Phil Bartelme has been at the forefront of helping the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin find ways to continue operating during the pandemic. With Bartelme, director of information technology for the district, leading the court’s efforts to permit remote work, employees were able to begin teleworking within a day’s time. Bartelme also helped find plexiglass, gloves ...

Crystal Airriess is the person other paralegals at Godfrey & Kahn come to with questions — a role that has become all the harder ever since everyone started working from home.