The Practice IsChallenging, The LifestyleIsGreatAdvantages include a lower cost of living (which offsets lower salaries), and a wealth of outdoor op-portunities, Blom says. "There

The Practice IsChallenging,The Lifestyle IsGreat

Young Law School alumni tellthe story of why they chooseto practice in smaller cities.

Class of 2005 alumni Candice Tlustosch and RicardoEstrada are two of many young attorneys who are en-thusiastic about practicing law in smaller communities.

14 GARGOYLE Winter 2007

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Anew initiative is under way at the Law School to help students learnmore about the advantages of practicing law in Wisconsin's smalland mid-size communities. Dean Ken Davis, the Office of Career

Services, and the Lawyering Skills Program are three key players in launch-ing this multi-phase project to acquaint future lawyers with a career optionthey may have overlooked.

• In June 2006, Dean Davis launched the Wisconsin Hiring Initiative byinviting attorneys from all parts of the state to come to Madison for aroundtable discussion on the challenges of hiring young attorneys andgetting the word out about the advantages of small-community practice.

• In November 2006, the Law School's Office of Career Services hosteda panel discussion by four recent graduates who practice in small andmid-size firms in smaller cities. More than 50 students attended and thefeedback was terrific. (See Assistant Dean Jane Heymann's column in thissection, page 19.)

• In fall 2006, Professor Ralph Cagle, director of the Lawyering Skills Program,inaugurated a summer clerkship program to place five law students inselected firms in small-to-mid-size Wisconsin communities. (See page 17.)

Cagle is delighted that the topic of small-community practice and itsmultiple advantages has moved into the spotlight. "My personal feeling isthat there are some marvelous opportunities out there," he says. "I have thisconversation more than a dozen times a year."

To learn more about what is attracting young alumni to smallercommunities, the Gargoyle interviewed several recent graduates who havechosen to practice in firms outside Madison and Milwaukee. Stereotypesdisappear as we get a glimpse of the variety among smaller firms and thenumerous professional and personal advantages of living and practicing insmall and mid-size communities.

Kathryn M. (Scott) Blom '03McCarty Law LLPKaukana and Appleton

Katie Blom '03entered lawschool with agoal in mind:practicingwith McCartyLaw in herhometownof Kaukana,midway be-

tween Green Bay and Appleton. Asa first-year law student, she sent herresume to the firm, and clerked forthe firm after her first and secondsummers in law school.

"When most people comeout of law school, they want a bigcity," Blom says. "People don't giveconsideration to coming up to theFox Valley. You often find that thepeople who come here to work arefrom here - we know the benefits."

Advantages include a lowercost of living (which offsets lowersalaries), and a wealth of outdoor op-portunities, Blom says. "There are alot of lakes and state parks, and DoorCounty is only an hour and a halfaway. We're not far from larger citieseither: Milwaukee is two hours away,and it's only four hours to Chicago.We have wilderness to the north, andmajor cities to the south."

Blom adds that the Fox Citiesarea itself has a lot to offer, includingBroadway shows, unique restaurants,nightlife, and sporting events.

Blom, whose practice focuseson business transactions, sees mul-tiple professional benefits as well."The number-one benefit of practic-ing in a small community is beingable to take ownership of a projectand see it from start to finish earlyin your career," she says. "I also

enjoy the complexity of the projectsI am involved in at this point in mypractice."

She has received excellentmentoring at her firm, Blom says."When you are hired, it is with theobjective that you will become apartner, so the partners have a vestedinterest in your growth. It is com-mon for a partner to sit down withyou and work on a project for half anhour or an hour. That's pretty neat."

Blom is married and has ababy daughter, another reason she ispleased about practicing in a smallcommunity. "I think it's more con-ducive to family life," she says. "Ifyou say you're going to leave early tosee your daughter's play or your son'sgame, it's quite acceptable."

Blom comments that peoplemay mistakenly equate a small-com-munity practice with small clients."It is really not true - and especiallyin our practice. People may not beaware of the large companies wehave around here. Our clients rangefrom mom-and-pop businesses tolarge corporations. Ir gives you areally interesting practice."

Jeremy Welch '01Ruder Warewausau

Jeremy Welch'01, whoearned hisundergraduatedegree in ac-counting, hadtwo prioritiesin planninghis law career:he wanted to

practice in a small city and to focuson business and commercial law.

The firm of Ruder Ware inWausau was a perfect fit for him.

"We're a business law firm with asophisticated practice," Welch says."We have larger clients, and I do alot of commercial finance work aswell as mergers and acquisitions."

Welch adds, "One of thestereotypes about firms in smallcommunities is that they have lesssophisticated attorneys, but I havenot felt that to be true. I work withvery interesting attorneys, both atmy own firm and from other firms."

He elaborates, "The stereo-type is that if you go to a smalltown, the work is simpler. But mywork is sophisticated and challeng-ing." Ruder Ware employs 45 attor-neys: 30 in its Wausau office and 15in Eau Claire. "We're the eleventhlargest firm in the state," Welch says,"and the biggest outside Madisonand Milwaukee."

Welch is enthusiastic about thelife that he and his wife and family areable to lead in a smaller community.Outdoor life includes boating, hiking,and skiing; the city has an active artscommunity; and the public schoolsare excellent. "We have made so manyfriends since we've arrived here," hesays. "When we moved here, wedidn't know anyone."

Welch also volunteers in thecommunity. "It's strongly encour-aged - everyone at the firm doesit," Welch says. "Here in Wausau,there probably isn't one nonprofitboard that we don't have an attorneyon. The firm's attitude is to give backto the community that gave to us."

One of the benefits of work-ing and living in a small community,Welch says, is that your clients arealso your neighbors. "They come toyou not only when they need a law-yer, but also for advice on businessissues," he says. "You really becomepartners with your clients."

www.law.wisc.edu/alumni GARGOYLE 15

in Baraboo. "I really wanted to goto a smaller community," she says."I liked the idea of general practice:having a lot of different issues is reallyin teresting."

In addition, she was quitetaken with the picturesque town ofBaraboo. "When I came downtown,I fell in love with it."

Willis says that she and thefirm created an unusual set of jobresponsibilities to capitalize on herstrong interest in writing. "It wasa little bit different," she says. "Iwas hired to do a lot of the writingfor the firm - to do many of theirbriefs. That was so clearly what Iwanted to do."

This did not mean, however,that she never saw the inside of acourtroom. "I was in court withinthe first month and a half," she says."They throw you in as soon as pos-sible - while they hold your hand.

"I think that coming herewas the best decision I could havemade," Willis says. "The people hereare fantastic."

Another great attraction,Willis says, was that "The firm wantsyou to be involved in the commu-nity - and they give you time offto do it. They do not expect you towork 70 hours a week."

Willis joined a dart league("They tease me at the firm") and avolleyball league, and taught a classonce a week at the Portage/Reeds-burg campus of Madison AreaTechnical College. She taught bothemployment law and criminal law.

]oyWillis'03Cross, Jenks,Mercerand MaffeiBaraboo

the real person behind the case."She adds that any stereo-

type of an old-fashioned firm withvery little work is completely offthe mark. "I have no shortage ofwork here; I have been absolutelyswamped since my third month.The opportunities for learning andgrowth are fantastic. After eighteenmonths, I feel like I have sampledeverything."

Tlustosch enjoys the naturalbeauty of western Wisconsin as well."It's a beautiful area. I get to travelbecause I rotate between severalcounties, and I see a lot of lovelyscenery - and a lot of judicialstyles." She adds that her husband,an avid sportsman, "absolutely lovesliving in this area."

Tlustosch's early insight intothe amount of independence possiblein small-community practice turnedout to be exactly correct. "You get afantastic level of autonomy. I makemy own intake decisions; I am incontrol of my own caseload."

When JoyWillis '03

graduated from law school, she wentstraight to the firm of Cross Jenks

CandiceTlustosch '05joined the firmof Arndt, Bus-well & Thornin Sparta,Wisconsin,directly outof law school.Partner Ellen

Thorn '84 had come to campus tointerview and, as Tlustosch recalls,"When Ellen described the prac-tice, it sounded right for me: theright amount of independence andclient selection, the perfect level ofautonomy."

Tlustosch had been drawn tostudy law as she observed her grand-parents, owners of a family farm inMontana, dealing with legal matters."I came to law school thinking Iwanted to do estate planning, andABT hired me for business and taxlaw, but I can do any area of law."

A year and a half later,Tlustosch knows she made the rightchoice. "I absolutely love my job.I love being an attorney in a smalltown. I often feel that I'm too busy- much busier than I expected- but I love what I do and I lovethe people I work with."

Client contact is a key advan-tage of small-community practice,Tlustosch says. "From the first dayof the job, you jump in and meet

Candice C. M. Tlustosch '05Arndt, Buswell & Thorn S.c.Sparta

Ten Frequently Cited Advantages of Practicein Smaller Firms and Communities

• Close client contact• Accelerated advancement• Flexibility of scheduling• Early opportunities for community leadership• Lower cost of living• Internet brings access to resources equal to that of

larger firms

• Close relationships with other legal professionals• Taking projects from beginning to end early in your

career• Opportunity for professional growth in multiple

areas• Easy access to outdoor recreation areas

16 GARGOYLE Winter 2007

"When you work in a smallfirm and you say, 'I have to be offby six tonight,' nobody objects,"she says.

"From my experience work-ing in a small-community firm,"says Willis, "it is the same workyou would be doing in a big city- especially here in the countyseat - but it is somewhat morelaid-back."

Shortly afrer Willis was inter-viewed for this article, she set off fora new professional adventure: clerk-ing for three judges of the Sixth Ju-dicial District Court in Silver City,New Mexico. "It's another smallcommunity," Willis says. "Probablythe size of Baraboo, but add somemountains."

Ricardo Estrada '05Fitzpatrick, Blackey& AssociatesLa Crosse

Ricardo Estrada'05 grew upin a large city-Milwaukee,but when itcame time todecide whereto practice,he choseFitzpatrick,

Blackey & Associates in La Crosse."At first my choice was to be

in a smaller firm - I wasn't think-ing of a smaller community," he says.

"I had interned in a small firm inMilwaukee and liked the small-firmenvironment. But when I visitedLa Crosse, I was taken with what agood place it is to raise a family."Estrada and his wife have threeyoung daughters.

"It was the right fit," Estradareports. "I really enjoy working here."

Estrada cites multiple profes-sional advantages to the combinationof small firm plus small community.

"For litigation, it's a bigadvantage," he says. "There are fiveattorneys in my firm, and we justjump right in whenever somethingcomes up. The work doesn't gethanded off to someone else."

He also appreciates theability to control his own

First Small-Community Clerkships Set

Insummer 2007, a new clerk-ship opportunity will be inau-gurated at the Law School: Five

second-year law students have beenmatched up with firms in small tomid-size communities for summerclerkship experiences. The studentswill gain practical skills and experi-ence while living and working innon-metropolitan Wisconsincommunities.

The students are from home-towns ranging from Elm Grove toMilwaukee to South Bend, Indiana;all are headed for unfamiliar terri-tory for their summer experience.

Funding for the clerkshipswas provided by a special legacyfrom the late Judge Edmund PArpin of Neenah, Wisconsin, agraduate of the Law School'sClass of 1950, who made a gener-ous unrestricted gift to the LawSchool to be used at the discretionof the dean.

To be eligible for the pro-gram, the selected students will takethe spring semester Lawyering SkillsCourse before they begin their

clerkships. In the fall when theyreturn, they will take a one-creditfollow-up seminar.

Day-to-day supervision andmentoring will be provided by theselected law firms and also by Law-yering Skills Professors Ralph Cagleand Gretchen Viney.

A total of 40 students ap-plied to participate in the newprogram. Professor Cagle, Directorof the Lawyering Skills Program,comments, "The fact that 40 stu-dents applied for these clerkshipsis evidence of a strong interest inexploring the advantages of practicein smaller communities."

Cagle adds, "Right now, thisis a program in the testing phase,but all indications are that we havean excellent cross-section of ourstudents interested in the advantag-es of practice in small and mid-sizecommunities, plus several fine lawfirms that are very interested in ourstudents. The next step is ro do allwe can to help these students besuccessful in their employment."

Five firms in smallerWisconsin communities

will employ UW law studentsas summer clerks in 2007:

Jennifer Dye -LaRowe, Gerlach & Roy LLP,

Reedsburg

Nicole Marklein -Cross, Jenks, Mercer and Maffei,

Baraboo

Maria Selsor -Johns, Flaherty & Collins S.C.,

La Crosse

Todd Sobotka -Roethe Krohn Pope LLP,

Edgerton

AdamWalsh-Mubarak, Radcliffe & Berry S.C.,

Tomah

www.law.wisc.edu/alumni GARGOYLE 17

schedule. "Your boss is not makingYOUt schedule."

Estrada says it is a misconcep-tion that someone who moves to asmaller community is isolated there."Actually, it's easier to meet other at-torneys here than it would be if youwere completely new in a big city,"he says. "You see people just walkingdown the street; you get to knowother attorneys and judges prettywell, and to build good relationshipswith them."

He adds, "You also deal withfirms outside the area - all aroundWisconsin - and, as in any otherplace, you get to put up the goodfight with firms in Milwaukee."

Estrada also appreciatesthe mentors hip opportunities in asmaller firm. "You can walk downthe hall and talk to one of the at-torneys. They are never too busy toanswer a question or to guide youalong to make the right decision."

The La Crosse area offersnumerous natural attractions as well,Estrada says. "If you're an outdoorperson, you have camping, biketrails, and beautiful scenery alongthe Mississippi. There are festivals,hunting, and fishing: everything isat your fingertips, not four or fivehours away."

Jeremy Gill '99Nash, Spindler, Grimstad &McCracken LLPManitowoc

Jeremy Gill '99knew that hewanted to pur-sue litigationas the focus ofhis legal careerafter his clinicalexperiences atthe UW LawSchool and

externships with the WisconsinDepartment ofJustice and Wisconsin

18 GARGOYLE Winter 2007

Court of Appeals. "It was clear tome that I wanted to stay in litigationwork," Gill recalls, "and I was prettyselective in where I wanted to apply."

Gill had clerked for a largercity firm and decided that it was not agood fit. "So I directed my job searchtoward smaller communities."

The right job in the rightcommunity turned out to be at Nash,Spindler, Grimstad & McCracken inManitowoc, where Gill practices inthe areas of civil litigation, insurancedefense, and professional liabilitylitigation.

The work is often intense, Gillsays, far from the stereotype of a laid-back small-town practice. "Litiga-tion takes a lot of time," he says. "Attimes, you live, eat, and breathe thejob. But the trade-off is having alittle flexibility with your schedule."When he is not busy with work, heand his wife are occupied with their19-month-old son.

Gill has no trouble acknowl-edging what his community does nothave: "You don't have the same type ofnight life as a larger city, or a lot of ac-cess to sporting events," he says. "Butthere are other things to enjoy. LakeMichigan is a huge draw: our officeis right across from the lake. There iscross-country skiing and a state parkclose by, and everyday recreation in anice city (we have a new multi-mil-lion-dollar aquatic center planned for2008). There are all kinds of programsfor kids. This is a really good place tolive and raise a family."

Gill cites professional advan-tages in a small community as well."You have a closer relationship withthe attorneys you work with," he says."Working in a small community leadsto a greater level of civility, becausethese are people you are going to beseeing a lot o£"

He adds, "I also appreciatehaving the ability to work a case in theway that I think it should be pursued- with a client's blessing, of course. Ihave a lot of autonomy in my work."

AmyEddy'OOAnderson, O'Brien, Benz,Skrenes & GollaStevens Point

Amy Eddy '00focused her at-tention on theAnderson LawFirm in StevensPoint early inher law schoolcareer. "Livingin the com-munity, I was

already acquainted with the firm,"she says. "I made contact with themabout clerking during my first yearas a law student."

She clerked there for her firsttwo summers in law school, andduring her third year she workedat the firm and commuted. Aftergraduation, she became a full-timeassociate, and in 2005, she becamea partner.

"I never really left!" shelaughs, and then speaks thoughtfullyabout the advantages of small-com-munity practice.

"One of the biggest thingsthat comes to mind is that in asmaller community - which to meequals 'smaller firm' - you havea variety of your own clients, yourown cases. I never thought I wouldbe able to get involved in so manyareas of law and with so many casesright out of law school. And youare potentially on a faster track toeverything: handling cases, workingwith clients, and becoming partner."

It would be a mistake to as-sume that everyone who works in asmall firm is a general practirioner,Eddy says. At the Anderson LawFirm, the associates and partnerstend to specialize. She focuses herown practice on estate planning,probate, trust settlements, andelder law.

Other advantages Eddy cites

are a flexible schedule and a highqualiry of life. "It may be attrac-tive to a new associate that weare a college town, with a greencircle trail and nature conservancy,through our College of NaturalResources. My husband and I havetwo children, and this is a very

good place to raise a family."The firm's interaction with

the community is another plus forEddy. "Our motto is 'a communirylaw firm' and we are highly in-volved in communiry leadership,"she says. "All of our attorneys areinvolved in the communiry, and

there are good opportunities forassociates coming to town."

Eddy observes, "Whenyou have the abiliry to be moreinvolved with your clients andyour communiry, I suspect thisleads to more satisfaction withthe law practice." •

Panel of Recent Law Graduates LeadsLively Discussion on Small-City PracticeBy Assistant Dean Jane HeymannDirector of Career Services

Helpingstudents

to identifycareer options,includingthose avail-able outsideof largemetropolitanareas, is one ofthe jobs of the Office of CareerServices. We are therefore veryexcited about the Law School'snew initiative to draw our stu-dents' attention to opportunitiesto practice law in smaller firmsand smaller communities.

As part of this initiative,the Office of Career Serviceshosted a panel discussion inNovember, at which four of ourrecent graduates spoke to anaudience of more than 50 lawstudents about their careers insmall and mid-size law firms incities outside of Madison andMilwaukee.

This program proved tobe one of the most popular oneswe've organized in recent years,based on both student attendanceand feedback we received afterthe fact.

Program participants were:• Amy Eddy (Class of2000) of

Anderson O'Brien in StevensPoint

• Christopher Toner (Class of2002) of Ruder Ware's Wausauoffice

• Pam Macal (Class of 2003)from Weld Riley in Eau Claire

• Amanda Wieckowicz (Class of2003) of LaRowe, Gerlach &Roy's Reedsburg office

Young lawyers in smalland mid-size firms areoffered more clientcontact and higherlevels of responsibility.

One of the most strikingpoints made by all four panelistswas that, because they practicein small and mid-size cities, theyhave been offered opportunitiesto be actively involved in theircommunities and to assumeleadership positions at a veryearly point in their careers. Allof them, for example, are alreadyserving on boards of directors oflocal businesses and civic organi-zations, and their firms encour-age them to do so because of theclient development potential ofthose sorts of activities. They arealso routinely asked to make pre-sentations to local organizations.

Each of the panelists be-lieves that young lawyers in smalland mid-size firms are offered

substantially more client contactand higher levels of responsibil-iry for client matters than theircounterparts at larger firms. Inshort, the message from theseyoung alums was that profes-sional development opportuni-ties come to a young lawyer in asmaller ciry at a very brisk pace.

Another topic of discus-sion was the fact that, whenmaking hiring decisions, firmsin smaller communities are veryinterested in whether a job ap-plicant has family or other tiesto the communiry or the region,because they want some assur-ance that a newly-hired lawyerwon't "move on" in a year or two.In response to questions from theaudience, the panelists discussedways that a law student coulddemonstrate that sort of com-mitment to prospective law firmemployers, even if he or she didnot grow up in the area of thecountry where the firm is located.

The program offeredstudents a wealth of other helpfulinsights about the "real world" oflaw practice outside oflarge cit-ies. We predict that it will resultin more students' expanding thescope of their job searches, nowthat they know more about theadvantages offered by small andmid-size law firms in small andmid-size communities.

www.law.wisc.edu/alumni GARGOYLE 19