(AWL) Profiles Member Sarah Thomas Pagels - Whyte Hirschboeck ...

April 2012Spring Networking EventUpcomingAWL Meetings& Special EventsGift Bag Drivefor women in sheltersFriday, April 20AWL Book ClubTuesday, April 24Farmstead Cafe, CedarburgBook: Going Bovine by Libba BraySpring Networking EventThursday, April 265-7 p.m.BLU, at the Pfister HotelThursday, April 265-7 p.m.BLU, at the Pfister Hotel424 E. Wisconsin Ave.Please join us for a special networking opportunity and happy hour. AWL will provide theappetizers and drink specials will be available. Come mingle with current lawyers as wellas Marquette University law students. This is a great opportunity to get to know the newgeneration of Marquette’s lawyers.This event is free for AWL members and $20 for non-members.RSVPs should be made to dana@barefoot-marketing.com by Monday, April 23.Registrations that are made and not kept will be billed.AWLF Scholarship DeadlineSaturday, June 30Spring Networking Reception RegistrationName Firm Member?________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________yes noyes noyes noyes noFeel free to use additional paper if needed.Please RSVP by Monday, April 23. Pre-registration is necessary. “No Shows” will be billed.Make checks payable & mail to:Association for Women Lawyers3322 N. 92nd StreetMilwaukee, WI 53222Or e-mail to dana@barefoot-marketing.comOr fax to 414-255-3615If e-mailing or faxing please bring a check tothe event, made payable to AWL.

CorrectionIn our March issue, we mistakenlycredited the wrong authorfor the Leaders in the Lawarticle. The article was writtenby Linda Grady.Best Law Firms forWomen NominationsThe National Association forFemale Executives and Flex-Time Lawyers LLC are acceptingnominations for the 2012 BestLaw Firms for Women initiative.Firms with a total of 50 or morelawyers are invited to participate.The application is availableat www.wmmsurveys.com/LawFirmsReg.html. Deadline forsubmission of the completedapplication is April 13.AWL Book ClubAWL’s Book Club will meeton Tuesday, April 24 atFarmstead Cafe, W62 N238Washington Ave in Cedarburg(north of Walgreens, south ofPiggy Wiggly). The book willbe Going Bovine by Libba Bray.For more information, contactLindsey Grady at lindsey.grady@hotmail.com.Member NewsWelcome New Members• Erica Avery• Ilana Sara AvitalLegal Action of Wisconsin• Janice M. DeWitt• Hannah R. Jahn• Christina JonesFoley & Lardner LLP• Carmen M. Ortiz-BabiloniaLegal Aid Society ofMilwaukee, Inc.• Kyra Plier• Jennifer A. Rashel• Hannah Rock• Jessica Shank• Naomi Staniszewski• Teresa Temkin• Annabelle Vang* * *If you have an event to publicizeor an item for member news, sendit to dana@barefoot-marketing.com. Deadline is April 16.By Paula Davis-LaackSarah E.ThomasPagelsSarah’s very acute sense ofjustice and fairness was an earlyindicator that she was destinedfor a career in the law. Sarahwas born into a family of Presbyterianpastors and also knewthat public speaking would bea prominent part of her futurecareer.After earning her bachelor’sdegree in Journalism fromNorthwestern University, Sarahtried out a variety of careers.She covered the online sportsdesk at the Chicago Tribunefor a period of time, worked inthe meetings and travel departmentat the American BarAssociation, and even did somewedding planning! Once Sarahworked as a litigation paralegal,however, she realized that lawschool was her next step.Sarah graduated from NorthwesternUniversity School ofLaw, and she now practices asa litigation attorney at WhyteHirschboeck Dudek S.C. (WHD)in its Milwaukee office, focusingon product liability and asbestosdefense. One aspect of her practicethat Sarah particularly likesis that she has to become anexpert on many different topicsin a short period of time.One of Sarah’s mentors introducedher to the Association forWomen Lawyers, where Sarahbecame a leader of the LitigationDiscussion Group. She has sincepassed on that role to others,but she continues to supportthe AWL CLE programmingand, especially, Women Judges’Night. Sarah would like to seeAWL continue to build its onlinepresence via the new websiteand by taking advantage of moresocial media outlets.In addition to AWL, Sarah lendsher support to a number oforganizations. She is a volunteerand former Board member ofthe Wisconsin chapter of theLeukemia and Lymphoma Society,and a current Board Memberof the Milwaukee Ballet. Shehas also served as co-chair ofWHD’s Pro Bono GuardianshipProject. She is part of the younglawyer’s steering committee forthe Defense Research Institute(DRI), and she’s activelyinvolved in her church.Sarah feels that Milwaukee is anincredible place to practice law,given its big-small town feel. Sheis particularly grateful for theAWL’s Moms in the Bar group,which she found incredibly helpfulafter she had her first child.She appreciates that there is anorganization where women canconnect and reach out to eachother. Sarah recognizes that thelegal profession can be tough tonavigate, but knows that womenbring a lot of toughness and abilityto the table.She advises women lawyersto not be afraid to ask questions,even ones that might beperceived as dumb. It’s her philosophythat you need to havethe right answers, and it’s betterto ask than to derail a case, oryour career, because you didn’twant to speak up. She alsoacknowledges that her reporterbackground drives her to seekthe facts and ask questions.Sarah knows that in order tosucceed, you have to be confidentin your own skin. She isthankful that she practices at aplace that allows her to be trueto herself.When she’s not working, Sarahenjoys spending time with herhusband and their nineteenmonth-olddaughter. Sarah saysshe loves to cook (and eat),and that she particularly enjoysMilwaukee’s finest food offering;frozen custard.

NCWBA Women’s Caucus, ABA Mid-Year Meetingby Pamela BermanNCWBA President-ElectSeveral NCWBA board membersand other women’s barleaders attended the Women’sCaucus at the ABA MidYearMeeting in New Orleans onSunday, February 5, 2012.The Caucus held a Town Halllistening session on issues facingwomen in the law. ABAPresident William T. Robinson,III started the session by commendingthe Commission onWomen in the Profession for itsoutstanding work and reports onwomen’s issues. He mentionedthe ABA leadership roles heldby women. However, he notedthat there was still progress tobe made both within the ABAto increase the participationof women in the ABA, itself,as well as women in leadershiproles and to increase the womenin leadership positions in lawfirms and corporations.Bobbi Liebenberg, the past Chairof the Commission on Womenin the Profession, spoke aboutthe Commission’s Report: VisibleInvisibility: Breaking DownBarriers to Women’s Leadershipand how significant numbers ofwomen had not risen to positionsof leadership within thelegal profession despite enteringthe profession for now thirtyyears at the rate of 50:50 totheir male counterparts. Thenumbers were even bleakerwhen looking at minority womenin leadership positions. TheCommission is currently workingon programs such as the February3, 2012 panel discussionand the WILL Academy in SanFrancisco in December 2012 tochange that dichotomy.Lauren Stiller Rikleen, Co-Chairof the Women’s Caucus andDirector of the Rikleen Institutefor Strategic Learning led anopen discussion about the issuesScholarship ApplicationsSoughtThe Association for WomenLawyers Foundation (AWLF)is the charitable arm of AWL.Each year, the AWLF awardsscholarships to law studentsenrolled in Marquette UniversityLaw School and the Universityof Wisconsin Law School.Applications are currently beingaccepted. Applicants mustsatisfy these requirements:• Applicant must be attendinga Wisconsin law school inSeptember 2012.• Applicant must be in goodacademic standing.• Applicant must be a woman.Selection criteria for the scholarshipsinclude:• Service to others• Diversity• Compelling financial need• Academic achievement• Unique life experience orcircumstance• Advancement of women inthe professionApplications consist of a currentresume, official law school transcriptand cover letter. Deadlineis Saturday, June 30. Fordetails, contact Dana at dana@barefoot-marketing.com.facing women in the legal professionto achieve equality. Thediscussion began with a suggestionthat it is important to focusupon developing a uniformdefinition of equity partner tobe used by firms when respondingto all inquiries, i.e., theAmerican Lawyer profits perpartner, the National Associationfor Law Placement questionnairesrelating to diversity,etc. Without a uniform standardof measurement, it is impossibleto gauge where women andminorities have been promotedwithin law firms and how theyare being compensated.The lack of women in meaningfulroles or in large numbers inthe management of firms andcorporations was mentionedas a problem which must beaddressed. Women must changethe economics currently in playby referring business to women.Only when women control theeconomics of the firms and companieswill they have a largervoice in their direction. The roleof unconscious bias and genderstereotyping in reviews and workWith Mother’s Day just aroundthe corner, a special way tohonor a very special mother isby making a donation to theAWL Foundation in her honor.Your contribution will help tofund scholarships for deservingfemale law students. To date,AWL and the Foundation havegiven almost $70,000 in supportto future women lawyersassignments need to be raised.Work/life balance issues werediscussed. The importance ofpractice groups for women in areaswhich have few women andwomen’s bar organizations werehighlighted as providing criticalresources.ABA President-Elect LaurelBellows thanked the participantsfor their interest and the widerangingdiscussion. She pledgedthat the ABA would work withthe Commission and Women’sCaucus to address the issuesraised and shed light upon thesolutions. Estelle Rogers, the Co-Chair of the Women’s Caucuswrapped up the session thankingthe participants and promisingto follow up upon the ideas suggested.Then, those candidatesrunning for elected offices spoketo the Caucus to solicit supportof the delegates in attendance.* * *Reprinted with permission fromthe National Conference of Women’sBar Associations newsletter.Honor a Mom in Your Lifeby Donating to AWLFattending the UW Law Schooland Marquette University LawSchool.AWLF is a 501(c)(3) non-profitorganization, and your donationis tax deductable. Makeyour check payable to AWLFand mail it c/o Diane Diel, 126N. Jefferson St., Suite 402,Milwaukee, WI 53202.

Equality & Humanity“A feminist is anyone whorecognizes the equality and fullhumanity of women and men.”Gloria SteinemRecently I had the pleasure ofattending the Centro Legal AnnualLuncheon. The focus of theluncheon was on what CentroLegal was doing to assist men inneed. The keynote speaker, Dr.David J. Pate, Jr., talked aboutthe role of men in our societyand the importance of helpingmen, not just women and children,stricken by poverty andother social ills. One programhe briefly discussed was a programdesigned to help men learnvarious skills so that they couldbe good fathers.If I am being completely honestwith you, which I always try tobe, my initial reaction to thepresentation was “what do menneed help with; can’t they standon their own two feet?” (I toldyou I was going to be honest).But then I paused and thoughtabout the implications of thisknee-jerk reaction.The first and most significantimplication is that womencannot stand on their owntwo feet – and I assure you,I cannot disagree more withsuch a proposition. The secondimplication is that all men arelike the men I tend to encounteron a daily basis in my work asa commercial litigator. That allmen have access to the financialand educational means to whichthese men have had access. Inmy line of work, I am constantlyin contact with successful men– whether they are the clientsI work for, the partners I workwith, the judges I appear beforeor the lawyers I litigate against.But the men I encounter regularlyin my life hardly representthe entire male populous. Ineed only think back to mydays in law school, interning atthe public defender’s office, toidentify men in need who couldbenefit from programs and legalassistance like those provided byCentro Legal. A number of themen I represented then sufferedfrom addiction, mental illnessand/or were the productof child abuse, and all wereimpoverished. Many of theirbad decisions and resultingcriminal conduct resultedfrom these difficult circumstances.My goal in representing thesemen was to ensure that theywere afforded due process andthat they had access to informationabout various forms of assistanceand programs that theycould turn to in order overcomethe hurdles that were encouragingthem to make bad decisions.I believed then, as I believenow, that it was certainly worthywork and a worthy cause. And,of course, this not the only situationin which men may needlegal assistance. Men, like manywomen, may find themselveswith enough money to supporttheir families, but not enoughmoney to hire an attorney toaddress a pressing legal issue thatis adversely impacting their family.It would be shortsighted toignore the needs of these men inour society.After reflecting further on theCentro Legal Luncheon, I eventuallyconcluded that the focuswas perfect. The reality is thatwe cannot move forward as asociety if we ignore the needs ofhalf of the population. It wouldbe erroneous to think otherwise.My message is this – thanks toall who assist those in need –whether they be men, womenor children.And let us not forgot that,although we are an organizationcommitted to the advancementof women, we, as well our femalefriends in need, will benefitfrom their husbands, fathers andsons advancing as well.Gift Bags to Benefit Women at SheltersThe Community OutreachCommittee is once again conductinga “Gift Bag” drive tobenefit women at area shelters.The Committee did a similardrive last year, and it was wellreceivedby the women at anumber of area shelters. We arelooking for small toiletry items,personal care items, sample sizelotions, soaps, shampoo andconditioner, single pack tissues,cosmetics, sample perfumes,journal size notebooks, pens/pencils, dollar store gift items,candies or mints, and any othersmall items that a woman wouldfind uplifting, in any quantities.Drop off locations include:• In western suburbs – Hannan& Associates, LLC, 13400Bishops Lane, Suite 275,Brookfield• Downtown – Grace, Masson& Associates, 735 N. WaterSt., Suite 1100, Milwaukee• Or contact Meghan MacKellyat (414) 276-4608 x3124to arrange a convenient locationand time.Please consider donating and/orconducting a drive within yourfirm or agency to benefit thesewomen. The deadline for donationsis Friday, April 20.AWL OnlineAs an AWL member, your profileand contact information arenow available in our membersonlyonline directory on ournew Website.Visit www.associationforwomenlawyers.org. Login and checkout your profile. You can makechanges at any time, and searchfor other members who mightbe good resources or referralsources for you. If you havequestions about the site, contactdana@barefoot-marketing.com.

2011-2012 Board of Directors BallotBased on nominations we received, which were reviewed by the Nominating Committee, thefollowing slate is put forth for your vote. Please note that there were no nominations of morethan one person for each position.Please check your approval next to each name or for the whole slate. Return the ballot using anyof these methods:• Email to dana@barefoot-marketing.com• Fax to 414-255-3615• Mail to the Association for Women Lawyers3322 N. 92nd St.Milwaukee 53222.Ballots must be emailed/faxed or postmarked by April 30, 2012. Board members shall beelected upon an affirmative vote of the majority of members who have replied to this newsletterballot.q President-Elect: Jennifer Allen, Alan C. Olson & Associates, SCq Treasurer: Laura Schulteis Kwaterski, Foley & Lardner, LLPq Secretary: Allison Cimpl-Wiemer, Quarles & Brady LLPq Director of Membership: Nancy Shue, Storm, Balgeman, Miller & Klippel, s.c.q Director of Professionalism: Hon. Ellen Brostrom, Milwaukee County Circuit Courtq Director of Programs: Dawn Drellos-Thompson, Pellman, Drellos & Associates, S.C.q Director of Special Events: Caroline Spongberg, The Marcus Corporationq I approve the entire ballotBy the terms of the Constitution, Jennine Sonntag will serve as President and Natalie Remingtonwill serve as Past President.

Over 270 AWL members and guests attended our 32nd Annual Women Judges’ Night on March 27th. Keynotespeaker Margaret Raymond, Fred W. and Vi Miller Dean and Professor of Law at UW Law School, shared her thoughts on the advancementof women in the profession. She provided an interesting perspective to cap an evening of honoring women on the bench.Special thanks to our spnsors: Quarles & Brady LLP (Platiunum Level); The Business Journal, Habush Habush & Rottier s.c., ReinhartBoerner Van Deuren s.c. (Gold Level); Foley & Lardner LLP, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Silver Level); Blommer Peterman, BultmanFinancial, Gass Weber Mullins, Godfrey & Kahn, Hansen Riederer Dickinson Crueger & Reynolds LLC, Heins Law Office, La Fleur LawOffice S.C., Marquette University Law School, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, Pitman, Kyle Sicula & Dentice s.c., von Briesen & Roper s.c.,Whyte Hirschboeck Dudeck S.C., Wisconsin Law Journal (Leadership Circle Level); Becker, Hickey & Poster S.C., Creatonomy, Hannah C.Dugan, Bill & Lindsey Grady, Storm, Balgeman, Miller & Klippel s.c. (Member Sponsors).Proceeds from the event help fund our annual AWL Foundation scholarships. To donate to the scholarship fund, send a check (madepayable to AWLF) c/o Diane Diel, 126 N. Jefferson St., Suite 402, Milwaukee, WI 53202.Photography by White Dog PhotographyMore photos on next page

PresidentNatalie RemingtonQuarles & Brady LLP411 E. Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53202phone: 414-277-5443email: natalie.remington@quarles.comPresident-ElectJennine SonntagHannan & Associates, LLC13400 Bishops Lane, Suite 275Brookfield, WI 53005phone: 262-754-1260email: jsonntag@hannanlegal.comSecretaryNancy ShueStorm, Balgeman, Miller& Klippel, s.c.1011 N. Mayfair Rd., Suite 200Wauwatosa, WI 53226phone: 414-777-4549email: nshue@sbm-law.comTreasurerCaroline SpongbergThe Marcus Corporation100 E. Wisconsin Ave., Suite 1900Milwaukee, WI 53202phone: 414-905-1457email: carolinespongberg@marcuscorp.comDirector of MembershipLindsey GradyMilwaukee County Probate Division901 N. 9th Street, Room 207Milwaukee, WI 53233phone: 414-278-4455email: lindsey.grady@hotmail.comDirector of ProfessionalismLaura Schulteis KwaterskiFoley & Lardner LLP777 E. Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53202phone: 414-319-7069email: laura.schulteis@gmail.comDirector of ProgramsAllison Cimpl-WiemerQuarles & Brady LLP411 E. Wisconsin AvenueMilwaukee, WI 53202phone: 414-277-5000email:allison.cimpl-wiemer@quarles.comDirector of Special EventsJennifer AllenAlan C. Olson & Associates, SC2880 S. Moorland Rd.New Berlin, WI 53151phone: 262-785-9606email: jennifera.esq@gmail.comPast PresidentSheila C. HeitzigExecutive Director, Inc.555 E. Wells St., Suite 1100Milwaukee, WI 53202phone: 414-272-6071email: sheitzig@aaaai.orgHow to Reach UsOur administrator, Dana Kader Robb,can be reached at 414-750-4404or dana@barefoot-marketing.com.Her fax number is 414-255-3615.Please send changes in your contactinformation directly to her.If you’ve changed jobs, won anaward, are hosting an event, havecommittee news or a topic of interestto AWL members, this is yourforum. Please submit informationto Dana using the above contactdetails. We reserve the right to editfor length and content. Deadline isthe 16th of each month prior to theissue. Newsletters will be in members’hands within the first week ofthe month.Visit our Web site at www.associationforwomenlawyers.org.