“It’s great to get that different perspective from attorneys practicing in other areas,” said Karina O’Brien, a lawyer at Kostner, Koslo & Brovold LLC in Arcadia, a small firm in Trempealeau County. O’Brien, is a listener of the Bottom Up podcast, as well as a recent guest. Here she appears with Milwaukee lawyers Emil Ovbiagele and Kristen Hardy.

Dec. 20, 2023 – What’s your favorite episode of Bottom Up?

If you haven’t listened to it yet, Bottom Up is a podcast that covers the issues and information that matter to lawyers. Milwaukee lawyers Emil Ovbiagele and Kristen Hardy co-host the podcast, produced by the State Bar of Wisconsin.

Each episode brings the audience a little closer to reality of the sometimes-complex intersection of life and the practice of law. It inspires and connects attorneys.

And “it tackles a range of issues that makes the podcast particularly valuable for anyone in the legal field, especially those at the start of their careers,” Ovbiagele said.

“With each episode, our goal has always been to have something that is said resonate with someone. We want the podcast to be informative, yet realistic. Fun, yet deep,” Ovbiagele said.

“Although the podcast is marketed for young lawyers, I think everyone can find something valuable to glean from our episodes,” Hardy said.

The podcast began in June 2022, and now has 15 episodes – with 11 produced in 2023. “From exploring issues tethered to generational divides to getting inspired by the journeys and stories of our guests, it’s been a very successful year for the podcast,” Ovbiagele said.

And this year “we’ve seen the podcast grow, not just in content, but also in its impact on the legal community,” Ovbiagele said.

Hardy says the podcast is “awesome and necessary. It gives us the opportunity to showcase legal talent throughout the state and share important perspectives that we otherwise may not have reached.”

In 2023, the podcast featured guests from a various geographic and practice areas – providing diverse perspectives, said Hardy. “What probably resonates the most with me is how each of us defines success differently. From my perspective, all of our guests have reached some version of success in their own way.”

“Each interview further bolsters my theory that there is no singular path to or definition of success,” she said. “We each have our version of what it means and how we get to it. It's beautiful to see lawyers take control of their individual destinies in this way.”

Making the podcast, Ovbiagele said, “has been an incredible learning journey.”

“Under the guidance and vision of the podcast’s creator, Joe Forward (State Bar communications director), Kristin and I have been able to unlock a wealth of knowledge from members of the State Bar for the benefit of our listeners,” he said.

“I'm really honored and grateful that people listen to us!” Hardy said. Some of the best 2023 episodes started with attorneys expressing an interest to be guests. “In 2024, I want to encourage attorneys to continue to reach out to us with topic or guest suggestions. We would love to have you on!”

One Lawyer’s Important Podcast Takeaway (Plus – Interested in Working in Rural Wisconsin? Find Out​ Who's Hiring)

One of the podcast’s voices is Karina O’Brien. She was a guest on the most listened-to episode in 2023: Episode 13: Rural Law Practice with Karina O’Brien.

Listening to Bottom Up prompted an important epiphany for Karina O’Brien, a lawyer at Kostner, Koslo & Brovold LLC in Arcadia, a small firm in Trempealeau County. She joined in February 2014, and is the youngest of four attorneys at the firm.

The city has a population of around 3,600 people – O’Brien most definitely considers herself a rural practice attorney (actually very general practice).

​​In the episode, you’ll hear why she is such an avid listener to the podcast: It affirms that it is OK to struggle with the doubts and challenges she’s been facing, and that she is not alone.

As one of only a few younger attorneys in the area, “I listen because it’s nice to hear other people talking about the same challenges I’m dealing with as the newer attorney in my firm. My colleagues have been practicing 30 or 40 years and it seems like nothing shakes them,” O’Brien said.

In fact, it was a senior lawyer in her office who saw information about the podcast in the Wisconsin Lawyer and pointed it out to her. “He pushed the magazine across his desk and said '​​Hey, there’s this podcast you should listen to,'” O’Brien said. She listened to every episode, starting with the first. “Then I shared it with everyone I know.”

Every episode teaches something. “It’s great to get that different perspective from attorneys practicing in other areas,” she said. “I’ve learned about what it is like to be an in-house counsel – I had a different concept of what it is – and what it is like to work at a big firm. And about people making changes in their practices.”

Her big epiphany? That she isn’t alone, and that she can deal with whatever the future holds for her. “That there’s a way forward,” she said. “And that gives me great hope.”

You see, O’Brien has been endlessly searching for a young lawyer to join her firm in Arcadia. Yes, she is hiring. “I’m looking for anyone who wants to live where I live and who wants to learn everything I could teach.” (Interested? Contact O’Brien at kobrien@kkblawoffice.com.)

She understands that you need to love the area and lifestyle – including the winters (which O’Brien loves best). “We had fall, winter, and spring all happen this past week.”

She absolutely loves what she does. “You don’t get bored – every day is different.”

The worst part of practicing in Arcadia? Not the commute, not the traffic. “It’s that I have to shovel the sidewalk. That’s the thing I hate the most. Otherwise, it’s pretty awesome.”

And if she ends up solo? “It wasn’t something I had envisioned,” she said.

But she knows that, even then, she won’t be alone. “Because of the podcast, I know there’s tools and resources through the State Bar that can help me,” O’Brien said.

More in 2024: Where to Find Bottom Up

Look for more episodes in 2024. “We plan to continue to provide a holistic understanding of the profession by highlighting diverse voices,” Ovbiagele said.

Bottom Up is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen now: Apple Podcast | Google Podcast | Spotify | Audible | Stitcher | TuneIn | iHeart Radio