What are you most looking forward to in the next month or so?
As a working mother who has endured sleepless nights with a newborn baby girl, I’m eagerly anticipating my daughter’s first birthday at the end of September. It is amazing to watch a child experience for the first time all of the mundane facets of the world that we take for granted. It has been a joy over the past year to watch her explore the world and experience all the “firsts” of a growing baby; however, waiting for that first tooth was just about as enjoyable as one would imagine.
I’m very fortunate that my estate planning practice allows me the flexibility to be there for those precious moments, while at the same time pursuing a fulfilling career. I also have the support of my firm, and I’ve been very lucky to work at a place that truly understands and encourages work-life balance. It is an honor to work with our clients and help them provide for and protect their families. It is gratifying to know that should the unthinkable occur, our clients’ families will be taken care of. And as a new mom, I can now fully appreciate why estate planning is so important.
If you won an enormous lottery prize tomorrow, what would you be doing next month?
While I would greatly welcome an enormous lottery prize, I can honestly say that even after winning, I would be doing exactly the same thing as I am doing today. I love helping my clients. I opened Walny Legal Group LLC in 2011 with the hopes of giving clients the experience they deserve from a law firm, and I feel like I’ve provided that for them. Every day I get the opportunity to meet and talk with new, dynamic people. I enjoy it so much I couldn’t give it up. The team I have working alongside me is phenomenal, like a second family, which makes waking up each day and going to the office even more enjoyable. So, while I would certainly bask in winning the lottery, being able to help my clients and work with my team makes me feel like a lottery winner every single day.
(As an aside, I practice what I preach, so big lottery prizes would be distributed to an LLC inside a trust, and you’d never know it was me who won.)
What kind of legal matter do you find most rewarding/personally satisfying?
Defending a criminal case is by far the most meaningful thing anyone could do in the law. Helping real people on the worst day of their life is, in my opinion, the most honorable and meaningful way to spend one’s professional life. At the same time that a defense attorney is helping prop up someone’s life, they are wrestling against very powerful and well-funded forces (prosecutors, police, lab analysts, the media, and so on). All in pursuit of enforcing fundamental constitutional guarantees in the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments.
Except in DNA exoneration cases, the focus by everyone in the criminal justice system is on the complaining witness(es) – often with some justification. The accused has but one friend – his or her attorney. As such, it is my job to tell my client’s story – because everyone has a story. In the ever-shifting sands of what is defined as criminal conduct, and its often racially based enforcement, everyone deserves the right to at least have their story told – even if they are guilty. They also have the right to demonstrate that people can, and do, change. They can rise above their circumstances. So I am proud to stand before any court, with any client, facing any charge and challenge not only the government’s “proof,” but also help the world see who my client really, truly, is.
What is the single most important technology used in your personal injury practice?
The iPad. It’s light and easy to take with me. It’s convenient for answering emails; apps like GoodReader make reading, organizing, and annotating PDFs a cinch; and the TrialDirector app is great for managing and displaying exhibits and videos at trial. I also like having quick access to magazines, newspapers, and books for when I get some downtime.
What is your most relaxing (or favorite) vacation?
My wife and our four sons have visited Door County every summer for more than a decade. As my wife often says, “everyone is happy there.” There is something about the water that quickly dissipates any lingering stress and, while there is plenty to do, there is not too much, yielding lots of family time for playing games, reading, or hanging out. We especially love Fish Creek, and my boys spend hours and hours on Ephraim Beach. Door County is a place full of tradition and memories for our family and a welcome respite from a busy work and family life every August!
Your practice focuses on securities enforcement and litigation. What drew you to that area?
It was during my time away from Wisconsin that I became interested in securities enforcement and litigation. I started my career in our firm’s Milwaukee office, but relocated to our Washington, D.C. office as an associate. In Washington, I found myself in our securities enforcement and litigation group as that area was heating up with high-profile frauds at Enron and WorldCom and never-ending SEC investigations. The work was great, but I wanted to return to Milwaukee, which I did in 2006. The financial crisis followed shortly thereafter and another round of investigations and lawsuits (and more regulation) ensued. Now I get to have that same sophisticated practice that I had in Washington, but my commute is only 10 minutes.
I enjoy working with officers and directors as they try to navigate the law (and sometimes regulators) in fulfilling their corporate responsibilities. Despite what you may hear in the press, the vast majority of officers and directors that I see are trying to do the right thing for their businesses, their employees, and their shareholders.
What was your funniest or oddest experience in a legal context?
Sometimes I get a little too preoccupied with the argument I am about to make. There was a fairly recent occasion when I left my suit coat hanging on my chair at the office when I left for a motion hearing, and didn’t realize it until I sat down in open court. The judge and opposing counsel were probably wondering why I kept my overcoat on throughout the entire proceeding. Oops.
Asked to describe my most relaxing (or favorite) vacation, my wife was born in the Dominican Republic and we got married there, so I love going to the beautiful beaches of Punta Cana with my family (in the winter especially).
What are the top two or three unconventional lessons you’ve learned about law practice (so far)?
For any lawyer, whether it be in the context of criminal or civil law, I think it is very important to understand and manage your client’s (or victim’s) expectations at the onset. The general public’s understanding of the law often comes from actors or self-serving aggrandizing advertisements. I have had clients ecstatic about what I perceive to be a marginal settlement and clients upset with a fantastic settlement, all because they had expectations that were formed by something other than the actual practice of law.
In doing this job every day, we tend to forget the misinformation through which people see our field. This has also been an important consideration when arguing in front of a jury – a lawyer really has to meet people where they are and not just focus on a dry presentation of the elements of the case. Jurors have to want to find for you before they will find for you.