Connolly’s skill, attitude lead to success in and out of courtroom
Success is a word defined in many ways. Many business owners judge whether or not they are successful by reading their bottom line.
But not all.
Some business owners measure success in how well they serve their customers or clients and how happy doing what they do makes them feel.
Gwendolyn Connolly is one of those business owners.
Connolly evolved from a large downtown Milwaukee law firm (Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek) to a smaller Grafton-based firm (Maier McIlnay & Kerkman) to going solo in her own downtown practice last April. And while many in larger firms shake their heads and wonder why in the world anyone would want to take on that kind of risk and responsibility, Connolly says it’s the best thing she’s ever done.
"I really wanted to be charting my own course," Connolly said of her decision to go solo. "I thought I could provide service in a way that I thought it would be most beneficial for them (clients). And to some extent, I really feel like I could hit my stride because I have that. I’ve never been happier at doing what I do."
What she does is represent clients in lawsuits. She has broadened her practice through the years to include work in the family law area as well.
She is gracious, friendly, easy to talk with and genuinely sincere, those who know her say. But according to client Randy Mayer, he wouldn’t want to be on the other side of an argument with her in court. Connolly represented Mayer’s company, Insulation Systems, Inc., when a contractor went bankrupt and failed to pay him almost $50,000.
Mayer praised Connolly’s aggressive style, intimidating presence in court, and the fact that she doesn’t back down from anyone.
"Gwen is a fantastic individual and I feel very lucky to be able to know her on a professional and personal basis," Mayer said. "She handles herself really well, and I had absolutely no qualms with what she was able to do. She did what she said she was going to do."
Mayer’s only complaint: He wishes Connolly had an office in Grafton, too, so he could run day-to-day legal questions her way.
Client Tom Sweet, of Moraine Environmental, Inc., liked the fact that Connolly is not only a skilled attorney, but she is also conscientious and kept him informed about his case.
"Sometimes some of these attorneys don’t call you for three days and it’s like, hey wait a minute, do you really care about me?" Sweet said. "She’s very, very good at that, and she definitely leads the project. She’s very proactive on these issues and just doesn’t let it sit until I call her."
She knows that serving clients is only half of running her own show, and it’s the other half — the nitty-gritty details of running a business — that other attorneys shy away from when talk turns to solo practice. But, as Connolly points out, ‘the problems that exist in this business are all my problems,’ meaning she can prioritize and deal with issues as she pleases and not as required from on high.
Getting her ducks in a row
Before venturing off on her own, Connolly researched the idea in her usual leave-no-stone-unturned style. Part of that was asking other attorneys for their opinions.
"My concern was, am I the only person alone out here thinking I could do this and not know what I’m doing," Connolly recalled.
As she asked more and more practitioners, they all seemed to give the same answer: If they could do it, she could, too.
As part of her research, Connolly attended meetings of the Milwaukee Bar Association’s "Solo, but not alone" group, which brings together sole practitioners to discuss business concerns in both the legal and business sense.
"Gwen is very organized, very planned, and she knew that she was going to be going out on her own, but she hadn’t done it yet, so she was getting all of her ducks in a row, as they say, so she would be ready," said Margaret Serrano, of PlanBrand, who is also a sole practitioner. The two women met in the "Solo" group and became friends.
And as if running a business alone wasn’t enough, Connolly is also the president of the Association for Women Lawyers, the largest professional women’s group in Wisconsin according to attorney Susan Lovern, secretary of the association and an attorney at von Briesen & Roper. Lovern said Connolly’s creative mind and refusal to rest on her accomplishments are a few of the reasons why she is successful
"Gwen has really high expectations of herself and others and I think her own high expectations and organizational skills would definitely make her a success as a sole practitioner," Lovern said.
On top of all of that, Connolly finds time to attend networking groups, teach a class at Marquette University’s Law School titled "Law Practice Management," cultivate her golf game and raise her son, Nolan, with husband, Brent.
A large part of the reason Connolly has time to do all of those "non-billable" activities is that she has no one to explain her actions to except her family.
"I like the freedom of my practice," she says. "And I like the fact that I’m accountable to me and that I’m not accountable to anyone except my clients, for whom I am 100% accountable."
Women Business Owners Network president Cheryl Muskus has know Connolly for about three years and has been so impressed that she retained Connolly to be the attorney for Muskus & Associates.
"She reminds me of a kid in a candy store," Muskus says of Connolly. "She’s always smiling, always having a good time."
"She’s going to definitely be someone to watch in Milwaukee, no doubt about it."
April 12, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
