President’s Message: Raising the Bar Together: A Year Focused on Mentorship and Strengthening Our Professional Community

By: Grace Kulkoski, President, Wisconsin Defense Counsel

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I wanted to be an insurance defense lawyer. I still remember sneaking the auto policy that came in the mail at renewal out of the mailbox and hiding it in my backpack so I could read it on the bus on the way to school. While other kids read through the latest issues of Seventeen Magazine and Sports Illustrated, I busied myself pondering the potential applications of the Drive Other Car exclusion, anxious to one day make this my career.

Ok, so maybe that’s not entirely accurate. If I’m being honest, I stumbled into this field. I really wanted a job during my first year of law school, mostly because I was broke, so I took a peek at the law school job board. As it turned out, the only company that would even accept an application from a 1L student was an insurance company. I applied, got the job, and spent the next few months very confused as I started to hear words like “uninsured motorist coverage,” “subrogation,” and “indemnification.”

Although it was mostly by happenstance, I’ll be forever grateful that my path led me to insurance. I didn’t know anything about insurance defense when I first took that job as a 1L, and I might have moved on to do something else if it weren’t for the people I met as a law clerk and young associate. What drew me into this career, as it turns out, was not the Drive Other Car exclusion, but rather, the mentorship and guidance I received from other attorneys in the field. I was fortunate enough to be able to tag along to depositions, mediations, trials, and networking events. My supervising attorneys insisted that I join WDC (CTCW at that time) as a way to meet attorneys at defense firms and gain experience helping to author articles for the journal. The engagement and enthusiasm of the attorneys I met was contagious, and I couldn’t wait to graduate and start practicing so I could be a part of this community. I suspect I am not alone in that experience, and I know that many of us have found WDC to be a space where we have met not only colleagues, but friends. 

Having now spent many years with this organization, and being fortunate enough to lead it, I am excited to show the next generation of attorneys what a rewarding and fulfilling career this can be, and how WDC can help us all find connection and community within the practice. Additionally, I see WDC as a space where the leaders in the insurance defense industry can lean on one another to support and mentor the up-and-coming generation of defense attorneys.

Over the course of this coming year, I will be focusing my energy on making it easier for all of us to be a part of what makes WDC such a valuable organization to our industry - mentorship, education, and community. I am asking each of you to take a moment to think about how one of the following options would fit into your practice and life, and let’s work on this together this year.

I.              Mentorship Program

We are rolling out a new mentorship program this year. I expect that it will evolve over time as we learn what best serves our membership. For now, my plan is to pair up in-house attorneys with younger attorneys. Why? There are a few reasons. First, as an employee of one of our insurance company members, I feel strongly that the carriers have a need and incentive to mentor and educate our industry’s up-and-coming attorneys. Having a strong and capable field of trial lawyers is in the best interests of the carriers who rely on capable counsel to represent their interests. For our carrier members, I am asking you to pitch in and take on a younger WDC member to mentor, because it benefits us all. We can offer perspective on industry trends, handling work/life logistics, and navigating firm dynamics from an outside perspective. We can also offer experience and advice on practice issues, weighing in on how a coverage motion may transpire or thoughts on resolving a discovery dispute. Giving our younger members a resource like this outside of the firms will hopefully take some of the load off the managing partners at firms while also providing a fresh perspective from someone outside of their immediate work circle. As we work through this first year implementing this program, please reach out to me if you have thoughts or suggestions for improving on this initial idea.

II.            Committee Work

Many of you are already actively involved in committees, and our committees do great work. I would ask committee leaders and members to think about how they can engage WDC’s newer members in this work. Would a younger attorney be able to assist in an amicus brief? Could an associate at another firm co-present with you at a seminar on a committee-related topic, like employment law or insurance law? Can you bring an associate to an event sponsored by the wellness committee, like the hike in the summer, to meet other attorneys who enjoy being active? I have seen great community building take place within our committees, so let’s capitalize on this momentum. I encourage all members to take a moment to think about how engaging or continuing to engage in a committee could help you build your own community and network within WDC.

III.          Journal Articles

WDC is known for the caliber of the content of the journal thanks to the high-quality submissions of its members. As we head into another year, consider how you might be able to share your experience with a nuanced legal issue or your knowledge about a specific area of the law that could be beneficial to other members and our industry. Giving a younger attorney the opportunity to research a unique issue and assist in authoring an article is both great experience for that attorney and provides valuable educational content for our readers. Please think about whether you might have encountered an issue in your practice that would lend itself well to an article and consider if one of our younger members could assist you with the research and drafting of that article.

IV.          Social Engagement

Our conferences are great because, well, we’re a fun bunch! The education at the seminars is highly relevant and valuable, and it gives us all a great way to spend some time socializing with our peers while keeping on top of legal trends. Think about ways that you can provide that same social environment for our younger members. Even something as simple as introducing yourself to a younger member during a break or the reception or sitting by someone new at lunch is a great way to help build our larger community. Let’s all make an effort to connect with our younger members when we’re together at our seminars throughout the year. And for the younger WDC members, I would challenge you to embrace a bit of discomfort and start up a conversation, join a committee, and meet some new colleagues! 

Finally, I would ask you all to hold me accountable this year. If you see a way that I can improve the accessibility of our organization for the next generation, I’d love to hear that feedback. I look forward to a rewarding year spending time learning and connecting with you all, and hopefully I can leave the organization every bit as welcoming and engaging to our younger members as I have found it to be for myself. Working alongside you all on this task gives me a lot of optimism. It’s going to be a great year. 

Author Biography:

Grace Kulkoski serves as in-house legal counsel to Wisconsin Mutual, where she oversees litigation, advises claims and performs other legal duties for the company. Before joining the Wisconsin Mutual team, Grace spent the first part of her career in private practice as a litigation attorney. Grace received her law degree from the University of Wisconsin, and her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame. 

Grace is an active member of various organizations supporting the insurance defense industry. She currently serves as the President of the Wisconsin Defense Counsel, and is also active in DRI, where she serves as a Vice-Chair of the Corporate Counsel Committee. She also serves on the litigation section of the Wisconsin State Bar. Outside of work, Grace enjoys running, spending time outside and providing taxi services for her family.