MEET MORE OF OUR 2024 WOMEN OF DISTINCTION
When Michelle Fitzgerald started her own law firm, Horizons Law Group, in 2000, she took a novel approach she calls “unbundling.”
She offered a la carte legal help for clients, allowing them to pick and choose services without charging the retainer fee many lawyers require. The approach has helped her build the firm into an accessible and successful firm that empowers its clients, whether they need representation in court or simply a consultation to help them understand a legal issue.
“I love providing practical solutions for people, even if that means I’m not taking the big retainer,” says Fitzgerald. “Helping people understand their options and offering practical steps forward is a passion of mine.”
After spending seven years as a math teacher in Milwaukee Public Schools at the start of her career, Fitzgerald wanted to find a new way to help families. She discovered that her love of logic, reasoning and problem solving were also key traits of a successful lawyer.
“Problem solving is what I love to do the most.”
Soon after graduating from Marquette University, she started Horizons and later returned to her alma mater to teach. Since then, specialty areas such as bankruptcy, foreclosure defense, estate planning and probate have been added to Horizons’ main focus of divorce and family law.
This year, Fitzgerald took on being president of the Elm Grove Women’s Club. She is also celebrating 25 years of Horizons Law Group with her team members, some whom have been with her for over 20 years. “We collaborate really well,” she says. “We check in regularly, bounce ideas off of each other and have a camaraderie where we can help each other really think outside the box.”
Q&A
What do you want women who are interested in joining your field to know?
I’ll share what was shared to me early on, which is to take networking seriously. Don’t go into situations asking what you can get out of it, instead see what kind of value you can bring to others. Opportunities naturally flow from genuine connection, so work on building relationships and rapport with peers and mentors. Even at organizations that are not directly related to your career, you can develop a lot of professional goodwill.
