Blise settles into 14-year term on Eastern District bankruptcy court.

Byline: Michaela Paukner, mpaukner@wislawjournal.com

Just a few weeks into a years-long appointment, Judge Rachel M. Blise is finding her place on the bankruptcy court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

"It's been great so far," Blise said. "Everyone's been so welcoming and helpful, and I already feel at home here."

Blise took the oath of office and joined the bench in March. She's serving a 14-year term as a U.S. bankruptcy judge, succeeding former Judge Brett H. Ludwig.

Like Ludwig, she'll have dockets in both the Eastern and Western districts of Wisconsin. She's been getting new bankruptcy cases in the Eastern District as they come in. By early April, she was in the midst of being brought on board in the Western District.

Blise has been thinking about joining the judiciary since early on in her legal career. While attending Marquette University Law School, she was intern for Judge Susan V. Kelley in the bankruptcy court in the Eastern District and Judge Diane S. Sykes in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

After graduating, she was clerk for Judge Carolyn Dineen King in the Fifth Circuit. Under King's mentorship, Blise envisioned herself as part of the judiciary too.

"She was an amazing role model and mentor," Blise said. "That really gave me the idea that I would like to be a judge someday. This opportunity presented itself, and here I am."

Blise also brings about a decade of experience in bankruptcy and business-litigation law to the bench. She joined Foley & Larder in 2011 and had been serving as senior counsel before her judicial appointment.

The Wisconsin Law Journal talked to Blise about how her career experience will aid her as a bankruptcy judge, how she'll preside over her courtroom and more.

Wisconsin Law Journal: How has your prior practice prepared you to serve as a bankruptcy judge?

Judge Rachel Blise: The role of any judge is to knowledgably apply the law with respect and compassion for litigants. I practiced for many years at Foley & Lardner and had the opportunity to work on a number of complex legal issues. I had the opportunity to dive into the law in a number of ways, and so I'm looking forward to doing on the bench as well.

I interned with Judge Kelley on the bankruptcy court and with Judge Sykes on the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, and that really gave me a flavor of working in the judiciary. Then I clerked with Judge Carolyn Dineen King on the Fifth Circuit following law school, and she was an amazing role...