A Wisconsin State of Mind: Minority law school graduate stays in state to practice.

Byline: Jack Zemlicka

Given that many minority law school graduates depart Wisconsin to practice, it is noteworthy that attorney Andre Wright will be celebrating his sixth anniversary at Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek, S.C. (WHD), in September. Originally from Harlem, New York, Wright is single and African American. He is also extremely happy with the chance he took nearly a decade ago to come to the state and attend the University of Wisconsin Law School. "I came to visit, which was unexpected because I didn't necessarily anticipate coming to a school in the Midwest," said Wright, who graduated in 2001. "I figured it would be a different experience for three years and then I would head back east." Evidenced by his applications to the law schools at Rutgers, Temple and Syracuse, Wright expected to earn his law degree locally, but a collection of unexpected encounters drew him away from home. Chance meetings on the east coast with several minority graduates from Midwestern law schools, including the University of Wisconsin, helped convince Wright that it might be worth the trip. "The odd thing about it was that summer preceding my coming to Madison, I actually met a lot of Wisconsin law school alumni of color on the east coast," said Wright. "I was surprised by the range of students that had come through the school and now where they were." The relocation of minority graduates to other states is not necessarily what Wisconsin law schools are promoting, but in this case, it served as a valuable recruiting tool. In fact, Wright knew very little about the state other than the first-hand accounts of college life. "All I really knew about Milwaukee is that is where the Bucks played and I thought the Packers played here too, because you just figure Green Bay is across the street from Milwaukee," joked Wright. "Coming outside of the area, you don't know that much about what this area has to offer and I think that is one of the drawbacks." Wright clerked with WHD and Quarles & Brady, LLP, in Milwaukee, but despite the positive experiences still anticipated returning east. He even hedged his bets after graduation by taking the New York bar exam. But the foundation he had established at WHD and in the state made the transition from apprentice to associate a relatively smooth one. Wright now...