The first lawyer in her family, Jenna Riddle initially didn’t know a lot of people who could inform her of what to expect in private practice.
“I kind of relied on what you see in pop culture,” she acknowledged, laughing as she looked back. To be sure, TV shows and other popular depictions of private practice law firms can paint a cutthroat picture: “People are really mean, people are very aggressive. It’s like grind, grind, grind. It’s all about the money,” Riddle added.
But that’s not been her experience at all at Godfrey & Kahn, which is based in Milwaukee and has an office in Madison.
“I just was really struck by how kind and down-to-earth and approachable everybody I met at Godfrey & Kahn was,” Riddle says.
Riddle, who joined the firm in 2023, specializes in antitrust and intellectual property law. She likes the sophisticated, collaborative nature of her work at Godfrey & Kahn. Although she is based in Madison, Riddle and her colleagues say they feel comfortable reaching out to other attorneys, as needed, throughout the firm.
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Lawyers and other staff at Godfrey & Kahn surveyed for Top Workplaces say that they feel appreciated and respected by colleagues and management; feedback is welcomed; and leadership provides regular opportunities to meet in person while keeping attorneys updated on what’s happening at all levels of the firm.
In addition to being named a Top Workplace, Godfrey & Kahn won the special award for “Direction.” The distinction shows that those who work at the firm strongly agree with the statement, “I believe this company is going in the right direction.”
Nicole Talbott Settle, a paralegal and litigation technology analyst who has been at Godfrey & Kahn for more than 28 years, certainly agrees with that take.
“‘Strategic’ and ‘supportive’ are a couple of words I would use when you’re talking about … how the leadership and management encourage growth,” she says. “We still have the same core values that we’ve always had – which is [a focus on] client success, trust, teamwork, integrity, a strong work ethic.”
Will Fox, an intellectual property associate attorney, who joined the firm in 2024, concurs. While the company is growing and innovating, he agrees that it is not moving away from core principles.
“We’ve got a lot of really good people here,” he says.
As a young attorney, Fox feels like he’s gotten great mentorship and emphasizes that the firm has a strong open-door policy, which allows him to pop into partners’ offices and ask questions.
“I get the sense as a young attorney that they really are committed to keeping people in-house, helping them grow their careers.”
In addition to being selective in its hiring, “the firm really puts an emphasis on training and mentorship,” Riddle echoes. “Because when we do bring someone on board, the intention is that they’re going to be with us for a while — hopefully for a long time.”
