Laureen Seeger ’86 has enjoyed a 38-year career full of rewards and challenges.
Since July 2014, Seeger has served as chief legal officer of American Express Company. In this capacity, she oversees the Law, Government Affairs, Global Security and Corporate Secretarial functions for the American Express Company and its subsidiaries.
We sat down with Seeger to discuss her experience at University of Wisconsin Law School, her career and her generous support of future Law School Badgers.
Question: What’s been the most rewarding aspect of your career thus far?
Answer: It’s been a long career, so I would say, first, that being a general counsel is my dream job since it encompasses so many different elements of the law and every day is interesting. The most rewarding aspect of my career has been supporting talented attorneys who have gone on to be general counsels themselves. A close second was helping American Express prevail in a complex and crucial anti-trust case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Q: Similarly, what’s been the biggest challenge(s)?
A: My husband and I have five children, so I would say balancing my professional career with my family life.
Q: What were some of your early career lessons?
A: One of my earliest lessons was that the more I worked, the more I learned, and the more I learned, the better prepared I was for the next challenge or opportunity to come my way. Hard work is important, particularly when it leads to intellectual growth, learning and doing better next time. My second lesson was that at some point you will hit a roadblock unless you bring others along with you, help them grow and let them shine. And finally, I learned that it is critical to listen to others, particularly colleagues with different perspectives.
Q: How did your Law School education and experience shape your career?
A: The law constantly evolves, and UW Law School taught me how to think broadly about a legal problem and to move the law forward. That has made a huge difference in my career because it has enabled me to consider not only where the law is, but where it may be going and how I can help my clients prepare for the future. Going to UW Law School also meant that I benefited from incredible athletic experiences, the broader community at the university and lifelong friends.
Q: Why did you decide to go to law school?
A: I took an aptitude test in high school that indicated I would enjoy a career either in the arts or in the law. Since I have no apparent artistic talent, I decided to work at the Quarles & Brady law firm in Milwaukee during high school. The aptitude test was right, and I loved working in that environment. I picked UW Law because I grew up in Wisconsin and, for me, it provided the most balanced, affordable and practical legal education I could imagine. It was literally the only law school to which I applied, which is unheard of today.
Q: UW Law School has raised over $1 million for the Faculty Recruitment and Retention Fund, thanks to a generous matching gift from you. Why was this area of giving important to you?
A: The UW Law faculty had a tremendous impact on me and I’m grateful for that. I worked during the summer for my torts professor, Thomas Palay, and I learned a lot from him. UW Law faculty inspired me to participate in Moot Court competitions and coached me to a regional Moot Court championship victory and a semifinalist victory in the national competition. That experience gave me the confidence to become a trial lawyer at a major national firm as soon as I graduated. Perhaps as a consequence, I believe that the faculty is crucial to the university’s strength and the quality of the students it attracts. It therefore became one of my core philanthropic goals to help the Law School recruit the best available legal talent nationwide.
Q: What does it mean to you that these funds were raised, and what would you like to say to everyone who helped reach that goal?
A: I want to thank everybody who matched my gift for honoring their own law school professors. They likely had a similar experience to mine with a professor or professors at UW who challenged them, encouraged them and helped make them better lawyers.
Q: With the faculty fund goal reached, the focus turns to a second campaign: The Seeger Match for Scholarship and Financial Aid, to which you have generously committed an additional $500,000 gift. Why was this area important to you? What impact do you hope these funds have on future generations of lawyers and leaders?
A: I know firsthand how challenging it can be for some students to pursue a career in the law without the financial resources to pay tuition, room and board. I had literally no money when I entered law school, and it was difficult to work 20 hours per week during the school year to make ends meet. It almost stopped me from finishing law school. So, my hope for this fund is that it will provide financial help to students who need it most.