Inspired by a story. Driven to serve.
The first lawyer who inspired Taryn Hanson 3L never stood in a courtroom. He stood on the pages of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
“Atticus Finch’s strong sense of justice showed me that I can make a career [defending what is . . . right],” said Hanson.
Years later, that childhood inspiration has grown into a clear sense of purpose.
Hanson, a third-year student at University of Wisconsin Law School, will graduate in May 2027 before joining Husch Blackwell’s Madison office to practice labor and employment law.
Yet the career she is building has always been about something bigger than a job. It is about making the law more accessible, especially for people living in communities like the one she calls home.
Hanson grew up in the rural community of Spring Green. A small village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, Spring Green has a population of about 1,500 people. Hanson remembers neighbors who could have benefited from legal help but often found it too expensive or too far away.
“The law is something that should be accessible to everyone, not just those in more populated areas,” she said.
Those experiences continue to shape her ambitions and UW Law’s Law-in-Action philosophy reinforced that mission.
“I chose UW Law because of the school’s commitment to a Law-in-Action approach,” Hanson said.
Through the Federal Appeals Project and the Government and Legislative Clinic, she drafted briefs for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals. More importantly, she learned that legal writing is not about impressing professors.
“I learned how to work to advance a client’s goals, rather than simply for a good grade,” she said.
Her experiences outside the classroom broadened the education she received at UW.
As a legal assistant at Culver Franchising System, Hanson watched the legal work behind building one of Wisconsin’s best-known brands.
“It was fascinating to see the whole process of opening a restaurant from start to finish,” she said.
The experience taught her that successful lawyers also need sound business judgment.
Later, as a paralegal in the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Special Litigation and Appeals Unit, Hanson refined her writing while seeing public service firsthand.
“I learned by doing and learned from the best,” she said.
Whether a case affected the entire state or a single resident, she watched attorneys approach each one with equal care.
“Public service truly is a service to others,” she continued.
This year, Hanson is senior articles editor of the Wisconsin Law Review, sharpening the skills she will soon take into practice. But the measure of success, she believes, will not be the title on her business card.
“I think it’s important for attorneys to serve rural Wisconsin simply because there’s a need,” Hanson explained.
It is the same conviction that first captured the imagination of a sixth grader turning the pages of a classic novel. Today, it is guiding the future of a Wisconsin lawyer determined to make justice easier to reach.
By Brian Walker