Godfrey & Kahn’s Krill uses financial experience to aid clients

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Pam Krill credits her successful practice at Godfrey & Kahn to her understanding of how investment firms work on the inside.

Krill, who works from Godfrey & Kahn’s Milwaukee and Madison offices, counsels financial services clients on a variety of issues and ensures they meet various Securities & Exchange Commission compliance and reporting regulations. Before moving into her current role at the law firm, she worked for five years as a general counsel and chief legal officer at Madison Investment Advisors and two years at CUNA Mutual Group as managing associate general counsel.

“It helps I speak the language of the investment firms and I know from an operational standpoint how it all works,” said Krill, who also handles mergers and acquisitions.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin with a finance degree, she worked for a few years in the industry before going to law school.

“I figured a business background and law degree would be a good combination. I wasn’t sure where I would focus, but I soon learned that I like things cut and dried and with firm answers,” Krill said. “Securities law is like that. There are some gray areas, but most of it is black and white.”

Besides working with clients to make sure they’re compliant with regulations, she also represents them before the SEC, state securities commissions and stock exchanges.

“I work a lot too with clients before they launch a financial product or service to make sure they have all of the necessary documentation,” Krill said.

Keeping up with that documentation can be daunting. She said the SEC focuses on different areas at different times and, “The rules are constantly changing. It’s challenging, but my job is never boring.”

Wisconsin Law Journal: Who is your hero in the legal field?
Pam Krill: I don’t really have one, but I do love watching legal dramas on film. These usually involve litigators; Hollywood doesn’t seem to like to make movies about corporate attorneys. It must not be exciting enough.

WLJ: What do you do outside of work to deal with stress from the office?
Krill: I spend as much time as possible with my family. I also exercise regularly. Finally, I enjoy connecting with other professional women through a new networking group that I have helped launch in Madison called Ellevate. Ellevate is a global professional women’s networking group, and the Madison chapter is the first chapter in Wisconsin.

WLJ: What’s one thing many people get wrong about what you do?
Krill: Sometimes when I tell people what I do, they think that I am actually an investment professional — i.e., that I am a stock-picker. I work with stock-pickers as clients, but I do not do any stock picking of my own. However, because I have worked in this field for a long time now, I have more financial savvy than would otherwise be the case, which is a side benefit of this field.

WLJ: What’s your favorite memory from law school?
Krill: I attended University of Wisconsin Law School and one thing that I thought was great was the concept that was used during the first semester of school where each student was assigned to a small group of students who would be in all first semester classes together. You really got to know the people in your small group, and it helped to form bonds that continue today, almost 22 years after graduation.