Bethany Biesenthal ’00’s decision to attend UW–Madison was easy enough. An Illinois native, she had two older friends that were already in Madison. “I went to visit them for Halloween, and anyone who goes to Madison for Halloween ends up going to Madison for college,” Biesenthal says.
While double majoring in political science and journalism, Biesenthal came across another Badger who helped set her on a clear path: Donald Downs, the Alexander Meiklejohn Professor of Political Science Emeritus. After several courses with Downs in her junior and senior years, including criminal justice and constitutional law, Biesenthal decided to go to law school.
Biesenthal spent 10 years as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago and now specializes in investigations and white-collar defense for Jones Day, a global law firm. She also leads the firm’s efforts in human-trafficking litigation. Biesenthal was a Wisconsin Alumni Association Forward under 40 Award winner in 2019, and in 2020, Chicago Lawyer named her in its Top 50 Exceptional Women Lawyers.
- Favorite late ’90s or early ’00s band: Indigo Girls and NSYNC
- Favorite late ’90s or early ’00s movie or TV show:Beverly Hills, 90210. All of my friends would meet at my apartment in Madison every Wednesday night and watch Party of Five and then 90210.
- Favorite campus-area hangout: Nitty Gritty
- Late ’90s or early ’00s trend you’re happy to have left behind: Grunge
- Best dorm horror story: I don’t have a horror story, but I lived in Ogg West in room 1313, so I assumed that I would have horror stories, but nothing ever happened. In reality, the opposite of something horrible happened — I was randomly assigned to my roommate. She’s still my best friend today.
What accomplishments or projects are you most proud of working on in the last 25 years?
One was becoming a federal prosecutor. That was my goal when I was in law school, and it’s a difficult goal to achieve because there’s a limited number of spots. Becoming a prosecutor then shaped the rest of my career. It made me a trial lawyer, which is what I wanted to do, and it also grounded me. Seeing some of the more difficult things that you see as a prosecutor [makes you] more aware of the needs within our community and the impact that an individual can have.
Another accomplishment was continuing on as a trial lawyer after I had my kids. I have two boys, and they were just a little bit over a year apart, so it was a difficult time to continue to try cases. But [my partner and I] did it together. I’m very proud of the fact that we got through that period without my having to take a break, which would’ve been really disruptive to my practice. One of the two boys is now passionate about someday becoming a Badger himself — hopefully a sign that we’re raising him right!
Since I’ve been in private practice, I’ve worked as part of a team to develop a clinic for financial stability services for human-trafficking survivors that we have once a year in about 10 cities.
What are you working on now?
I try cases on behalf of our corporate clients. And I also work on corporate investigations. When there’s an allegation of misconduct within a company, I’ve worked to investigate that issue. I also represent our clients in government enforcement actions.
Are there any courses, professors, or opportunities from your time at the UW that have had a lasting influence?
First and foremost was Professor Downs — he was my first introduction to the law. His way of teaching lured me in to the law, which ended up being my entire career. I also interned for Tammy Baldwin [JD’89] when she was a House representative in the very early years. I still feel extremely grateful to have been near her and seen her leadership style and her management style, and [I] have tried to emulate that throughout my career.
What’s your best memory from your time on campus?
Looking back on it, my favorite memory is spending time at the library with my friends. My best friend and roommate Meghan and I, together with the rest of our friends, spent hours and hours studying, but also talking and hanging out. We were in it together, and I miss that.