Women in Law Panel

Justice Jill Karofsky: Justice Karofsky was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 2020. Before her election, Justice Karofsky served for three years as a judge for the Dane County Circuit Court. Prior to becoming a Judge, Karofsky was the executive director of the Office of Crime Victim Services for the state Department of Justice. She also served as an assistant state attorney general and Wisconsin’s first Violence against Women Resource Prosecutor. Karofsky earned her bachelor’s degree from Duke University, her master’s degree from UW-Madison, and her law degree from UW Law School.

Greta Hilgendorf: Greta is a tax attorney at Deloitte. She received her undergraduate degree in Chinese Language and Literature, and Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and received her JD from Marquette University Law School. While in law school, Greta was a Wisconsin State Public Defender intern. She also spent time as a Chinese Consultant at a Milwaukee law firm. She is originally from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Margo Kirchner: Margo is executive director of Wisconsin Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization advocating to improve Wisconsin’s justice system and educating the public about justice-related issues. She is also a municipal judge. Previously, Margo served for 23 years as a term or career law clerk in the Eastern District of Wisconsin and clerked one year at the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. Margo received her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame and her Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan Law School. She recently earned an MS in nonprofit management from UW-Milwaukee. She currently chairs the AWL Foundation and is a former president of and plays viola in the Concord Chamber Orchestra. 

Kirsten Spira: Kirsten is part of Boardman Clark’s full-service banking and financial services team. She serves community financial institutions (along with their holding companies and subsidiaries), insurance companies, and investment advisers primarily located in Wisconsin, and she provides legal advice to regional and out of state clients from time to time. Kirsten is a board member of Jazz at Five, and is a former board member of both Norcap Growth Fund and the Madison Opera. She received both her undergraduate degree and JD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Michelle Yun: Michelle is Director, Senior Counsel at Mainspring Energy, a company that developed and manufactures a clean, on-site energy generator for companies, utilities, and data centers. Prior to joining Mainspring, Michelle worked for Alliant Energy for 7 years and for Exelon for 10 years. Outside of the office, Michelle runs Tipping for Scales, a program that connects students from Madison East High School with judges, attorneys, and other leaders in the legal field so they can share their professional experiences and stories. Michelle earned her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering from Princeton University and her JD from the University of Wisconsin.