Living Proof: MATC Formed Foundation for Attorney’s Career

MATC put me on a direct trajectory to the success that I have today. It was the foundation.

Evidently, there was never any doubt — reasonable or otherwise — how Joanna Frączek’s life would proceed.

She settled on her career path as a young girl growing up in eastern Poland.

“I wanted to be a lawyer forever,” Frączek recalled while sipping herbal tea at Milwaukee’s HoneyBee Sage Wellness & Apothecary. “You had to be analytical. You had to be well-rounded. You had to know how to make an argument. The logical part of the position appealed to me.”

And to reach her goals, she has acquitted herself well in the past 25 years. She attended law school in Lublin, Poland, moved to Wisconsin in 2009, and, most importantly in her judgment, earned an associate degree from Milwaukee Area Technical College’s Legal Studies/Paralegal program in 2010.

“MATC put me on a direct trajectory to the success that I have today,” she said. “It was the foundation.”

After serving as a paralegal for the City of Milwaukee for two years, she passed the Wisconsin bar exam in 2013 and has worked as an attorney ever since. Today she is an attorney for the City of Milwaukee, specializing in worker’s compensation.

“My heart is in serving the community. That’s why I work for the city. That’s why I volunteer. That’s why I love helping out in my neighborhood,” said Frączek, who lives in Washington Heights. “Being a lawyer isn’t enough. You need to have a purpose.”

Finding her way

For Frączek, that purpose began across the Atlantic. She was born in a village near Lublin, a city in Poland with about 400,000 people. Her father managed real estate and her mother taught math. She graduated from high school in 2001 and enrolled at Maria Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin. She earned her Polish law degree in 2007.

That year, she and several friends went to the United States through the J-1, or exchange visitor, visa program, which allows foreign nationals to study and travel in the United States for a limited time. For three straight summers she traveled to Sussex, Wisconsin, and worked at Quad Graphics, a large marketing materials publishing company. 

“Going to the United States was a very popular thing to do,” Frączek said. “We had to figure out a lot of things ourselves, but we managed to find our way. We were resourceful.”

One summer she met a guy. They fell in love and got married at the Waukesha County Courthouse in 2009. She was cleaning houses and babysitting when she decided she wanted to do more. 

“I knew that I needed to find a place for myself in the world,” she recalled. “I wanted to use my degree.”

Going back to school

She chose MATC. The college reviewed her previous educational experiences and determined she needed only two classes to attain the Legal Studies/Paralegal associate degree. She took legal writing and legal research, along with a course in real estate.

Paralegals assist lawyers by researching, writing (motions, pleadings and briefs), interviewing witnesses and managing case files. They work under attorney supervision, bridging the gap between lawyers and clients, ensuring smooth case preparation and organization.

“I was beyond excited to be at MATC and in downtown Milwaukee,” she said. “The diversity of the college and the city was something I had never been exposed to before. I soaked it all in. The whole world was opening up for me; at MATC, I felt I had come to the exact right place.”

She also found support and encouragement at MATC. “I was getting A’s on my tests. I was working so hard. MATC brought that out of me, and it was very good for my self-esteem,” she said. 

She adored her instructor, Carol Brady. “She was incredible. The way she spoke to students, her demeanor. She treated us like adults,” Frączek said. “That was very motivating for me.”

Brady, who still teaches at MATC, recalled that Frączek avidly soaked up all the information she heard.

“The rules and statutes governing family law are usually state-mandated, so I thought learning the terminology and statutory applications to the family dynamic might be difficult for someone not from Wisconsin or, for that matter, the United States. I was wrong. Joanna was a natural,” Brady said. “She quietly sat in the back of the classroom, absorbing the information with little difficulty.

Through MATC, Frączek secured a summer internship with the state’s public defender’s office, working with attorneys and visiting correctional facilities across the state. She earned her degree and in the fall of 2010, took a job as a paralegal with the City of Milwaukee.

In late 2012, she asked the State Bar of Wisconsin if she could take the bar exam to become an attorney, even though she had not attended law school in the United States. “The folks I worked with talked to me about taking the bar exam,” she said. “I knew it was a one in a million chance, but that’s still a chance.”

After reviewing her application and numerous letters of recommendation from colleagues, including city attorneys Linda Uliss Burke, Rudolph Konrad, Grant F. Langley, Vincent Moschella and Donald Schriefer, the state accepted her request.

“I think many of the people I worked with believed in me more than I believed in myself,” she said.

Achieving her dream

In February 2013, Frączek ventured to Madison and spent two days answering multiple choice questions and writing essays. “It’s grueling,” she said. “I was working and studying. If they wouldn’t have let me take the test, I probably would have headed to law school. I wouldn’t let go of the idea of becoming a lawyer.”

A few months later, she received a letter informing her that she had passed. She joined dozens of other newly minted attorneys at a swearing-in ceremony April 13, 2013, at the state Supreme Court.

In June 2013, she started her new job as assistant city attorney. “Now it was my name on every letter,” she said. “I was fully responsible for what I was doing.”

She left the city in 2018 and practiced family law at two private firms, Karp & Iancu and Sterling Law Offices until 2023. 

She did well. “Joanna demonstrated, through her legal career, the understanding and compassion needed to help clients navigate their emotional paths,” Brady said.

One client noted in an online review that, “Joanna Frączek stayed on top of the situation and was available if I had a question or if I needed anything. She was absolutely very helpful and knowledgeable. She dedicated herself to my case even though she was presented with a short time frame period. Honestly, it was super impressive.” 

But family law, both Frączek and Brady noted, can be dark and heartbreaking, and it took a toll. She also got divorced, met a new partner, and in 2109, had a daughter, Frankie. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Frączek realized how much she missed working for the city. 

“Deep down, I knew family law wasn’t going to be my career,” she said. “I really wanted to serve my community. I felt gratitude to MATC that I received so much kindness from so many people along the way. People don’t have to give you their kindness, but when they do, you feel like you need to give back.”

Supporting many causes

In 2023, she returned to city hall as an assistant attorney. She also volunteered more. She became active in the Washington Heights Neighborhood Association and became a member of the Rotary Club of Milwaukee in 2025. She also worked with the Association for Women Lawyers and Wisconsin Women in Government.

“I encourage students to connect and network, to meet people,” she said. “Many times it’s not about what you know, it’s about who you know. But if you stay only in your comfort zone, that’s where you will always be. Sometimes you need to step outside of it.”

She also is very involved in the local Polish community. She and her daughter, now 6 years old, participate in the Syrena Polish Children’s Folk Dance Ensemble. She visits Poland at least once a year to see her parents, her younger brother, and friends.

“I would love to connect Lublin and Milwaukee,” she said. “I would love to bring some of Poland here. Perhaps someday they can become sister cities.” 

Frączek is also thinking about her own future. After serving as a lawyer for a dozen years and working in the legal profession for nearly 20, becoming a judge is the next logical step on the judicial path.

“A judgeship is on my mind.” she said. “It would be the culmination of a career.”

She also is considering serving as a mentor to MATC students. “People sometimes ask me what I would tell my younger self. As a mentor, I could impart advice to the next generation,” she said. “For me, it’s all about connecting and returning that kindness that I experienced at the college.”

Learn about MATC’s Legal Studies/Paralegal program