Notable graduates: Bill Bettenberg — After four decades, a new career in law

Bill Bettenberg came to law school after a 40-year career in Washington, D.C., in high-level positions at the U.S. Department of the Interior. During his career, for which he won numerous awards for distinguished service, he negotiated self-government pacts between the federal government and American Indian tribes, negotiated western water issues and hydropower licensing, and worked extensively on energy policy.

In August 2005 he retired and enrolled at the UW-Madison Law School with a clear vision of where he wanted his law degree to take him.

"I really enjoyed resolving conflicts between tribes, environmentalists and resource users, and the conflicts always involved thorny legal issues," he explains. "That is basically why I went to law school and what I focused on here."

Returning to student life required some adjustments, but Bettenberg took them in stride and focused on getting the maximum advantage from his time in law school. His well-established interests guided his choices, and he focused on Indian law and participated extensively in the Law School's Indigenous Law Student Association.

After graduation, Bettenberg will join Homer Law, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm representing American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments.