Lisa C. Diedrichs

Two quick stories illustrate the depth and breadth of Lisa Diedrich's determination.

As a little girl, she had lots of animals – rabbits, snakes, birds, horses, dogs, lizards, cats, whatever. At least 10 species at any time. She took care of them, fed them, made sure they had what they needed. When she would decide another animal was in order, she would call all the pet stores, get the best price, find out what the prospective pet ate, the works. This by age 5. She’d take the info and draw up charts to break it down to her parents. Like a regular presentation, but in crayon.

Then when Lisa was around 10 years old, a huge old oak in front of her childhood home in Wyoming toppled. Lisa’s mother was getting ready to hire a tree service to haul it away.

“I told her, ‘Mom, there can’t be many oak trees this big. I bet someone would pay us and even come get it.’ Mom didn’t believe me. She said if I could find such a person, I could have the money. So I went inside and called a lumberyard and asked a few questions. Two calls later, I found someone who paid us $2,000 and cleared the tree away.

“I was very proud of myself. It made me see there’s no harm in trying ­– and that just because someone says you can’t do something doesn’t mean it’s so.”

Some facts about Lisa: Her grandfather was former Procter CEO John Smale. She sometimes sought his professional advice – he never offered unless she asked. She often runs into people who remark that her father, a physician, is an unusually caring man who gives great advice. She is inquisitive, outspoken and has no problem expressing herself.

Sometime in middle school, teachers and friends started telling her she ought to become a lawyer, having observed that she seemed to like to argue.

“I thought, what a bad reason to go into a profession – because I like to argue.” But she became a lawyer nonetheless. “It’s a good thing I had that view because advocacy is not about arguing. Effective advocacy is an important skill.”

She believes each of us continues to grow as individuals throughout our lives, or should. She believes, too, that when something goes wrong, it’s an opportunity to learn – and quite often, a chance to change oneself for the better.

“I love the notion of solving problems before they happen. It’s rewarding to me to help my clients avert crises. I enjoy developing close, on-going relationships. I know many of our clients’ phone numbers by heart.

“The gratitude you get when you can help them is amazing. So often, employers and businesses are forced to be defendants in an action and that can be frustrating and expensive for them. So when you win, the client is very happy. And that’s the greatest feeling for me.”