This is the second of three blog posts, at the end of the academic year, by Mary Triggiano, director of Marquette University Law School’s Andrew Center for Restorative Justice. These stories are also available on the Marquette Law School blog.
On April 25, I had the privilege of closing out the G. Lane Ware Leadership Academy at the State Bar of Wisconsin. It was an inspiring day filled with lawyers who have invested in their growth, their leadership and their commitment to the profession.
In my keynote, I spoke about what I have come to understand about restorative leadership as a way of leading that is grounded not just in skill or strategy, but in how we show up for others, especially in moments of challenge, conflict and uncertainty. Leadership, I shared, is not something we step into one day. It is something we practice every day, in small and often unseen moments.
My path into the legal profession — and eventually to the bench and now to the Andrew Center for Restorative Justice — was shaped by a simple but powerful lesson: service matters. From watching my mother and father quietly serve others in our community, to taking early pro bono cases and walking alongside clients in crisis, I came to understand that the law is not just about rules or outcomes. It is about people, dignity and being present when others need support most. Over time, I began to understand that those experiences were not just shaping my career — they were shaping how I lead.
At its core, restorative leadership asks us to lead differently. In a time when our communities, and often our conversations, feel divided and reactive, restorative leadership invites us to slow down and ask better questions:
- Who is being affected here?
- What do they need right now?
- What is my responsibility in making things right?
These are not just questions for restorative justice dialogues. They are leadership questions that we can bring into our daily work, whether we are in a courtroom, a conference room, or a difficult conversation. Restorative leadership is grounded in listening. It requires courage and humility. And it calls us to remain present in hard moments rather than turning away from them.
One of the key messages I wanted to leave with the academy participants was this: leadership is a practice.
It shows up in small, everyday decisions:
- Taking an extra moment to listen before responding
- Asking a question instead of making an assumption
- Making space for voices that have not been heard
- Choosing dialogue over reaction
These are not grand gestures, but they are powerful. They shape how trust is built, how conflict is navigated and how relationships are sustained.
For me, some of the most meaningful leadership lessons came not from formal titles, but from service. Through pro bono work, state bar involvement and community partnerships, I learned how to listen, build consensus, and work across differences. Those spaces became training grounds — places where leadership could be practiced, refined and strengthened over time.
Looking back, saying “yes” to those opportunities was not just about giving back. It was about growing into the kind of leader I hoped to become. I had moments of doubt, such as times when the demands of the profession felt overwhelming and the path forward uncertain. Those moments are not signs of failure. They are part of the journey.
What sustains me, and what I hope sustains others, is a return to purpose. A reminder of why we entered this profession in the first place: to serve, to support and to help others move forward. In many ways, that is what restorative leadership asks of us: to stay present, to keep listening and to continue showing up with intention even when it is difficult.
As the participants of the Leadership Academy step forward into their next chapter, my hope is that they carry with them not just new skills, but a renewed sense of how they want to lead. For our profession does not just need capable lawyers. It needs leaders who can build bridges in fractured spaces. Leaders who can listen across differences. Leaders who can bring humanity into systems that too often feel impersonal.
Restorative leadership is not a theory. It is a daily practice. And it begins with a simple question: What is mine to do — right now — to make things better?
