Susan Ulrich: ‘A tough and compassionate ball of human fire and power.’

At Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel, our lawyers and staff are united in shared values and a mission: using the civil justice system and our firm’s resources to fight for individuals harmed by institutions that should have protected them.

For partner Susan Ulrich, those values were forged long before she graduated from law school and became a lawyer.

The passion and grit that make her such an effective trial lawyer come from lived experience growing up in South Boston, or “Southie” as it’s affectionately known. It was a gritty, working-class neighborhood when Susan was growing up, where young people faced daunting challenges in a community struggling with the effects of poverty, drugs and violence.

‘A Tough and Compassionate Ball of Human Fire and Power’

Susan credits the Boston-area community organization Roca for providing resources, positive intervention and opportunities at a critical point in her life.

She spoke about the power of organizations and individuals to change the trajectory of young lives as a featured speaker at Roca’s annual meeting in May. In introducing Susan to the crowd, Roca founder Molly Baldwin recounted meeting Susan in the 1990s when Susan was 16, describing her then and today as “a force like no other.”

“She was and is a tiny, mouthy, tough and compassionate ball of human fire and power, a force like no other,” Baldwin said. “What has always set Susan apart was not just her courage but her clarity… Her lived understanding of what poverty and violence do to people, especially young people and her refusal to accept it. She carried that forward as a young leader, a youth worker and now as a lawyer.”

Using the Civil Justice System to Make a Difference

Susan described how Roca not only set her on a path to college and law school but also shaped the direction of her legal career and ultimately led her to Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel.

“I had to ask myself ‘What kind of lawyer did I want to be?’” she said. “And the answer came from my work at Roca and my experience growing up.”

Susan brings those experiences and her passion for justice with her every time she walks into a courtroom, and it shows in the way she communicates and connects with jurors. Her work has resulted in impactful jury verdicts for victims harmed by exposure to toxic chemicals like asbestos and dangerous products, victims of mesothelioma and other types of cancer, and children with birth injuries. For the last several years, she has devoted 100 percent of her practice to representing victims of sexual assault, leading the practice area at WKPS.

“Nearly all of my clients over the last 16 years have been let down by institutions and corporations that should have protected them. Every single time I sit with a client or walk into a courtroom, I think of what it means to refuse to give up on someone,” she said.

“I’m proud of my career. I’m proud of what I built. But I’m not particularly special. Every single young person deserves the kind of attention that Molly Baldwin and Roca gave me.”

Her story reflects the commitment that drives Waters Kraus Paul & Siegel’s work every day — standing beside people who have been harmed and fighting to hold powerful institutions accountable.