About Andrea Bouchard

I’ve spent my career in the places where law, people, risk, and business decisions collide.

I'm an attorney, former HR leader, and risk-management professional with more than 20 years of experience working inside organizations. Over the course of my career, I've worked across legal, human resources, employee relations, claims, litigation, risk management, and business operations.

That range wasn't necessarily part of a grand career plan, but it became one of my greatest professional strengths.

I've advised executives through difficult employee decisions, led HR teams, conducted workplace investigations, negotiated labor agreements, managed significant claims and litigation, worked alongside insurers and outside counsel, built policies and processes, coached managers, and helped organizations respond when something serious went wrong.

I've also spent enough time inside organizations to know that the hardest problems rarely fit neatly into one professional box.

A workplace problem isn't just an HR problem because HR is involved. A legally defensible decision isn't necessarily a good business decision. A policy doesn't tell you everything you need to know about how an organization actually operates. And when something goes wrong, understanding what happened usually requires listening to more than one perspective.

That's the thinking behind Three Sides Advisory.

I tend to ask a lot of questions. I want to know what happened, what each person understood at the time, what was supposed to happen, what actually happened, and why. I'm comfortable telling a client when I think they're on the right track—and equally comfortable telling them when I think they're missing something.

My approach is particularly people-focused. I believe organizations can protect themselves while treating employees fairly. Managers should be accountable for how they lead. Difficult employment decisions are sometimes necessary, but they should be thoughtful ones. And when a situation requires expertise I don't have, doing the job well means recognizing that and bringing in the right professional rather than pretending I can do everything.

Today, I bring that perspective to attorneys who need an experienced expert, organizations navigating difficult workplace, and individuals trying to make sense of a challenging situation at work.

Background

I earned my B.A. from Michigan State University and my J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. I am a licensed Michigan attorney in good standing.

Before founding Three Sides Advisory, I held in-house legal, human resources, employee relations, and risk management leadership roles with organizations ranging from large multi-location international employers to growing businesses operating across multiple states.

Throughout those roles, one thing remained remarkably consistent: the best decisions usually came from understanding the problem from more than one side.

That's what I bring to Three Sides.

Outside of Work

Outside of work, I'm usually lifting something heavy, reading a novel, making something with paint, or tackling a project that gives me an excuse to work with my hands. I love good food, music, travel, and spending time with my family—and I'm almost always in the middle of learning how to do something new.