Carmen was born in Mexico City in 1951 where her parents, both naval veterans, were attending the College of the Americas on their G.I. Bill benefits. Carmen grew up in Marin County, California, where she lived most of her life until moving to Montana in 1993. While raising two sons, Carmen attended and graduated in 1978 from San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. After an auto accident in 1986, she enrolled in the Attorney Assistant Certificate Program at Sonoma State University and obtained her Paralegal Certificate in 1989. She spent four years with the in-house counsel office of Fireman's Fund Insurance working on over 1,000 asbestos exposure cases. After moving to Bozeman, Montana, Carmen spent three years as a clerk with the Gallatin County Justice Court before joining the Firm in 1996. Carmen's case load consists of litigation relating to personal injury, product liability and environmental contamination.

     Carmen is a member of the Montana Paralegal Association and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Paralegal Section of the Montana State Bar.