Being a part of a strong legacy of attorneys and a product of divorce, it was no surprise that I leaned into the field of family and divorce law. I grew up in Kansas City, in a small townon the other side of the river, and completed my undergrad at the University of Kansas. Both my parents graduated from there, and my aunts, uncles, and all sorts of family members went to school there too. I received my degree in geology and met my wife while I was finishing up school. We moved from Kansas City to Arizona after graduation, which is where my wife grew up. I started off working in the construction field and realized it was so hot in Arizona, so that didn’t last very long.
After the passing of my grandfather, I spent a lot of time speaking with my aunt — who was an attorney in San Francisco — and it kind of planted the idea in my head to check out law school. I ended up attending the University of Houston for law school and graduated in 2011. From there, we came to Arizona, and I initially started practicing disability law. I then worked for the state doing child support before finally finding my way to family law.
My parents were divorced, so that had always been my normal. My dad lived 20 miles away, and we’d see him a couple of times a month. But I know what it is like to grow up in that kind of situation. Thankfully, my parents did it very well. We never heard them fight or argue because they always kept it away from us. My desire is to help people get to that, where they could keep it away from the kids, and that was one of the main reasons that drew me to this profession.
I’ve always liked helping people, and I have a very strong background in customer service and working with clients. I was in retail while going to college and was always awarded for my customer service. When I was a disability attorney, I believe in 2016 or 2017, I was awarded the best in the state for client services. So, I’m always putting my clients first, and that is something I have always prided myself on.
I found my way to Jensen Family Law because I was looking for a change. I was driving a significant distance from my house to my old law firm, and the hours I was putting in on the road were terrible, to say the least. This firm was much closer, but it wasn’t necessarily the main reason that drew me in. In my interview, something that I really keyed in on and liked was that they have the same morals and value system that I have. It was something that really got me very excited about the prospect of working here.
I’ve always liked writing and drafting documents, and I do enjoy talking to people and hearing their stories. I strive to communicate with them on how we can fix the situation to come up with some kind of resolution and get the best outcome they’re looking for. Compassion isn’t really a skill most would think of, but in this line of work it really is essential, and I’m good at fighting for what my clients want and need. Once we get into open court or negotiations with the other party, being able to put me in a position and advocate for them is what I truly enjoy the most.
