I became a lawyer in November of 2001. I moved to Olympia in 2002 and have been practicing law here ever since. I started my own law firm in November of 2017. My practice has always been family law, going back to before I was even a lawyer – I was a legal intern at a family law firm in Tacoma.
In 2011, I became a guardian ad litem, conducting child custody investigations on behalf of the court. I have also represented young children involved in dependency cases. This experience, along with raising my own two young children, help me to keep my practice child-centric.
I became a lawyer because I like to help people. I have found that clients involved in a family law action, first and foremost, need to be heard. To that end, I strive to remain as accessible as possible. I return every phone call promptly, and I respond to every email eventually. I have also found that clients are scared and confused by the process, so I try to educate them as much as possible along the way. I don’t tell the client what to do, rather, I give them the information they need to make the best possible decision. Finally, I know clients are concerned about the financial costs of litigation. Make no mistake about it, these cases can be expensive. I work with each client to choose options that are less likely to drive their bill up. The best way to achieve that end is to negotiate a settlement, which I try to do in every single case. When that is not an option (and all too often it isn’t), then I have plenty of experience arguing a case in court.
I’ve held various positions of leadership over the years. Most recently, I served as the chairperson of the Thurston County Family Law section (2017-18). I served as a trustee for the Washington State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division (2005-2007). I have served on the board of various non-profit organizations, and currently sit on the Olympia Waldorf School board.
I consider myself very fortunate to be in a profession where I can have such an impact on people’s lives.
