I grew up rural Colorado in Bailey and then in Saguache in the San Luis Valley.  I attended Adams and Western State as a first generation college student where I was introduced to the law in my business law courses. I finished my bachelor’s degree in business, but my interest in the law only grew. I would become deep in thought on what “equity” and “fairness” meant in various situations and why there is law at all. Some people say the law is black and white. That is not true; It is the gray areas of the law that my mind was drawn to. Perhaps all lawyers are not the sharks in the jokes? It’s “the gray” that keeps people up at night with anxiety and weighs them down during the day.  A lawyer can step in and help carry that weight. Good lawyers are comfortable fighting through the gray to find fairness for their client’s unique situation, while still being fully aware and staying in all the complex and numerous black lines of statutes and rules.

However, I did not pursue law school right away. I had married young and had a son so I thought it might not be the best time to begin a journey into the world of law. However, that changed as my first marriage involved  escalating domestic violence. While in the emergency room I spoke to a police officer and gathered the courage to leave that relationship. I had seen this before, my son saw it then, and domestic violence rarely gets better.

Unfortunately, I could not afford an attorney when I divorced my first husband. I remember wishing I had someone to tell me what to do, an empathetic advisor to support me through that hard time in my life. I decided I would love to be the person for others that I needed then. No matter how strong, capable, and intelligent you may be, almost everyone  is in some of their lowest struggles when it comes to the emotions of advocating for themselves and navigating our complex legal system.

After the divorce, I moved with my toddler son to Denver and started working as a legal assistant and eventually became an estate planning paralegal. One day someone asked me,
“If money were no object, what would you do”?
I contemplated this question and replied with confidence that I would love to be an attorney that helps people.

This dream turned into a goal, and the goal turned into a plan. I took the LSAT and received a scholarship to the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. I attended most of my courses in the evenings and still worked during the days to support my children.

In law school, I become aware of the fact that most attorneys become depressed and are prone to hiding substance abuse issues. I made it a goal to found my own law firm where all who worked there, including myself, could be happy and prioritize helping others. So, after I did well on my bar exam and graduated, I did not apply for any jobs. Instead, I held onto my dream and submitted a business plan for my firm to receive a grant to practice with reduced lease costs in a mentorship office space of other attorneys called Law Bank.

I still meditate on equity and fairness. From those seeds I have grown a passion to bridge the justice gap for those who do not qualify for legal aid but also cannot afford an attorney at the market rate of $250-$400 per hour. I find this type of work to be extremely rewarding.

Now that I have the knowledge and experience under my belt, I am proud to say that I have built a work environment that is healthy, sustainable and fulfilling for myself and my colleagues. From this growth, I have turned into the helping hand and advocate that I had committed to becoming long ago when I needed it most. I will guide you through the gray.