A bold, little Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, it’s not going to get better, it’s not”. I watched the old Lorax on repeat as a kid (yes, the 1972 animated short). It spoke to me. I was always the kid speaking up, calling out nonsense, and talking about what was “fair”. God bless my mother. Long before I knew the term, I stood up, showed up, and spoke like an advocate. “Lawyer” filled the blank in my preschool Star of the Week report asking what I’d be when I grew up.
My first challenge was figuring out how to become a lawyer. I didn’t know any until I reached undergrad at Illinois State. I immersed myself in high school debate, newspaper, AP courses, volunteer work, tennis, and everything in between. I started at St. Louis Community College my junior year of high school. By the time I reached ISU, I learned about internships, accelerated courses, study abroad, mock trial, advanced placement tests, and LSAT prep. You better believe I did it all. I worked full time, too.
I’ll never forget the day my acceptance packet from Syracuse University College of Law showed up. I found it in the mail as I left for my waitressing job; I called Mom on my shift break. After what felt like a minute later, I was off to New York. My now husband, Andy, was kind enough to join me. Cue the volunteering, interning, extra courses, externship programs, and mock trial competitions. This time, I coached one trial team while competing for another.
My third year brought me to the incredible people at the American Bar Association in the Human Rights Division. Andy and I packed up with about a week’s notice and moved to the Capitol. I took the Illinois bar and we moved to the Windy City shortly after the “Congratulations” came from the bar examiners. Tough crowd for a Cardinals fan, but we made it work. My litigation practice included personal injury, premises liability, and garden variety tort claims.
Finally, we moved back home to St. Louis. Over the past seven years, I’ve continued to advocate through litigation. My practice areas expanded to civil rights, defective pharmaceutical matters, intellectual property, real estate, corporate defense, toxic torts, and real estate. I volunteer for various women’s equality initiatives, sit on the Board for Komen Missouri, and work on my golf game. Most dear to my heart, I’ve launched a lawyer wellness initiative: Hustle Less Law. My husband and I welcomed our first baby in 2021. She is simply magnificient.
Since joining Stock Legal, I’m delighted to represent the interests of our clients that simply won’t get their best result outside of the courtroom. I’m still a litigator, but my practice has changed a bit. I’ve learned that the breakneck speeds of hustle culture just don’t belong in the legal profession. Stock Legal is an industry disrupter when it comes to lawyers and their wellness; something I now treasure. I know from personal experience that our clients are beneficiaries of this relationship.
Three decades (and some change) post-preschool, I’m proud to say I’ve added a few awards to my Star of the Week shelf. I’ve learned that good lawyering and good advocating go hand in hand. Most importantly, I still fully believe that caring a whole lot is what makes our system better. I’m proud to report that I still do.