My Story

Why did I become an attorney?

I wanted to make a difference in the world. I didn’t know my calling would be family law and child-related cases for quite some time. As a high school student, I competed at the state and national levels for the National History Fair. The year I won third place at the national competition my project was about a United States Supreme Court case, Brown v Mississippi. In that case, three black men in Mississippi were accused of murdering a white man. Through the use of violence, the police were able to secure confessions from the three men. Within one week of the murder, the trio had been arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death by hanging. The Mississippi Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. This case triggered a trend in the United States Supreme Court of recognizing procedural due process rights of criminal defendants. The Supreme Court held that these defendants were denied due process of law.

When I applied to law school many years later, I was focused on justice for those who don’t have a voice, by using a pragmatic approach – finding ways to get results.  This led me to a career as an appellate attorney. My clients want their voice heard. And frequently by the time they find us, they feel like they have not been heard in a very long time - particularly when the trial judge rules against them in a spectacularly wrong way. I fight for my clients on appeal to give them a voice in the process so their voices can be heard.

What is my favorite thing about being an attorney?

I get a thrill from explaining the law to judges and convincing them to follow the law (and then rule in my client’s favor!) I also enjoy helping colleagues better represent their clients, especially in raising due process violations and other issues where there is a risk that the judge won’t follow the law. It is basically teaching the law to judges and attorneys, but with the goal of actually making a difference in someone’s life.