Describe your career trajectory.
Because my mom is a litigation paralegal, I’ve been around the law for a long time. As children, my sister and I often helped her prepare for trial by performing small tasks around the office. However, I wasn’t interested in a legal career when I was young and was instead determined to become a doctor. After completing my undergraduate studies in biology and math in Geneseo, NY, I moved back home to Buffalo, where I both volunteered as an emergency medical technician (EMT) and worked full-time as a paralegal at my mom’s firm. Working in litigation helped me to realize that law requires the same skills that drew me to the sciences: problem-solving, logical thinking and putting forth and testing hypotheses.
The turning point came when I responded to a traumatic EMT call and decided that, personally, emergency medicine was too emotionally charged to make into a life-long career. So, I pivoted. I liked what I was doing at the law firm and had gained the partners’ trust. I took the LSAT, applied to law schools and selected the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder because it had an excellent health law program and a tangible, strong and continuing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. During law school and following graduation, I got my feet wet at larger firms that focused on complex litigation.
Why have you chosen to make your career at Husch Blackwell?
My first interaction with Husch Blackwell was during law school through The Colorado Pledge to Diversity. The firm is one of several in Colorado that hire diverse 1L students for a paid summer associate position through the pledge’s Summer Clerkship Program, which I now co-chair.
My second interaction came during my 3L year when I was co-president of OUTlaw – the LGBTQ+ law student organization. We hosted an “OUT at Work” event that featured panelists in various legal jobs who discussed their decisions to be or not be out at work, and the unique challenges, if any, they faced in this decision. I reached out to Jeff Miller to see if the then-chairman of Husch Blackwell, Maurice Watson, who was out and leading the firm, would join this panel. The firm not only paid for him to fly from Kansas City to Boulder to speak at our luncheon but also sponsored lunch for the event.
This and my other interactions with Husch Blackwell attorneys impressed me and were in the back of my mind when I applied for a commercial litigation associate position in Husch Blackwell’s Denver office, where I’ve worked since fall 2021.
What is one thing that makes Husch Blackwell special?
Beyond the firm’s commitment to diversity, I’m receiving opportunities that I likely wouldn’t receive elsewhere. Notably, I am not stuck in a windowless basement conducting document review. And while doc review is still very much part of my job, in my first year at the firm I went to trial three times and have assumed different roles in each.
For the first trial, as third chair, I provided support and legal research, and helped with jury selection. For the second trial, as second chair, I directed a witness and helped with jury selection. For the third trial, a bench trial, I developed witness outlines, took direct examinations and assisted with developing the legal theory behind our position. During the course of these three trials, I experienced tangible professional growth and interacted with opposing counsel and the court in meaningful ways. A number of trials are set for next year for which I hope to take on more responsibility.
Outside of trials, I have taken numerous depositions and obtained key testimony, written (and won) post-trial motions, defended against dispositive motions, and appeared in court for various other hearings and conferences.
What is your advice for a new hire?
Ask for the experiences you want. If you want to take a deposition, ask. If you want to write the dispositive motion, ask. Our partners want to give me as many opportunities as I am ready for. Having conversations with them and developing trust early will result in experiences that will help grow and accelerate your career.