I was born and raised in the Kansas City metro area, where I attended Rockhurst high school. I briefly left the area to obtain my undergraduate degree at Vanderbilt University. After graduating from Vanderbilt, I returned home to attend law school at the University of Kansas School of Law with the goal of opening my own criminal defense practice. WORKED AS A PUBLIC DEFENDER LITIGATING MANY HIGH LEVEL FELONIES During and after law school, I established a solid base of experience in a variety of legal fields, first as an intern, and then as an associate, at law firms practicing insurance defense, corporate law, and general litigation. My primary career goal was to be a litigator?to be in a court room with frequency, making compelling arguments to a jury, negotiating difficult deals, and working directly with clients on a personal level. With that goal in mind, I left the civil side of practice in 2012 and transitioned to criminal defense via the Johnson County Public Defenders Office. My years at the public defender?s office were invaluable. I tried cases before juries, represented clients charged with high level felonies, and established lasting relationships with prosecutors, judges, and my criminal defense colleagues. I learned that many of my clients were innocent and unjustly prosecuted. I learned that my clients who weren?t innocent were typically over-charged and looking at potential sentences that did not seem to fit the crime. Despite a heavy case load, I developed close relationships with my clients and their families, as well as a strong passion to defend them against overzealous police officers and prosecutors.
