Born and raised in Big Lake, a small town in Central Minnesota, I have gained an in-depth knowledge of the local people and challenges they face.
Once I completed law school in St. Paul, Minnesota, I decided to stay in this area and open a private legal practice, because this area matters a great deal to me. It is my home. I realized that by staying here, I could have a positive impact on the lives of the people who matter most to me: those in my community.
I opened my office in 1991 as a general practice handling bankruptcy, family law and others. Recognizing a need for more women attorneys with extensive bankruptcy law experience, I shifted my focus to bankruptcy law in 1995.
For the past two-plus decades, my practice has almost exclusively served consumers and small businesses in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcies.
I attended the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and graduated in 1985 with a B.A. in sociology of law, criminology, and deviance, with a minor in child psychology. I graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, MN, in 1990. I was admitted to the District Court of Minnesota and the Federal District Court for the District of Minnesota in 1991 and the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in 1992.
I am a member of the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the Minnesota State Bar Association, the Ramsey County Bar Association and Minnesota Women Lawyers.