I lived in Kansas until I graduated from the University of Kansas and moved to New York City with my brother, a filmmaker. In New York City, I attended Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School and became involved with the Courtroom Advocacy Project, assisting individuals with obtaining temporary restraining orders in situations of domestic abuse. But my greatest influence in advocacy was a country girl from the Sandhills of Nebraska, born ready to fight injustice wherever it crossed her path-- my mother. I transferred to UMKC Law School to finish my legal education as my husband and I started our family. Before graduating, I interned for a federal magistrate judge and participated in Law Review.
Since law school I have worked in intellectual property and business litigation at both small and large law firms in the Kansas City area. I began to explore elder law in my effort to search out opportunities for greater advocacy and service in the legal field. After becoming a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and completing the mediation training program at the Missouri State University Center for Dispute Resolution, I joined Michael Lee in starting our law firm and mediation practice in Lawrence.
