Why I Advocate For My Clients

A person can get in trouble with the law either through circumstance, selection of friends, or just being in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s a lesson I learned early on, and one that led me to who I am and what I do today.

When I was a teen, I watched a friend get arrested for hanging out with the wrong group. My friend tried to explain her story to her family, her friends and to the police…all to no avail. She was labeled “A Trouble Maker!” by everyone she knew.

Even after the charges were cleared and all wrong doing pointed to the leader of the pack, it devastated her. The experience of  going to the police station, being booked on a charge, and being told to admit to something she did not do was overwhelming.

“I never forgot that experience. I understood, from that point on, that children do not have the voice they need to advocate for themselves, and  that there are always multiple sides to any story that need to be uncovered, explained, and advocated for. From that point on, I decided I would do just that…. and it led me to my work as a criminal, family and juvenile law attorney.”

Today, I try and look at every case with a fresh set of eyes, looking for underlying issues that are yet to be uncovered. I visit every scene to get a complete visual for my case; prepare for every case thoroughly with the client and the facts; and advocate for every client zealously, regardless of the difficulty of the case, the circumstances surrounding the case, and the social influence on the case.