Just about every Attorney can spout off a myriad of degrees and accomplishments in their biographies. I thought you may be more interested in knowing who I am as a person so that you would feel better about who you are entrusting to help you through what may be one of the most financially and emotionally challenging things you will ever experience. I thought you would want to know if I understand what you are going through. You need to know that I can respect the fact that you need my competence in practicing law to get you through it, but you need my compassion too.

Don’t worry, I’ve included my degrees and accolades in this biography. I chose to place them at the end. I want you to first decide whether you like and trust me, as those are important considerations when choosing your attorney.

During my early working years, I was a Paramedic. Yes, a Paramedic, as in lights, sirens, stretchers, IVs and yelling, “Clear!” before sending 300 joules of electricity into someone’s heart in hopes of saving their life. Stress and working well under pressure is nothing new to me. After giving birth to my son, Alexander, I decided to go back to school. I was not sure in which direction I wanted to go. I had always wanted to become a world renowned chef and open my own restaurant so I went to culinary school. Yes, Culinary school as in crème brule and crepe Suzette. After earning my associate degree in Specialized Technology, Culinary Arts, and completing my externship at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville, TN, I realized that I wanted to do more to help people. I thought long and hard about who I was at my core and the type of mark I wanted to leave upon the world,
and I landed squarely on the practice of law.

During my early years of practicing law, I became drawn to the practice of Family Law because I noticed an opportunity to make a real impact in peoples’ lives by helping them navigate through matters such as divorce and custody. I saw that I not only able to do the legal work, but through our work together I was able to help my clients craft and execute plans to restore peace in their lives. I believe that I am effective in helping my clients because I know what is like to live a life that lacks peace.

I grew up in the Homewood area of Pittsburgh and although I enjoyed a happy and peaceful childhood, I was not immune from seeing how issues such as violence, drug addiction and crime impacted other families around me.

By the time I was a young adult my childhood home had deteriorated into a dysfunctional nightmare that contained atrocities such as physical abuse, mental abuse, rape, drug use, crime, narcissism, gaslighting, and people with serious psychiatric issues within its walls. This was a stark contrast to the happiness, peace, and security I enjoyed as a child. My grandmother, the matriarch of our family and the woman who had raised me, had passed away during my teen years. My mom was in the Army and there I was…left with the remaining family members. I experienced daily fear of physical harm, mental abuse, exposure to drug use, drug addicts, and other behaviors that were far outside of the safe construct I had known. There was no peace left in this place called home. Home should be peaceful. I was trapped. I did not have anywhere else to go. I could only rely on myself.
A few years and a lot of hard work later, I was able to find my way out, onto a solid path and each night I am blessed to lay down my head in a peaceful home. I want that for my Clients. PEACE.