You have what some might consider a nontraditional background for an attorney. Tell us about your journey to practicing law.
I grew up on a gravel road outside of Topeka, Kansas. Most of my childhood years were spent crammed with three siblings into a single-wide trailer placed on a rented little plot of land surrounded by cow pastures. We had too many dogs and cats to count, chickens, an occasional duck or rabbit, and a rooster named J.R. who lived in a birdcage inside until he was an adult and got mean.
At the age of 13, I wanted to be able to buy the things that other kids had (and I wanted to figure out how I could avoid standing in the reduced-price-lunch-ticket line at school). I got a job at a local animal shelter at the end of 8th grade. I was a cheerleader, the ninth grade “prom queen,” and eventually on the high school homecoming court, but I went to work from 8-5 every Saturday and Sunday at the animal shelter and scooped poop. I learned the importance of showing up, and I learned how to work hard.
I did not have a traditional college experience either. I was a first-generation college student, and while I spent one semester at the University of Kansas, I otherwise attended Washburn University back in my hometown, where it was easier to balance school with working to support myself and pay for school (with the assistance of student loans and some scholarships). I worked full-time at Hill’s Pet Nutrition and, by age 20, was supervising people more than twice my age. The director of my department at Hill’s, who had a law degree, encouraged me to go to law school. He wrote me a glowing recommendation, and I got into the law school in town. It was the only place where I applied, not even considering that another school could be a possibility.
Describe your career trajectory.
Thanks to hard work and ranking in the top 10% of my class, I landed interviews for summer associateships with top law firms in Kansas City. In the interviews, I relied on my prior work experience and work ethic to convince firms to offer me a summer internship where I could prove myself, despite not attending a big-name law school.
In the summer of 2001, I had summer internships at both Blackwell Sanders and Husch & Eppenberger (which merged years later to form what is now Husch Blackwell). At the end of that summer, I accepted an offer to join Blackwell Sanders after law school graduation.
My first-year associate class at Blackwell Sanders was made up of new lawyers from excellent law schools, but I didn’t let that intimidate me, showing up in my Chevy Camaro and working hard. Likewise, the leadership at Blackwell Sanders believed in me and gave me every opportunity to grow and thrive. It didn’t matter where I had gone to school; what mattered was that I was eager to learn. With great mentoring and support, I moved through the associate ranks and became a partner in less than six years.
How has Husch Blackwell supported you in achieving work/life balance?
Since having my first child in 2008—the year I made partner—I have worked varying levels, from 60% to 100%. I have never felt like I had to choose between being a professional and being an active parent. I have been able to be a successful partner at a top firm, while also being a very active volunteer at my kids’ school, attending most extra-curricular activities, being around to help with homework, and sleeping 8-9 hours most nights.
What is one thing that makes Husch Blackwell uncommon?
There’s so much! The firm has been remarkably good to me through the years, taking a chance on me despite that I had not attended a top college or a top law school, offering me an opportunity to stay on and work remotely when I moved to Nashville (before Husch Blackwell launched The Link Virtual Office), and allowing me to adjust my schedule over the years to whatever level felt best for my family. I love practicing law, and I am so grateful to still be at the firm where I started my career more than 20 years ago.
Despite having had a less traditional path, I have always felt recognized and valued, and I get to work with smart, interesting, and kind colleagues and clients on interesting legal issues. How did I get so lucky? With some hard work, and certainly some good fortune, I landed at the very uncommon firm that is now Husch Blackwell. Thanks to many amazingly supportive people along the way, I am able to live a life I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams as a child.