Skip to Main Content
Overview

Abby provides regulatory advice both to educational institutions and consumer financial services clients.

Abby sees herself as a lifelong student who loves reading, studying and understanding complex theories. Prior to joining her first firm, she worked at the U.S. Supreme Court for three years, producing the annual Supreme Court Yearbook of cases and decisions. With a passion for legal theory, Abby loves digging into laws and examining their interpretation and history. She’s particularly enthusiastic about regulatory law—which she describes as a puzzle she enjoys fitting together.

Abby devotes much of her practice to the higher education industry, helping colleges and universities navigate complex regulatory matters. Abby has experience with institutional and programmatic accreditation, Department of Education program reviews and IG audits, Title IV eligibility and compliance, changes of ownership and control, private student lending, state education and consumer finance regulatory compliance, and the False Claims Act. She also has experience navigating Veteran Affairs and Department of Defense regulations applicable to Institutions of Higher Education.

Abby has also worked on the inside of higher education, helping teach a history course at her undergraduate alma mater. In addition, she’s worked with educational issues from the legislative perspective as well, serving as a legislative assistant in the Kansas Senate helping develop the state’s education funding formula. Abby understands the transformative effect education has on students and on society, and she wants to help educational institutions provide the best education they can.

Alongside her education practice, Abby advises clients on regulatory compliance matters in consumer financial services. She cut her teeth on private student loans and has since branched out into a wide variety of lending, including banks, credit unions, mortgage lenders, credit card companies and private equity firms. She helps these clients manage risk and remain in compliance with federal and state consumer credit laws, evaluating marketing materials, policies, procedures, disclosures and other legal documents.

Known for her passion for the law and for clients’ organizations, Abby is intensely focused on client goals. Her aim is to focus on ever-changing regulations so that clients can focus on their mission and business, confident that Abby will deliver the legal results and advice they need.

Industries

Services

Education

  • J.D., George Washington University Law School
    • International Law Review
  • B.A., MidAmerica Nazarene University
    • magna cum laude
    • University of Oxford, SCIO Fellowship

Admissions

  • Missouri
  • District of Columbia

Professional Memberships and Certifications

  • American Bar Association
  • Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association
  • Military Spouses J.D. Network
  • National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators

Languages

  • Spanish, conversational
2024 Pro Bono Contributor
Experience
  • Assisted higher educational institutions with regulatory compliance with U.S. Department of Education regulations, state regulations and accreditation standards.
  • Advised higher education institutions on Title IV eligibility and compliance, accreditation questions, program reviews and IG audits, and education policy.
  • Assisted with regulatory matters related to private student lending and to Veterans Administration education benefits.
  • Conducted due diligence for institutions of higher education considering or undergoing a merger or acquisition.
  • Guided and assisted institutions with developing new academic programs.
  • Assisted international institutions with general legal compliance under U.S. and state law and accreditation standards.
  • Assisted with drafting of the annual Supreme Court Yearbook.
Outside the Office

Abby enjoys golfing—especially when a trip to the golf course is a date with her husband. The couple are also very involved in their local church.

In addition, Abby is passionate about her volunteer work in the educational sphere, serving on the alumni committee at MidAmerica Nazarene University and the advisory committee for the Quill Project, an initiative of Oxford University. 

Community Leadership

Abby was recruited to the advisory committee for the Quill Project, an initiative of Oxford University, by one of her former Oxford professors. The project aims to create an online database for negotiated texts around the world with a focus on U.S. state and federal constitutional law, and Abby works with U.S. colleges and universities with a goal of creating a partnership with a school in each state. She’s enthusiastic about supporting a project that gives students across the country an opportunity to do groundbreaking academic work.  The Quill Project hosts an annual judicial workshop where federal judges from the United States are provided the opportunity to discuss complex and pressing issues in American constitutional law. 

In addition, Abby continues to manage Olathe Loves, the non-profit she founded in response to disastrous tornadoes that occurred in Oklahoma in 2013. The organization continues supporting local communities throughout the Midwest.

Abby also serves on the alumni committee of MidAmerica Nazarene University.