As a native of Southeastern Minnesota, I have been blessed with the opportunity to serve this legal community for the past three decades. Early in my career, I was drawn to the practice of family law, which is my exclusive area of practice. Few other issues impact an individual the way that a family law issue does. Chief Justice Warren Burger said, “Lawyers can be healers.” This quote has been with me since law school. Family law attorneys must listen and hear each client’s individual values and goals. We must provide legal advice in an honest and respectful manner. We must zealously advocate, advise and negotiate, and must understand that this may be the only experience that an individual has with the legal system.
Family law attorneys must consider all tools available to assist clients to achieve their goals. This includes judicial and non-judicial processes (i.e., mediation, early neutral evaluations, and moderated settlement conferences). I am trained and experienced with judicial and non-judicial processes. As a family law attorney, I share my clients’ goal of having a better future for themselves and their children. I thank God for paving my path to the practice of family law.
I enjoy time at home with my family (including pups), supporting our adult children in their respective life paths, and supporting community causes, such as the Salvation Army and Paws and Claws Humane Society. I enjoy sharing the gift of laughter, as it often is the best medicine.
Year Joined Firm
- 1988
Areas of Practice
- Family LawDissolution (Divorce)
- Spousal Maintenance
- Property and Debt Division
- Custody/Parenting Time (Visitation)
- Child Support
- Paternity
- Adoption
- Family Law Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)
- Mediation
- Social Early Neutral Evaluation
- Financial Early Neutral Evaluation
- Parenting Time Expeditor
- Moderated Settlement Conference
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Minnesota State Bar Association, Family Law Section
- Olmsted County Family Law Committee (Chair, 1995 – 1997)
- Oklahoma Bar Association
- Minnesota State Court ADR Qualified Neutral
- Volunteer Work in Family Law
- Dissolution and Custody Planning, Course Instructor, 1997 – Present
- Winona County Parents Forever, Instructor, 1996 – 2000
- Legal Assistance of Olmsted County (LAOC) Volunteer Attorney, 1991 – Present
- LAOC Board of Directors, 1996 – 2002
- Southern MN Regional Legal Services (SMRLS) Pro Se Divorce Clinic, Volunteer Attorney, 2005 – 2012
- Olmsted County Judicial Subcommittee – Family Law
- Community Service
- Salvation Army, Advisory Board Member, 2014 – Present (Currently Vice-Chair)
- American Red Cross, SE MN Chapter, Board of Directors 2011-2014
- American Businesswomen’s Association, Greater Rochester, 2009-2013
- Redeemer Lutheran Church, Student and Adult Education
- Paws & Claws Humane Society
- Chamber of Commerce Women’s Roundtable Group
Bar Admissions
- Oklahoma, 1987
- Minnesota, 1987
- U.S. District Court District of Minnesota, 1987
Education
- O.W. Coburn School of Law, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK (nka Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA)
- J.D. – 1986
- Honors: Recipient, American Jurisprudence Award in Commercial Transactions I and II
- Winona State University, Winona, MN
- B.S. cum laude – 1983
- Major: Business Administration, Communications
- Family Law ADR Training (Continuing Education Excluded)
- Mediation training, 40 hours, 1994
- Mediation & Domestic Abuse, 1998
- Parenting Time Expeditor, 2009
- Social Early Neutral Evaluator (SENE), 2011
- Financial Early Neutral Evaluation (FENE), 2014
- Moderated Settlement Conference, 2016
Honors and Awards
- 2012 Third Judicial District Pro Bono Award