I have lived in Bellingham since 1992, when I came to attend WWU.  I am originally from the east coast and was born in New York and raised in Westchester County until age 12, when I moved to rural Lewis County, but I spent my summers in the City and on the east coast.  As a result, I have a particularly unique understanding of small town and big city issues, politics and customs.

I cut my legal teeth as a prosecutor intern in college and law school, trying cases in Whatcom County, as well as Lane County (Eugene) and Douglas County (Roseburg) Oregon.   I ultimately was appointed Assistant Chief Criminal Deputy and managed a division of the prosecutor's office, with four attorneys and four support-staff, while maintaining a full caseload of approximately 1000 cases a year.

In 2006 I moved into private practice at Belcher Swanson, and focused on civil litigation.  My trial and critical thinking skills gained as a prosecutor melded well with my current practice of commercial, real estate and land use litigation.

In my personal time I focus on spending quality time with my adolescent son.  One of our favorite past times is boating, exploring and fishing in the San Juan Islands and beyond.  I am an avid fisherman and annually head to the West coast of Vancouver Island to fish for any species I'm allowed to catch.