My current practice focuses on family law matters, including divorce/dissolution of marriage/legal separation; children's issues, including child custody and relocation issues; guardianship of children and adults; child's legal counsel; family support; serving as a court-appointed and privately appointed attorney for children and at-risk adults; mediation; collaborative law; and related matters.

With a background as a registered nurse since 1981, I have been assisting families in crisis for many years. My family law experience initially arose out of my practice in professional liability defense litigation. Many of my clients requested and needed representation in family law matters. I realized I had an interest in family law as I had personally experienced the painful break-up of my own parents as a child, had been divorced, and had been a step-parent for many years. My interest revolved around trying to assist others through this difficult process in as economical a manner as possible.

As a result, I obtained training in alternative dispute resolution, including mediation and collaborative law. My law firm continues to provide mediation and collaborative law services in addition to traditional litigation to our clients.

My practice currently focuses on resolving high conflict matters in family law, health-related, and elder law issues in both the traditional and collaborative models. I also serve as court appointed counsel and as a Guardian ad Litem in the Combined Courts of El Paso and Teller Counties for adults and minors with exploitation, abuse, guardianship, and incapacity issues.

My past experience includes litigating a wide variety of matters involving health care, banking, mental health, child care, construction/real estate development, and business issues. I served as counsel to the medical, dental, clinical laboratory, mental health, and hospital communities, including the representation of Los Angeles County, California, owned and operated medical centers, and in the quality assurance, risk management, and ethics areas. I served as in-house counsel and chief operating officer of a medical group, Out-Patient Anesthesia Services, Inc., and served as a member of the Los Angeles Superior Court arbitration panel.

My past experience also involved defense litigation of mental health facilities, child care facilities, grocery stores, motor vehicle liability matters, and business/contract litigation, as well as lawsuits concerning the design and construction of residential and large commercial buildings. As a past President and Vice-President of a real estate development corporation, I have been involved in the acquisition and development of single family housing and commercial retail centers.

Areas of Practice

• Family Law
• Divorce / Dissolution
• Children's Issues
• Child Custody and Relocation Issues
• Guardianship of Children and Adults

Bar Admissions

• California, 1986
• Colorado, 1994
• U.S. District Court Central District of California, 1991
• U.S. District Court Eastern District of California, 1991
• U.S. District Court Southern District of California, 1991
• U.S. District Court District of Colorado, 2000
• U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit, 1992
• U.S. Court of Appeals 10th Circuit, 2000
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1992

Education

• Whittier College School of Law, Los Angeles, California, 1986
  Juris Doctorate
  Honors: Cum Laude
  
  
• California State University, Los Angeles, California, 1981
  Bachelor of Science
  Honors: Dean's List
  Honors: Honor Roll
  Honors: Moot Court Honors Board
  Major: Nursing
  
  

Classes/Seminars Taught

• Guest Speaker: "Avoiding Malpractice Claims for the Dental Practitioner", UCLA Dental School, 1995
• Guest Speaker: "Changes in the Uniform Guardianship & Protective Proceedings Act (UGPPA)", Pikes Peak Council of Governments Area Agency on Aging, July 26, 2001

Honors and Awards

• American Jurisprudence Awards: Criminal Law, Conflicts of Law, Labor Law, & Legal Research and Writing
• American Jurisprudence Award: "Highest Achievement Award" for Law and Medicine

Professional Associations and Memberships

• American Bar Association
  Member
  
  
• Colorado Bar Association
  Member
  
  
• El Paso County Bar Association
  Member
  
  
• Penrose St. Francis Medical Center, 2002 - 2003
  Palliative Care Committee
  
  
• Adult Protective Services Unit of El Paso County Dept. of Human Services for Magistrate David Griffiths, 2001 - 2003
  Probate Court Liaison
  
  
• Adult Protection Unit of the El Paso County Department of Human Services
  Community Advisory Board
  
  
• Community Collaboration Committee for Adult Protective Services
  Vice President
  
  
• Department of Human Services, 2000 - 2003
  Past President
  
  
• Adult Protective Services for El Paso County, 2003 - 2005
  Member, High Risk Assessment Committee
  
  
• Multidisciplinary Professionals Assisting Children, 2003 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Multidisciplinary Professionals Assisting Children, 2003 - 2005
  Education Chair
  
  
• El Paso County and Colorado Bar Associations' Family Law Sections
  Member
  
  
• El Paso County Bar Association, Law Day Poster and Essay Contest for Elementary and Middle School Students, 2004
  Co-Chair
  
  
• International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, 2003 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Pikes Peak Collaborative Law Professionals, 2004 - 2005
  Member
  
  
• Pikes Peak Collaborative Law Professionals, 2005
  Co-Chair, Education Committee
  
  
• Colorado Collaborative Family Law Professionals, 2003 - Present
  Member
  
  
• Colorado Collaborative Family Law Professionals, 2005 - 2006
  Education Co-Chair
  
  
• Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association, 2004 - Present
  Board Member
  
  
• Colorado Springs Youth Symphony Association, 2005 - Present
  Finance Committee Member
  
  
• Probate Court of El Paso and Teller Counties, 2000 - Present
  Guardian ad Litem for Minors and Adults
  
  
• Court Appointed Child's Legal Representative
  
  

Past Employment Positions

• Health Care Financial Management Association, Past Member
• American Immigration Lawyers Association, Past Member
• National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys, Past Member
• Los Angeles Superior Court Arbitration Panel, Past Member
• Colorado Bar Association 40-Hour Mediation Training, Past Member
• Advanced Mediation Training (8-Hour), Past Member
• 16-Hour Intensive Advanced Divorce Mediation Training, Past Member
• The Elledge Group, Inc., Past Member
• Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Training in Collaborative Family Law, Past Member

Fraternities/Sororities

• Phi Kappa Phi