What is your current position?
Attorney and State Representative
What year did you graduate from UConn? 1975
Where did you go to law school? How did you choose that school?
St Mary’s School of Law in San Antonio Texas. My UConn pre law advisor was a graduate and recommended it, and after research I decided to go and experience a different part of the country!
What year did you graduate from law school? 1978
UConn Experience
Major: Political Science
How did your major help you prepare for law school and for practice?
It gave me insight into the political and legal process.
What organizations and activities (e.g., clubs, sports, study abroad) did you participate in while at UConn?
Student Government; Hillel; Shalom Group; UConn Student Newspaper;
What jobs or internships did you have while at UConn?
Interned for credit at Legal Aid, worked at the Towers Snack Bar, and served as a Youth Group Advisor
Did you take any time off?
No time off was taken. I went directly to Law School.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to a current UConn student?
Study Abroad – my two sons who went to Boston University spent a semester in England taking classes and interning. They had a tremendous experience and found their internship to be very valuable.
Law School Experience
What programs did you participate in during law school?
Moot Court, Legal Research Board, Student Newspaper
Were you active in any student groups? Which?
Worked part time as a Law Clerk for a private law firm.
Did your involvement with those specific programs or organizations help you in your career path or in any other ways?
Helped build knowledge, experience and confidence.
What is one piece of advice you wish someone had given you before law school?
To explore different areas of the law practice, i.e. private practice vs government vs corporate practice.
Work Experience
Describe your practice setting.
Small to medium – 6 attorneys – general practice with niche areas.
Area(s) of practice.
General Practice, Business Law, Criminal (Defense), Corporate, Employment ,Family Law, Immigration, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Torts, Trusts & Estates
How did you choose this area of law?
I started in a general practice, learned different subject matter, and focused in areas I found fulfilling.
Is there a typical day? How would you describe it?
Hectic and Busy – balancing law and the legislature!
How many hours per week do you work? What is your schedule?
My week never ends! I’m always taking work home at night and weekends and putting in non-stop days.
Describe your work/life balance.
Difficult but exciting and enjoyable.
What do you like most about your job? What would you change?
Challenging, inspiring and able to help people. Being part of the legislative process of making laws.
If you couldn’t be a lawyer anymore, what would you do? If you had a career before becoming a lawyer, what was it?
I’d go into government or public relations!!
Roughly, how much are you student loan payments?
I had to borrow to pay for UConn and Law School. It took many years after beginning my law practice to pay off my loans.
How long do you expect to be paying your student loans?
Finished about 10 years after graduating law school.