What motivated you to become a trial lawyer? I didn’t set out wanting to be a trial lawyer (had I known any growing up in Capac things might have been different). Instead I started my career asking tough questions as a reporter and student of journalism. When I got sick of coming back to the newsroom frustrated after long days in the Missouri statehouse I knew it was time to make a change and I began running political campaigns. After that led me to become Chief of Staff at The Office of the Child Advocate in New Jersey, law school felt like a natural step. Thankfully the experiences I had in school – including winning the AAJ Women’s Caucus Scholarship – put me on the path I’m on now. I see being a trial lawyer as an extension of the advocacy I’ve been passionate about my entire career – telling stories that haven’t been told or in new ways in order to help people.

When did you become a member of MAJ? Why did you decide to join? By the time I moved home to Michigan in 2012, I had worked for a year as an attorney in Southern Illinois and had become active nationally with AAJ. I already knew the important work our association does to help our practices and clients so joining immediately was a no-brainer. Plus, trial lawyers are fun and I love making new friends!

Why do you feel it is important for trial lawyers to be a part of MAJ? At both the state and national level, the camaraderie and support you feel when you are around and have access to other trial lawyers are unmatched. Nobody does what we do, and no one understands our struggles like our colleagues. Apart from the energy and solidarity that membership in MAJ provides, there is political and professional support that no other legal organization can beat.

Why do you feel supporting the Justice PAC is important? MAJ leads the front line in the fight for access to the Courts, to shape the law, and generally to preserve and improve a just system in our state. I’d hate to think of how slanted the scale would be against people if the members and staff of our organization were not out there every day. Between helping to elect pro-civil justice candidates at every level and the legislative work our staff does every day, our PAC helps fend off the influence of corporate greed and ill-gotten profits.

What is distinctive about your practice? And your firm? The Detroit office of Weitz & Luxenberg is one of, if not the only national, plaintiff-side firms with a presence here in Michigan. The effect is that we have the resources, ability to scale, and expertise to handle large matters that others may not. On our own and teamed up with our colleagues, our firm has helped originate and lead major litigation impacting our state, country, and clients. These include the National Opioid Litigation, defective medical products, asbestos exposure, consumer class actions, sex abuse and trafficking, Camp Lejeune, and Flint water, among others.

In particular, my practice is different because of my varied experience representing both individual clients from filing to trial, and work in planning and managing large, complex litigation. Whether it is orchestrating massive discovery operations spanning multiple firms over multiple years, litigating details of ESI agreements that can be case-determinative, or using real world examples of my clients’ lives to help tell their story in court, after 11 years in practice, I feel confident in my ability to help create big change in the world.

What is your most memorable case? There are already so many, but the one I think I will look back on as having taught me the most is my work in the opioid litigation. While we represent more than 60 Michigan cities and counties, because of our firm’s national leadership role we were also active participants in a trial that spanned April until July of this year on behalf of the People of San Francisco. At the end, Walgreens – the only Defendant that remained standing – was found liable for creating the public nuisance of the opioid epidemic in the City. And I found my way of thinking about the practice of law and my career transformed.

What was your most satisfying case? I don’t think I can pick just one here. Generally speaking I find the work I’ve done on behalf of women, juveniles, and seniors has been the most fulfilling. While technically a mass tort, my first client who suffered severe effects from defective transvaginal mesh is someone I think of regularly. Other cases on behalf of incarcerated (and then sexually abused) juveniles, those injured due to nursing home negligence, trafficking survivors, and victims of Larry Nassar remain among the results I am most proud of.

Please provide a brief description of your interests outside the practice of law. In recent years I’ve become an active sailor out of Bayview Yacht Club – and have even secured first and third place Mackinac wins as part of a great crew. Indoor rock climbing takes the place of sailing when the weather is colder. Of course, I also squeeze in as many live performances as I can throughout the year whether it be opera, theater, or concerts. And travel, always travel.