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Indiana Prosecuting Attorneys Council
Indiana University Maurer School of Law, 2004
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
My mother would tell you it’s because I liked to argue as a child, but I didn’t grow up wanting to become an attorney. Like most liberal arts majors, I studied what interested me without thinking enough about what that meant for my future. Only as I approached graduation from college did I start thinking about what was next: law school or getting my master’s in public policy and heading to D.C. I took the LSAT, and the legal profession won out.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
I wish I was interesting enough to answer that I would be a bartender in Australia or something like that, but I have always had a love for government, politics, and policy so it’s likely that I would have headed to Washington, D.C., and tried to make my mark there. Not as a political candidate, but more of a policy wonk.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
Senior Marion County Judge Lisa Borges has been a gift to me at multiple stages of my life and my career. She was still a deputy prosecutor when I began as an intern at the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office, and I have tried some of my biggest cases personally and professionally in her courtroom after she took the bench. On multiple occasions she set all her work aside to give me her full attention simply because she cared about me and about my success. I can never return that favor to her, so I hope to pay it forward.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
Compassion. The ability to listen. The ability to recognize you probably aren’t the most knowledgeable person in the room. Drive. Curiosity. Attention to detail. As a prosecutor, it’s the desire to stand between a bully and a victim and say, “not today.”
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
Most, if not all, lawyers just care about people. We might find our specialties intellectually stimulating or interesting, but for the most part we just got into this to use our skills to help you. Whether it’s more obvious like personal injury, criminal prosecution/defense, or family law, or whether it’s latent like helping someone get a patent or copyright, we like to make your day better.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
At one point in my career, I was the sole domestic violence prosecutor in Johnson County. It struck me that victims (and particularly repeat victims) might call 911 knowing for a fact that I would be the prosecutor. I made it my goal to work hard and to seek justice, but to treat both the alleged victims and the defendants with a sense of responsibility never to behave in such a manner as to be the reason a victim might not call for help.
Tell us something surprising about you.
I have an uncanny ability to rap to late ’80s/early ’90s hip hop music that contradicts my middle-aged mom appearance.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Don’t take criticism from someone you wouldn’t ask for advice.
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