Describe your career trajectory.
My story is uncommon in that I was in private practice for a very short time and have returned to it so many years later.
I began my career at a law firm in St. Louis where I did corporate and transactional work for financial services and insurance companies. I am especially passionate about life insurance. People avoid discussing it because the subject of death is uncomfortable, but a lost income due to death or disability often results in serious hardship for the underinsured.
This focus led me in-house for nearly two decades, first at a large insurance company in my hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then at a smaller life insurance company in Waco, Texas. (No, I had not yet seen the show Fixer Upper!)
During my 13 years at the first company, I detoured from law into operations for a few years—a wonderful opportunity to learn the business side—and also briefly led the annuities compliance department. 
My family and I later relocated 1,000 miles south when I accepted the position of general counsel for a subsidiary of a large Canadian parent. When the parent company desired to expand beyond traditional insurance in the United States, I worked with our team on two M&A deals in my first five years, which expanded the company into the dealer services business in the U.S., and along with organic growth in the life business, significantly increased the size of U.S. operations in terms of revenue, number of employees, and geographic scope. Ultimately, I took on the roles of head of U.S. legal, compliance, and corporate secretary and immersed myself in the warranty group business. Near the end of my tenure with the company, I had the opportunity to again take on a business role, with senior responsibilities in life insurance operations and marketing.
Why did you choose to move to Husch Blackwell?
During my time as general counsel for my most recent employer, I had connected with Lorinda Holloway when the company began using Husch Blackwell for legal matters. During some discussions last year, she asked if I had ever considered returning to private practice. My immediate reaction was no; thinking that ship had sailed 20 years prior when I went in-house. However, she shared success stories of attorneys who had joined the firm after working for clients and the government. I felt like this was such a unique opportunity that I had to give it a shot.
How does Husch Blackwell support your practice?
Success requires a variety of tactics. Sverre Roang and I have developed a plan, part of which involves connecting with Husch Blackwell attorneys who are working with clients that could use my talents. While I didn’t bring a book of business to the firm beyond the opportunity to grow our existing relationship with my prior company, I offer clients perspective and experience, including a wealth of legal and operational knowledge specific to the insurance industry.
I’ve only been here a few months, so naturally I feel like I could be doing more, but management has emphasized that this is a process; it will take time to market my name, availability, and resources to the right people. That said, I’ve been fortunate to work with a lot of great attorneys and clients already. Across the board and up and down, there’s been support for my practice.
Describe your experience with The Link, the firm’s virtual office.
The communication during the onboarding process about resources available to me as someone who wasn’t going to work in a brick-and-mortar setting was amazing, and Husch Blackwell made the process of setting up my remote office extremely simple. I attend Austin and Link office partner meetings virtually and have already spent time at the Austin and Dallas offices, so I absolutely feel like part of the team, even though I work remotely.
What is one thing that makes Husch Blackwell special?
I quickly warmed to the idea of restarting my private practice at Husch Blackwell because of the experience I had as a client. I’m seeing the same great things—teamwork, camaraderie, and just doing the right thing—now as part of the firm.