Who
I was born and raised in North Carolina – Winston-Salem, Charlotte, and finally Chapel Hill, a town I can’t seem to leave.
I graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BA (History) and a JD. Rather than practice following law school, I decided to try my hand at business – this was the dot-com boom, after all, the age of the entrepreneur.
I started a company that imported home furnishings from Vietnam. I learned a lot and gained some valuable experience. Unfortunately, like many companies born in that era, mine didn’t succeed.
So I decided I might as well put that law degree to use. I opened a solo practice, initially concentrating on family law. Quickly realizing that I wasn’t cut out for that field, I moved into business law, an area in which I felt much more comfortable.
Being a solo lawyer, however, is not easy. The stress and long hours began to wear on me. The death of my father caused me to step back and re-examine my life. It was during this re-examination that I got an e-mail about mediation training. Big deal – I am bombarded by offers of continuing education courses. But, as I needed CLE credits anyway (and this provided a huge number in one swoop), I decided to take the course.
And here I am. The course, taught by Andy Little of Mediation, Inc. (see links page) showed me that there was quite possibly something I was born to do. I enjoy mediation and I am good at it. It suits my temperament. And it allows me to work for myself without feeling overwhelmed. I truly like what I do.