Ordained minister and qualified mediator. Licensed Attorney with more than 12 years in criminal and civil practice. Experienced in handling discovery and using depositions to leverage settlements. Familiar with illustrating legal principles to juries, and explaining legal alternatives to clients of varied backgrounds. Skills I now use in helping the church counsel individuals through separation and child custody, truancy, unemployment, incarceration, homelessness, and more. BACKGROUND:I returned to the U.S. in 2018, after three years as a preacher/missionary to Malawi (southern Africa).Before becoming a preacher, I spent 12 years in trial practice. I was a Public Defender in Hennepin County Minnesota for just over 6 years. Where I was a finalist for their 2002 Trial Attorney of the Year award. I left in 2004 and developed my skills further as an Associate at Bowman and Brooke LLP, then as an Assistant United States Attorney.During my time in the practice, my minister encouraged me to teach in my local church. So I began teaching on Sundays, then tried preaching, and was surprised at how much I enjoyed both. However, I soon realized they required different skills than I learned in litigation. So I eventually went back to school, and became an ordained minister. After just over three years as a youth minister, I was asked to help train prospective preachers in southern Africa—where I spent three years ministering to churches and their surrounding communities, before returning to the U.S.