Michelle received her B.A. from Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, in May 1996. She graduated, with honors, from Washburn University in 1999, where she served as the Business Editor of the “Washburn Law Journal,” 1998-1999.Michelle started in private practice in Wichita, Kansas in 1999, working exclusively in the area of insurance defense. In 2002, she changed her practice structure and, now a Member at Klenda Austerman LLC, her representation of clients is diverse. She manages both business clientele and individuals, representing them in everything from large complex commercial lawsuits to smaller contractual and tort based disputes. Michelle focuses on offering cost-effective service, combined with aggressive litigation, to provide her clients the resolutions to legal matters they seek. In 2008 and 2009, Michelle was named as a Missouri & Kansas Rising Star Lawyer. Also in 2009, she recently gained local notoriety for initiating litigation against a national car wash chain on behalf of a group of sub-contractors who had not received payment for work completed under their contracts. She continues to litigate in a vast area of commercial litigation, including the case involving a national dispute over payment of oil following the controversial SemCrude Bankruptcy in 2008.Michelle spends her time out of the office balancing the life of a working mother of two with an often intense marathon training schedule. She and her husband participate with their 6 year old son in the GoRun Youth Group and spend their free time attending local and regional running events in which the whole family participates. In the past, she has served as a volunteer and Board Member for Dress for Success Wichita. After the recent birth of her daughter, Michelle switched gears and now volunteers and serves as a Board Member for The Treehouse – a local non-profit group providing education, guidance and support to to moms having babies in crisis situations.