Online legal services part of changing landscape
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
Education
Law School/Year: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, 1986
College/Year: Thomas Jefferson School of Law, BSL, 1984
Bar Admissions
California
Practice Areas
Environmental; Insurance; Personal Injury & Property Damage
Major Cases
While I cherish all of my clients, the two most interesting cases I’ve handled involved obtaining the payment of insurance benefits. I represented a San Diego Charger who purchased a $1.5 million disability policy from Lloyd’s of London. When he became disabled, Lloyd’s said he never had a policy. After 2 1/2 years of litigation, and being awarded $10,000 in sanctions against the defendants and their counsel, I was able to obtain a global seven-figure settlement for him from five different parties. I also assisted the van Dam family, pro bono, in obtaining a pre-litigation policy limits settlement for the wrongful death of their daughter, Danielle, from David Westerfield.
Professional Background
It’s been my honor and privilege to represent people who’ve been harmed by others. Most of my practice involves insurance bad faith and mold personal injury, but I recently handled a 26-plaintiff real estate fraud case, and I recently handled a shareholders derivative suit. Giving a voice and power to my clients’ causes and issues is truly what I was meant to be. I wake up feeling lucky every day that I get to do what I do for my client.
Professional Affiliations
I’m a member of the San Diego County Bar Association, San Diego Inns of Court and I’m currently the president-elect of the Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. I’ll be the president of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego in 2013 — only the seventh woman to attain that goal in the history of the more than 50-year organization. I’ve also been a Workshop Leader for several years for the San Diego Inns of Court training young attorneys how to be a trial attorney.
Personal Affiliations
Very recently, I was the Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Tariq Khamisa Foundation. TKF is dedicated to breaking the cycle of youth violence by empowering kids, saving lives and teaching peace. Through TKF’s school-based nonviolence programs, TKF works with elementary, middle and high school students, teaching them about the realities of gangs, violence, revenge, and the importance of making the right choices in their lives. TKF was founded by Azim Khamisa to “stop kids from killing kids” after the 1995 shooting death of his 20-year-old son, Tariq, by a 14-year-old gang member.
Personal Background
For those of you who believe we chart our own path, think again. In 1976, I applied for a job as a general office clerk at MBF Interiors, an interior design store, while I was going to college to get a degree in criminal justice. I did not get that job, but the owners of MBF were friends with two attorneys, the Kinsellas, who had just started their own firm and were looking for a legal secretary trainee. The Kinsellas had to let go of their secretary after one week, and called MBF asking for the names of people who were interviewed for the job I had applied for. MBF gave the Kinsellas the names of four people. When the Kinsellas called the people whose names were provided, I was the only one at home to get the call. It was a Friday at 6 p.m. I drove downtown for my interview and started the next Monday as a legal secretary trainee on June 20, 1976. After making a few job changes in the legal field, in 1979 I had interviews at four different firms, because my then-boss was retiring. I was given an offer at all four firms and asked my next-door neighbor which firm I should work for. That one decision changed my life. On October 29, 1979, I landed a job working for Dan White at Rhoades & Hollywood, an insurance defense firm, now known as Neil, Dymott, Frank, McFall & Trexler. I treasured that job, being Dan’s “right-hand person,” but he knew it was not my destiny, and he encouraged me to go to law school. I ended up winning the Legal Secretary Scholarship offered at my law school, and started on this journey toward here. Before getting that first job in the legal field, it never occurred to me to even try to find a job in that area, let alone go to law school. Yet, this is who I was meant to be since the day I was born. Thank you, Dan White, for your support and encouragement and being instrumental in helping me become the person I am today.
Online legal services are not going away, so traditional attorneys need to adapt to the changing marketplace, according to panelists at a San Diego Law Library event last month.
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