Education
Law School: University of San Diego School of Law
College: California State University, San Diego (B.A., psychology, magna cum laude)
Major Cases
I have prosecuted a variety of complex design, construction and product liability cases involving commercial properties, apartments and high rise/attached condominiums. These cases usually last several years, often resulting in published opinions establishing important precedent in construction defect cases. Issues range from the constitutional right to jury trial and waiver (Treo @ Kettner Homeowners Assn. v. Superior Court; Villa Vicenza Homeowners Association v. Nobel Court Development; Pinnacle Museum Tower Assn. v. Pinnacle Market Development (US), LLC, as amicus counsel) to the applicability of attorney client privilege to communications between homeowner association litigation counsel and individual homeowners of a project in litigation (Seahaus La Jolla Owners Assn. v. Superior Court).
Professional Background
While in law school, I clerked at a local firm practicing almost exclusively in construction defect law representing plaintiffs. I also externed at the Court of Appeal, Fourth District, Division One. Both experiences shaped my interest in prosecuting design and construction defect cases, and related writs and appeals. After then working with J. Michael Reed for my first few years in practice, in 2001 I joined Epsten Grinnell & Howell APC, a full-service community association law firm. I truly love this work and hope that as a shareholder I’ve made a positive contribution for the benefit of our firm’s clients and others battling the same legal issues.
Professional Affiliations
I am a member of the California State Bar, the San Diego County Bar Association, the Consumer Attorneys of California, and over the years have served on various committees of the local San Diego chapter of the Community Associations Institute (CAI). These professional affiliations help to enrich my work on cases involving significant property damage claims of property owners and homeowner associations against various responsible parties including design professionals, developers, contractors, subcontractors, and product manufacturers. The underlying design/construction issues are fascinating, and the legal/ appellate issues are challenging and rewarding.
Personal Affiliations
I am an active member of the Thursday Club Juniors, a philanthropic organization committed to serving others in need. Every spring, the Thursday Club hosts the largest rummage sale in San Diego County (it’s always in Balboa Park -- look for it in the paper and the news). The Thursday Club Juniors also hosts a gala benefiting a variety of different worthy causes each year.
Personal Background
Raised in Massachusetts, I moved to San Diego in 1984 for the last two years of high school, college, law school and presumably the rest of my life. My pioneering parents moved from Copenhagen, Denmark, to Montreal with their first three children, had three more children in Canada, and moved to the United States for the final four children, including me. Yes, I have nine siblings, and I am sure that the varied and flavorful disagreements during childhood led me in some way to law school to seek a higher form of justice. While in law school, I met my husband, Mike Rauch, and we have two boys ages 12 and 16 who bring us great joy.