About Susan

Strengths and Style

My major strength is that I see creative solutions to problems. I think outside the box. For example, some of our clients work seasonal jobs. If possible we make their plan payments adjust to the seasons.

I take the time to look for programs that can help our clients. I believe that I can make someone’s life better by sharing information about programs that can help them. I try to make a difference in the life of everyone who walks in my door.

I don’t sugar coat the truth for clients. I believe that clients should know where they stand. I do this with kindness and concern. I want to know what options I have and I think that clients want the same things. I explain the law to my clients. I think that clients really like to be treated with respect and kindness. I don’t believe that needing help is a sign of weakest. I think that getting help is a sign of strength.

My clients have things... they have had good jobs and they have cars and house. They want to keep their things. I do my best to provide options for them to keep the things that they want to keep, if their budget allows. I also help my clients come to terms with it may be time to give up something.

Life

I grew up on a farm. My parents wanted us to learn the value of hard work. My dad was a pipe fitter. The farm was his part-time job. I learned those values. I have been working 6 days a week in my practice for years. I just started closing the office on most Saturdays. I need the rest. I also want to spend time with my family, which has grown in the last few years. My husband and I have hosted 8 foreign exchange students from all over the world. We adopted our 7th, our son, Amiran.

Before I went to law school, I was a manager at several different types of businesses including fast food, retail clothing and outside sales. I understand seasonal work, which means for my clients, who work seasonal jobs, that I understand that their plan must reflect real life. So, for my clients we use step payments and seasonal payments. This helps my clients stay in their case even when their income is reduced.

I call bankruptcy law: happy law. It sounds odd. But before I started my own practice I did termination of parental rights cases for the State of Missouri. It was very nasty law. I saw the worst of the worst including parents, who murdered their children. Now, to do the reframe: I won my cases. To this day I have judges who say that looking at me makes them ill as they can’t stop thinking about the family law cases that I had before them. So, bankruptcy is happy law. My clients are happy at the end of their cases, for the most part. The same is true with most traffic clients.