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In anticipation of completing a full 20-year career in the U.S. Army as a non-lawyer, I attended night law school. I did so with an eye to ensuring my second career as an attorney would also be "service" in a different but no less significant way.

I am proud of my years of service in the U.S. Army (1984-2008) where I served as a combat engineer and later a strategist. My career was in bookended by service in Iraq where I served as a platoon leader of 40 Combat Engineer Airborne Soldiers in Desert Shield/Storm (1990-1991) and then again as a strategist in Baghdad from 2004-2005. I also did two two tours at the Pentagon and one at the State Department in Washington, DC.

I took advantage of my significant time in DC to prepare for retirement in 2008 by attending night law school (2002-2004; 2005-2007) and graduated the day after my Pentagon retirement.

Education:

United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point (1984-1988) - Bachelor of Science;

Yale University (1994-1996) - Master of Arts; and

Georgetown University Law Center (2002-2007) - Juris Doctorate

I returned to St. Louis, took the Missouri Bar exam and have been a litigator for the past 15+ years. During twelve of the last fifteen years, I worked vigorously to protect constitutional, civil, and statutory rights of vulnerable, under-served, marginalized, and often despised clients. I have litigated in diverse settings, including in large and small firms, at a not-for-profit (2010-2015), and for the federal government (2015-2022). I have practiced extensively in Missouri and (less so) Illinois state courts, including significant appellate work in Missouri. I have also litigated cases in six federal district courts, the 8th and 10th Circuits, and a state criminal case before the Supreme Court of the United States (Missouri v. McNeely, 569 U.S. 141 (2013). In that case, the Supreme Court ruled that our client, from southeast Missouri, had his rights violated when the police drew his blood without his consent and without a warrant.

Court Admissions (selected):

Missouri (2008);

Illinois (2009; currently inactive given Missouri state employment);

U.S. [federal] District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Missouri (2008);

Eighth Circuit [federal] Court of Appeals (2010); and

Supreme Court of the United States (2011).

Again, serving as an Assistant Public Defender is a continuation of "service" and I am dedicated to vigorously and professionally representing my clients.

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