I was born in the great State of Minnesota.  I grew up Mahtomedi and attended school in the Mahtomedi School District.  I currently live in the small town of Lake Elmo.  By living in Lake Elmo and operating a law firm in Roseville, I have been able to have my presence as a professional family law attorney known by Judges, Referees, Court Administrators and Judicial Clerks in Washington, Ramsey, Hennepin, Anoka and Dakota Counties.  I have also made several appearances in Chisago County, Sherburne County and Scott County.  I see myself as a zealous advocate that has earned the respect of Court officials and my colleagues.

 

Education:

 

I attended the University of Minnesota and received my bachelor’s degree in 1992, majoring in Psychology, with a minor in criminology. While at the University of Minnesota I was elected a member Phi Beta Kappa Society, a prestigious academic honor society with the mission of fostering and recognizing excellence in the undergraduate liberal arts and sciences.   

 

After graduating from the University of Minnesota, I attended Hamline University School of Law. While attending Hamline, I had the pleasure of serving on law review as senior editor for the Journal of Public Law and Policy. I graduated cum laude from Hamline University School of Law in 1995. 

 

Professional:

 

I have been in private practice since graduating from law school and passing the bar exam in 1995. From 1995-1997, I was an associate attorney with Strusinski and Associates, who merged with the Hessian McKasy and Soderberg law firm. As an associate, I worked on a wide variety of cases and issues, ranging from regulatory matters relating to cell phone towers to petroleum storage. I then joined a small Roseville family law firm in 1998. While there, I focused my practice area to that of family law and family law related issues. In 1999, I helped establish Hennek Klaenhammer & Lees, P.A.

 

I am an active member of the Minnesota State Bar Association and Ramsey County Bar Association. I am on a panel of attorneys that receive family law referrals from the Ramsey County Bar Association.  

 

I have a great deal of family law experience and work with my law partners to provide sound family law services as a team. 

 

I pride myself on the fact that the majority of my clientele are referrals from either former Hennek Klaenhammer & Lees clients or from opposing parties.

 

In representing clients in family law matters, I think that is important to fight for your client’s positions while keeping their expectations realistic.  Being a litigating attorney for several years, with a sole focus on family law issues, I feel that I have a good grasp of what clients can expect given their factual situations.  I am comfortable handling cases with a focus on mediation and settlement.  In many cases, I encourage an amicable and informal process that includes settlement conferences and/or mediation.  However, I also have the confidence and experience to take entire cases or specific issues all the way to trial.

 

 I will always attempt to keep attorneys fees to a minimum while advocating for a client’s “best case scenario”.  I have a reputation of being professional, yet personal because I have established long-term relationships with many of my clients.  You can count on me to be your ally throughout the entire process and beyond.