I was born and raised in Des Moines, but in 2006 graduated from CUNY School of Law in New York City, where I focused my studies on immigration law. In law school I participated in the Immigrant and Refugee Rights Clinic and interned for the non-profit legal firm Immigrant Initiatives. After passing the NY and IA bar exams, I worked with the Community Legal Resource Network (CLRN) and the Citizenship and Immigration Project in NYC (now called Citizenship Now!). During my time practicing law in New York I represented clients in deportation proceedings, assisted clients with Greencard, Citizenship and other family-based immigration applications, and successfully represented Asylum seekers through the complex and exhaustive path from undocumented "alien" to US Citizen.

       Following the birth of my first child, I moved back to Iowa with my family, where I was hired as a staff attorney for Iowa Legal Aid and where I worked for over 6 years. At ILA we worked tirelessly to provide free civil legal services to low income Iowans. Legal Aid Attorneys are generalists by nature, but I gained a great deal of experience in the areas of tax, housing, family, domestic abuse, consumer and administrative law. Working at Iowa Legal Aid I saw the large numbers of people who cannot afford the help of a private attorney, and who do not otherwise qualify for free legal assistance.  We decided to start Community Lawyers of Iowa to help bridge this gap in affordable legal services (read more about CLI HERE).

        I currently live in Johnston with my wife and my two young children. When not spending time with my family, I enjoy cycling and reading. Thanks for considering CLI for your legal needs and I look forward to working with you to help you achieve your goals.