I have experienced first hand how devastating a serious injury can be for individuals and their families. When I was a teenager, I was a passenger in a catastrophic automobile accident that forever changed my life. Despite the years of rehabilitation and the permanent scarring, my most painful memory wasn’t physical; it was of the strain that the financial uncertainty placed on my family. I’ll never forget the concerned look on my parents’ faces as they sifted through the mountain of unpaid medical bills.

Because I was fortunate enough to be represented in connection with my injury and therefore collect fair compensation, I was able to go on to attend college, where I majored in business and was twice elected as the president of the student government representing over 17,000 students. Here, I was drawn to public speaking and developed a passion for helping others. I enrolled in law school and quickly became a member of the university’s National Trial Team competing against the best law schools in tournaments from coast-to-coast.

Following law school graduation, I declined an offer from one of the nation’s top corporate law firms and decided to instead pursue my life-long dream inspired by my own experience: to work as a trial attorney on behalf of injured individuals. I joined Steve Barnes at the law offices of Cellino & Barnes in Manhattan, New York; where I focused on construction accident claims and trial advocacy. Today, I am the managing attorney of The Barnes Firm’s San Diego office.