I was born in Syracuse, New York; lived in Florida, Labrador, Nebraska and grew up in Michigan. I went to the University of Michigan and graduated with a double degree in English and Oral Interpretation. I was in the Michigan Men’s Glee Club when we won an international choral competition in Wales. I played trumpet in the Michigan Marching band and traveled to an Orange Bowl and the Rose Bowl. I marched in the Rose Parade. I graduated with a Juris Doctor from the Detroit College of Law in 1982.
The last two years of Law School I worked full time clerking at a law firm in Detroit and went to school full time at night. I passed the Bar in Michigan on the first try and worked for a medium sized firm in Detroit. My major job at the firm was putting all of our estate planning into this new device called a computer. I wanted to move from Detroit and picked the best place in the country to live. I came to Colorado and passed this bar exam also on the first try. I have been running my office since May 1983.
As a young lawyer I joined the Chapter 7 panel of Trustees for the Colorado Bankruptcy court. I held dockets once or twice a month in Denver as Trustee. Along with the computerized estate planning I started to represent people in Criminal Court. I mentored with a County Court Judge and found that I was very good at dealing with Misdemeanors and especially the DUI cases.
These three areas of law have been my concentration since the very beginning.
On a personal level: I met my wife here in Boulder and we have two brilliant children. Our daughter Elizabeth is a Junior in College and plans to go to medical school. Our son is a Senior at Boulder High and plans to start at a business school in the fall 2016. I am the Scoutmaster for Troop 77 in Boulder. I am an Eagle Scout and so is my son. My daughter also reached the highest rank in Girl Scouts, the Gold award.
Music remains an important part of my life and I sing in many choirs, I am the section leader for FUMC in Boulder and have been a soloist for choirs including the Boulder Bach Festival.