Paralegal
I was born and raised here in Nashville, Tennessee. My mother was a schoolteacher and my father a small business owner and both set an example of hard work, perseverance and service to others for my older sister and me.
After graduating from St. Cecilia Academy, I attended the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee where I earned a bachelor of arts in English, graduating summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa. While at Sewanee, I actively participated in the Greek community as a member of the Eta Epsilon chapter of Kappa Delta sorority and enjoyed playing violin in the University Orchestra.
I spent the first few years following my graduation from Sewanee trying my hand in different fields, beginning with a brief turn in guest services at The Grand Floridian Resort and Spa at Walt Disney World in Orlando. In that position, I gained invaluable skills in conflict resolution and customer service, skills that continue to assist me today in providing service to our clients and in communicating with adjusters and opposing attorneys.
I left Orlando for a position in the Homes & Gardens department of Southern Living Magazine where I learned the beauty and productivity of a collaborative work environment (and enjoyed the yummy experiments of the test kitchen to boot!). In 2009, however, I returned home to Nashville where a chance encounter with an old acquaintance led to my first position in the legal field, at a small civil litigation firm in downtown Nashville. I started out as the receptionist, then was given the opportunity to work as a legal assistant which eventually led to my role as a paralegal at another civil litigation firm in town.
Taylor and I met in 2009 while working at the same firm and, in spring 2012, we began working as a team. The move made sense, since we had been working as a team in our personal lives since late 2010, when Taylor first (in a very endearing, awkward way!) asked me out. We have been dating ever since and married in Nashville in October of 2014.
When folks come to us as clients, whether it’s related to a car accident, slip, trip and fall accident or something else, it typically means that something traumatic, stressful and at times frightening has happened to them. I strive to be a calming presence to our clients and to take some of the stress and fear out of their situation, whether it be by helping to set up payment plans for medical bills, communicating with adjusters or even just being an attentive ear when they need someone to listen. At Sutherland & Belk, we truly are a family operation and I try to provide the same level of service to our clients that I would want a loved one to receive.