About Me
Litigator, Geek, Technophile
My path in life was not a straight line. For the first part, Miami was home. I was firmly planted in the tech world – development, graphic design, managing IT systems. Basically, I was the resident geek, and I enjoyed it. That chapter ended when a job I held decided Fargo, North Dakota was its next destination. I decided mine was Tallahassee and Florida State University.
Tallahassee wasn't just about finishing undergrad; it's where I met my wife, the most significant change of all. She was living in Montana when our paths crossed, making long-distance an understatement early on. I spent a good amount of time flying back and forth to visit her, but I knew almost immediately. It didn't take long – I proposed pretty quickly after we met. I still count myself incredibly lucky as I batted way out of my league. Once we graduated, we packed up and headed west together for the next chapter.
Next stop: Laramie, Wyoming, for law school. That's where I, a lifelong Floridian, got a real introduction to winter. Forget scraping a little frost; we're talking about those -40 degree days where "brutal" feels like an understatement. It was an experience.
After law school, we moved south to Colorado. I started practicing law there, handling cases across a several different fields. The snow was a bit less intense than Wyoming's deep freeze, but winter still demanded attention and a good set of tires.
Then COVID hit, and like it did for so many, it changed the dynamics. One unexpected silver lining was the widespread acceptance of remote work. This gave us an opportunity to make a move I promised for years – to a piece of paradise in Montana. We ended up atop a mountain with no close neighbors, traffic, or noise pollution. It's quiet and glorious up here.
Living on a mountain means snow is a different beast altogether. It requires planning, work, and a reliable plow truck. Getting through a few feet of powder is part workout, part gamble - rewarding when you win, less so when you're stuck halfway up the driveway. Again.
My from work in Miami, through Wyoming winters and Colorado traffic jams, to life on a Montana mountain brings a different perspective. Solving a coding problem, dealing with -40° weather, or navigating a legal issue all require breaking things down and finding what works. This approach carries over into how I handle cases today.
That old tech inclination hasn't disappeared either. I still enjoy tinkering. Currently, I'm slowly building a custom legal language model (running on a tiny Jetson Orin Nano) called Atticus, aiming to create a tool tailored to how I actually work. When I'm not dealing with code or cases, you'll likely find me outside working on my car, building the shed that's always in progress, or just generally tinkering with something that needs fixing or improving. It’s about understanding how things work, whether mechanical or digital.
Ultimately, this remote setup isn't just about location; it allows me to focus intensely on my cases without the constant distractions of city life. That peace and quiet translates into dedicated work for my clients. While I practice primarily from Montana, heading to Colorado for court is part of the routine. It’s a way of working that leverages quiet concentration, built on that varied journey.