I was born and raised in Kansas City, spent decades playing the violin at a competitive level, and pursued law with complete focus from an early age. I began my career as a practicing attorney at Skadden in New York City. It was the dream I had worked toward for years – and one that meant even more to my immigrant parents, who came to America with very little and endless hope.
At Skadden, I experienced firsthand the intensity, pace and expectations that define top-tier legal practice. Over time, I realized I wanted to help businesses more directly – which led me to move in-house, where I gained a new perspective on how legal departments operate and how business priorities shape legal strategy. I later worked in legal tech, witnessing how innovation continues to evolve the profession and how modern legal careers are rarely linear.Across each chapter, I kept noticing the same thing over and over.
The most important career and hiring decisions were often being made with the least strategic guidance –
Attorneys navigating high-stakes moves alone, firms hiring under pressure, and recruiting too often feeling rushed and disconnected from long-term fit.
Legal recruiting was the perfect intersection of everything I had built: deep industry knowledge, strategic insight and a genuine passion for guiding others through pivotal moments. After more than eight years in the field, I founded Athena Search Group to bring a more thoughtful, ethical and modern approach to the legal market.