On the contrary, Ashley has used these experiences to shape her life and her practice, calling on these memories to meet her clients where they are – understanding their needs and
emotions and connecting with them in a way that provides the counsel and the support they need.
Ashley’s decision to become a lawyer was not surprising, given her natural tendency towards helping others, but it didn’t happen immediately.
When she had her first child, people in her life treated her as though she would never amount to anything, and Ashley was determined to prove them wrong.
She spent years working as a paralegal before deciding to go to law school. She worked on her bachelor’s degree at night while continuing to work during the day. After obtaining her business degree, Ashley attended law school and graduated magna cum laude from Gonzaga University School of Law.
Her time as a paralegal had given her some experience working with injured people, but after taking her first position as an attorney, Ashley was able to work with brain injury survivors on a more personal level.
She saw time and again insurance companies trying to take advantage of survivors or other lawyers not giving them the care their case deserved, and so she fought tooth and nail for her clients.
The most moving case Ashley has ever been a part of was that of a victim of a catastrophic brain injury that left her client bed-ridden and unable to communicate.
Thanks to Ashley’s advocacy and the support of her client’s devoted wife, they were able to secure hyperbaric treatment for her client – a type of therapy that helps with swelling in the brain and cell repair. After some time with the treatment, Ashley’s client was finally able to tell his wife, “I love you.”
This type of win meant more to Ashley than any monetary sum ever could.
But Ashley experienced a hardship again only 6 months into her legal career, when her father lost his battle to cancer. It was actually while the jury was deliberating in one of Ashley’s cases that she was able to be with her father as he took his last breath.
