From Client to Counselor: My Journey to Becoming a Lawyer

In 2018, my life changed in an instant. I was injured in a serious car wreck that left me with herniated cervical discs and injuries requiring shoulder surgery. At the time, I was a solo mom raising a two-year-old, and the weight of recovery, on top of motherhood, felt almost impossible to carry.

Like many people who find themselves in that situation, I turned to a lawyer for help. What I didn’t know then was that my case would become the beginning of a new chapter in my life. After my deposition, my attorney, Natanya Brooks, and I connected in a way that went beyond just attorney and client. She saw something in me and asked me to join Brooks Law Partners as a paralegal.

Working in the legal field was eye-opening. Every day, I met clients who were struggling with the same kinds of fears and frustrations I had experienced. I wasn’t just doing paperwork, I was listening, empathizing, and helping guide people through one of the most difficult moments of their lives. Having lived that journey myself, I knew what it meant to sit on the other side of the table.

That experience changed everything for me. I realized I didn’t just want to support clients; I wanted to stand up and fight for them. In 2021, I enrolled in law school, determined to turn my experience into a career of advocacy. Balancing law school, paralegal work, and raising my child was not easy, but every challenge reminded me why I started.

This past May (2025), I graduated law school, and in July I sat for the bar exam. Now, as I await results, I can look back and see how what began as a painful season in my life has grown into a calling.

My journey from client, to paralegal, to lawyer-in-waiting has taught me that empathy and experience are powerful tools in advocacy. I know firsthand what it feels like to be injured, overwhelmed, and unsure of the future. And now, I’ve dedicated my career to helping others navigate those same struggles with strength, dignity, and hope. For anyone who finds themselves where I once was, please know this: your story doesn’t end with your injury. Sometimes the hardest chapters in life are the very ones that lead us toward our true purpose.