As an attorney I advocate for the goals of my clients. But counseling comes first: not how but whether to act. I can’t be a mindless gun for hire: that avoids my own responsibility and poorly serves clients. At the same time, I strive not to impose my own values. Really, attorneys are just social janitors: we organize things and clean up messes.

Trial experience — dealing with disputes that end up in court — has honed my sensibilities. Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., said it best: “The prophecies of what the courts will do in fact, and nothing more pretentious, are what I mean by the law.” Legal advice not regularly challenged in court is mostly philosophy.

For 19 years, I trained at a Zen Buddhist monastery and worked as a carpenter. I then completed a BA in American Studies from the University at Buffalo, a law degree from Northeastern University in Boston, and a Masters from the Colorado School of Public Health. Click here to see my diplomas, starting with the most important.

I enjoy hand-making books, crosswording, urban bicycling, and playtime with kids.

Click to see me drawn by children who go to the same coffeehouse.