From a degree in liberal arts and a law license to the C-suite
Becoming CEO of UnitedLex wasn’t part of my career plan – in fact, I was named CEO shortly after joining the company as executive vice president and general counsel. However, when UnitedLex faced unexpected organizational change, I answered the call to step into the CEO role and haven’t looked back.
It’s not the first time that my career path has led to unexpected and exciting places. A proud member of the Choctaw Nation, I was born and raised in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. I am also honored to be the first in my family to attend college. I worked my way through college at the University of Oklahoma, where my love of languages led me to major in English and French literature. The next step was law school at the University of Texas. After graduating from law school, joining a major law firm was the practical choice. After developing my business acumen and operational experience for over a decade at Dell, I decided to leave the traditional in-house legal world behind and take on roles as Chief Operating Officer—first at Cobra Legal Solutions and later at Breakwater Solutions—where I gained valuable leadership experience in scaling operations and managing change.
Seeking new challenges, in 2023, I founded PracticLaw, which offered GC and COO services to startups and global clients seeking a business-centric approach to solving their legal problems. My next step was UnitedLex, first as general counsel and then CEO. The driving factor behind my career path has always been—and will continue to be—endorsing people and ideas I care about deeply and dedicating myself fully to their growth and progress.
As a leader, my first question is always: what is our mission – as a company, a department, and a team? For UnitedLex, our mission is to be the business partner for legal, tech savvy and strategic, helping general counsel deliver the key legal services that enable business success. We focus on driving transformation for our clients, helping them envision new ways of working while always emphasizing the human impact amid technological disruption, particularly regarding AI’s role in legal services. I firmly believe that upskilling and developing internal talent is the way forward in this age of AI. AI doesn’t replace people; instead, it will reshape which skills are most valuable and useful in the future.
In addition to upskilling my teams and preparing them for the future, I believe strongly in mentoring people from underrepresented backgrounds in the legal profession. Bringing diverse voices and perspectives to complex challenges enables us to build stronger teams that deliver the best outcomes for our clients. I want my teams to include people who are different from me—those who may see a perspective I overlook or identify blind spots—because I believe that ultimately makes our team stronger.
