My practice areas:
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General Counsel & Business Operations
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Land Use & Entitlements
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Municipal and Legislative Law
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Construction & Owner's Representation
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Real Estate & Development
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Community Advocacy & Governmental Relations
My work experience & strengths:
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Legal advocacy and process related to entitlement and land development issues for government, private (residential and commercial) and non-profit interests;
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Business operations as in-house counsel and outside-general counsel;
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Acting as an owner's rep for land development projects -- communication link between investors, architects, engineers and other professionals to streamline efficiencies in turn-key projects from diligence, purchase, permitting, construction and leasing/operations;
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Budget management for private and government entities;
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Contract writing and negotiations;
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Collaborative Law and Human Resources;
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Municipal and local government work from internal, staff operations to public facing meetings;
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Code and legislative review, drafting and public process to go from directive to adopted ordinance/policy;
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Public speaking and meeting management;
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Immigration (primarily DACA, Green Card & Naturalization; secondarily with vetting for business/investor/specialty visas)
CURRENT WORK
-Partner, DuBois Bryant & Campbell LLP
-Executive Board Member, Hill Country Conservancy
-City of Austin-Urban Design Guidelines, Building Advisory Committee
PAST
-Mayor, Sunset Valley (2010-2021)
-Owner, Private Practice (2008-2022)
-In-House Counsel (2010-2020)
-Judicial Clerkship for the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals (2008-2010)
For a complete professional bio, click here.
Education brought me to Georgetown, Texas which introduced me to Austin. Access to great outdoor space and my love of horses delivered me to Sunset Valley in 2008. From there I began my life-long work to create, protect and advocate for better public access to trails, green space and a better urban landscape. I served as an elected official and volunteer in Sunset Valley continuously from 2008-2022. During this period, I also acted as Managing Partner for a boutique law firm before forming my own practice in 2010 that focussed on in-house counsel work for local companies; immigration; and land development.
My public advocacy and volunteerism continued by joining the Board of Hill Country Conservancy in 2021 and the City of Austin drafting team for the revision of the City's Urban Design Guidelines in 2022. The building of the Violet Crown Trail has been a personal commitment since 2008, which is now open from Zilker Park through Sunset Valley with continued construction in progress headed toward Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. My work on the VCT will not be done until all trails and trail heads are open for public use.
I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan which is a story in itself and raised mostly in Moore, Oklahoma. After completing my undergraduate work at Southwestern University and before law school, I worked as an Admissions Director and Site Manager for Mexico and South America with an Austin-based international education company. My pro bono work has been devoted to immigration law and DACA since 2007 when I worked as an immigration assistant to the Dean of my law school. I have immense passion for diversity and equality in all parts of my community; having a balanced urban landscape that allows for the community to thrive; and public advocacy to promote and enforce both.
