Since 2004, Central Texas, and specifically, Austin, has been home. My two kids have grown up here, and my wife and I have established deep roots in our community. This area and the people here have given us so much, and we enjoy giving back.
I grew up in the mountains of the West, climbing, hiking, fishing, camping, skiing/snowboarding - basically anything that kept me outdoors. I was always active in sports like basketball, football, track, and cross-country running and in other extra-curricular activities.
After high school, I spent just over two years in Argentina (mostly in the Andes Mountains and the Tierra del Fuego), where I became fluent in Spanish and learned to love the Latin culture. When I came home from Argentina, I joined the Army as a prisoner-of-war interrogator to help pay for college. I received the Army's highest proficiency qualification in both Spanish and Portuguese and won two gold medals at the World Language Olympics in Monterrey, California. Two years into my enlistment, I began translating and transcribing federal wire taps and body wires for several government agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration.
During the last four years of my enlistment, I also went to school full time at Brigham Young University, finally earning a degree in Latin American Studies. After being discharged from the Army, I moved to New York City, where I went to Columbia Law School. Going to school in New York was unbelievable and taught me to value, more than ever, the strength of diversity and the power of community and family.
After law school, I moved to Chicago to work at Kirkland & Ellis, LLP, one of the premiere litigation firms in the world. As great as Chicago was, though, I missed New York and, after a year in the Windy City, I moved to Kirkland's New York Office. At Kirkland & Ellis, I tried numerous cases to a jury in complex areas of law like securities regulation, intellectual property, bankruptcy reorganization, and housing discrimination. I also briefed and argued appeals in federal and state courts.
In 2004, seeking a change from the hectic pace of big-firm life in New York City, I moved to Austin and instantly fell in love. As partner in two Austin law firms, staff attorney to two Travis County judges, and then Assistant Attorney General, I've done just about everything a litigator could hope to do, from managing trial teams in state and federal courts, trying cases to judges and juries, briefing and arguing state and federal appeals, and advising and conferring with judges in the management of their dockets.
In 2016, I started JRJ Law, PLLC, to offer exceptional, affordable legal services to Texans and their small businesses. I enjoy sitting down with people and figuring out creative, efficient solutions to their legal problems.
In our free time, my wife and I love to explore Austin and Central Texas, see new things (or old things in a new way), and meet new people. I'm also lucky enough to be able to go back to the West at least once a month, where I still enjoy doing all the outdoor activities I loved when I was growing up.