About Abbi S. Taylor. Looking back on more than three decades of lawyering, I am reminded that I have been dedicated to this path since I was eight years old. Years ago, I told an aunt I was going to be a criminal defense lawyer;everything I have done since then has been toward that single goal. I am a full-time lawyer, part-time Judge and a mediator/arbitrator. Being a Judge since 1997 has helped me be a better lawyer by giving me insight as to what prosecutors and judges look for in a case. It also gives me an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of our justice system, from both sides of a case. Being a mediator and arbitrator has made me a better attorney because it demonstrates how to help people negotiate and reach agreements in lieu of being stuck in the court system.

I chose to focus on parole cases when I witnessed how the system was stacked against any given defendant and saw that he or she had no voice. I decided to be that voice. I have helped hundreds of people get home to their families. I have helped individuals move to better placements in the prison system. I have made a difference in the quality of individuals’ lives in and out of prison.

I have also had the privilege of helping people in the very darkest times of their lives. I was able to prove that a little boy’s parents did nothing to harm him; in fact, the babysitter had caused the injury. I made sure that the boy’s parents did not spend a day apart from him and that no charges were filed. They were so grateful, they named their next child after me. Unfortunately for them, she has my gift of gab.

I was the lead attorney on a case with national exposure when five camp counselors at a program for troubled youngsters were charged with murder in the death of a participant. I was able to prove the counselors had done everything properly, the way they were trained, and that the participant died for other reasons and not as a result of anything the clients did. The charges were eventually dropped and I was able to get the arrests erased off of their records. I was honored to attend one of the counselor’s weddings. He and his family now regard me as a member of their family.

In another case, I represented a client who was convicted of a domestic incident with his wife that made him deportable. When I was hired, he was in immigration custody and in the process of being deported. I was able to get his conviction set aside and he was released from custody and able to resume his life with his wonderful family.

These are a few examples of why I am so proud to do this kind of work. In my personal life, my husband and I have a daughter, son-in-law, and two fast-growing grandchildren. We love spending time with them. My husband and I enjoy running half marathons (I did my first full marathon a few years ago), hike, play tennis, do yoga and relax with our dogs. I was a founding member and board member of MostlyMutts.org, an animal rescue organization and no-kill shelter, for over ten years. I still volunteer as a legal consultant for the organization.