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Church Church Hittle + Antrim
Indiana University McKinney School of Law, 2016
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
I was arguing with my mom about something in our kitchen when I was 4. She told me, “You’re like a dog with a bone. You better become an attorney!” After that comment, I probably said I was going to be an attorney for many years before I had any idea what that meant. Over time, I found that my personality and skills were indeed well suited to this profession. I truly believe that I was made to do this job.
If you hadn’t pursued a legal career, what would you be doing?
I’d be a flower farmer! I grow a lot of flowers for fun, and it is [a] refreshingly different way to use my brain. Growing flowers has taught me patience and acceptance of failure. But mostly, I’d be a flower farmer because flowers spread happiness.
Who is someone who has inspired you in your career?
Leslie Henderzahs and Jennifer Hughes. There’s not enough space here to explain what they’ve done for me. Yes, they helped me figure out the kind of attorney I want to be, but far more importantly, they show me every day how to do this job well while being a good spouse, a good mother, a good business partner. I hope they know my gratitude. I’m indebted.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
My mom convinced me to go to Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame. I graduated from Carmel High School with a thousand people. I thought it was Purdue or nothing. This little Catholic women’s college was not on my radar, but she knew. Like Abraham Lincoln said, “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother” … and Saint Mary’s.
What makes a good lawyer/judge?
Intellectual curiosity to evaluate all sides, and the patience to not act until you have done so.
Tell us about a “lesson learned” moment you’ve had in your career.
I think we all have those moments where you’ve laid it all on the line and there’s still an adverse order, or a client that didn’t get the desired outcome. It’s a lesson in keeping things in perspective.
Tell us something surprising about you.
I have 12 chickens and three ducks.
What is something you wish people knew about lawyers?
That most of us, like everyone, operate from a place of good intentions. If we all assumed the good intentions in others, life might be a little easier.
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