New attorney focusing on domestic relations law
COSHOCTON − Good relations in Coshocton and seeing a need in the county for domestic relations work has led a new lawyer to hang a shingle on Main Street.
Lisa Christensen, originally from Iowa, recently made Coshocton her home base with an office in the same building as Pomerene, Burns & Skelton, 309 Main St. She said she's working cooperatively with the firm while maintaining a separate practice. This includes Christensen sending clients to Pomerene, Burns & Skelton based on a particular need and them sending clients to her when she's the better fit for a case.
Christensen did undergraduate and graduate work at The Ohio State University and earned her master's and juris doctor degrees at Capital University. She's also a registered nurse.
She's been a lawyer since 2004 and formerly had a practice in Columbus with her ex-husband focused on personal injury suits. She went out on her own in 2011 with a focus on family related matters. This includes divorces, dissolutions, post-decree work, custody matters and guardianships.
"I really like working with people and family problems. A lot of the time when you're working in a situation where there is no clear winner, you do a lot of work in terms of negotiating an agreement that works out for the best interests of your client," Christensen said. "If you work to get to know what those folks' needs are, you can better do problem solving."
Christie Thornsley, who handled such cases for Pomerene, Burns & Skelton, recently became magistrate of Coshocton County Common Pleas Court and left the firm. This left an opening in Coshocton for a lawyer with expertise in that field of law.
"An issue we're facing in a lot of our smaller communities is that the number of attorneys in the locales are getting older and moving on to positions of being judge, magistrate or retiring. So, the number of attorneys in these community are getting very small, but the need is very great," Christensen said.
She recently moved into a home near Martinsburg, placing her about equidistant to Newark, Mount Vernon, Zanesville and Coshocton. When considering where to locate her practice, Coshocton seemed like the best fit. She'll be taking cases in Coshocton and the surrounding counties and has several clients already, she said.
"I felt a stronger affinity for the Coshocton area. I like the people and love the community, love the court system here. It was a really nice fit," Christensen said. "It's been a really nice, supportive situation here."
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with close to 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.
This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: New attorney focusing on domestic relations law
