Category Archives: Firm News

Our own Ashley B. Rahaman (bio) has made firm news once again. Ashley is now Chair Elect (2016) and Chair (2017) of the Family Law Section of the Maricopa County Bar Association.

At the end of 2015, the Volunteer Lawyers Program in Phoenix recognized Ashley for giving voice to the voiceless by serving as an advisor to children in family court. As we wrote then, the legal profession is largely self-regulated. Lawyers must play a role to ensure the profession’s integrity. Part of that role is serving in a pro bonocapacity to those in need.

At DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, we’re only as good as our people, as we wrote to introduce our Employee of the Month and Genius of the Month Awards. In that post, we shared the highlights of 2015 and the New Year, with a recap of every talented and hard-working Employee and Genius who help make this law firm what it is.

Now, we’re pleased to announce our February award winners: Sara A. Swiren and Kim Fletcher.

The Saint
St. Patrick is the patron saint of Ireland. Also known as the Apostle of Ireland, St. Patrick lived and worked as a missionary in the 5th century. Legend has it that St. Patrick banished all snakes (serpents) from Ireland, using his staff to expel them, during a 40-day fast.

A Celebration of All Things Irish
Today, St. Patrick’s Day is both a religious and a public holiday. From the religious perspective, St. Patrick’s Day on March 17 commemorates the coming of Christianity in Ireland. From the perspective of the general public, it’s a celebration of all things Irish.

Success gurus like to say that the people who surround you will determine how far you go in life and business. The same is true in law practice. At DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, we’re only as good as our people. And our people deserve to be recognized for who they are and the work they do.

That’s why we’ve created two awards: Employee of the Month and Genius of the Month.

Originally, Presidents Day honored just one president – our first, George Washington, who was born on Feb. 22, 1732 (or Feb. 11 if you go by the Old Style calendar). We knew it simply as Washington’s Birthday.

As the Washington Post reports, “Washington’s Birthday” remains the official designation:

“Washington’s Birthday,” according to the government, “is observed the third Monday of February in honor of George Washington, the first President of the United States. This date is commonly called Presidents’ Day and many groups honor the legacy of past presidents on this date.”

On Monday, Google kicked off Black History Month with a doodle of Frederick Douglass (pictured above) and a corresponding link to web results on the famous abolitionist. Born into slavery in 1818, Douglass rose to prominence as one of the most influential figures of the Civil War era, and was once nominated as the first African American vice-presidential candidate on Victoria Woodhull’s ticket (Woodhull was also the first female presidential candidate).

Few people can say that their substantive legal experience goes back to a time before law school.

But Hannah Corbin is a rare case.

After graduating from the University of Southern Maine in 2012, Hannah went to work for the Family Treatment Drug Court in Lewiston, Me., where she worked directly with people facing substance abuse and whose children were in the custody of protective services. During this time, Hannah served as an integral member of the Drug Court team under the supervision and leadership of the Hon. John B. Beliveau.

To Phoenix and the Family Law Firm of Deshon Laraye Pullen, PLC

A career in law has always been Hannah’s ambition. This is largely why she moved from Maine to Arizona. In Phoenix, she found work as a legal assistant with DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, and began to pursue her dream of becoming a lawyer.

In Hannah’s own words:

At DeShon Laraye Pullen PLC, not only do we invest in our own legal knowledge and education – which allows us to provide better service to our clients – but we invest in each other in terms of mentoring and support.

We’re proud of the fact that we hire smart, ambitious people, who are truly dedicated to the field of law and to client service. Two of our employees have gone on to attend law school. Most recently, it was our extremely competent litigation coordinator Asha Vora, who just finished her first semester as a “1L.”

It’s 2016. New Year’s celebrations have come and gone, but the promise of a brand new year remains as fresh as it was on New Year’s Eve, and it’s a promise that brings year-long lessons, from the ball drop in Times Square to New Year’s resolutions.

Ball Drop: 100+ Year Old Tradition
According to History.com, New Year celebrations as we know them today began roughly 4,000 years ago, in ancient Babylon, when people celebrated with a religious festival that spanned 11 days and featured a specific ritual on each of those days.

There’s plenty to love about October (as we wrote then), but there’s more to love about December. It might be cooler, depending on where you live – it’s 51 in Phoenix at the moment – but we’ll take that over some of our 100+ degree days.

Here are some of the biggest reasons to love December (some more obvious than others):

Holidays: Of course, we have to reference the holidays, whether it’s Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or one of many others this month. December is a sacred month for people who profess faith in several major world religions, including Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Islam.