Liza Greenspun Yang attended George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School as a Mason Scholar, earning the Virginia Trial Lawyers’ Association Student Advocacy Award. A strong mental health advocate, Liza is a volunteer and past Board Member with the National Alliance on Mental Illness Northern Virginia and leads the firm’s fundraising efforts for NAMI.

Q: What do you look forward to when you go to work every day?

A: Giving people the opportunity to tell their stories. It is crucial that everyone has a chance to be heard. Even if the facts of a case are not in my client’s favor, they deserve to have at least one person listen to the “why” behind their circumstances. If you ask the right questions and listen when others are talking, you learn that everyone has a backstory. It’s amazing how grateful some people are just to have one person listen to what they have to say. As my clients’ fiercest advocate, my goal each day is to leave them in a better place than when they first came to me.

Q: What was a major turning point in your life and career?

A: Pursuing law school almost 10 years after graduating from college was life-changing. I never thought about following in the footsteps of my dad, Peter Greenspun, and becoming a lawyer. But, after working as his firm’s office manager for years, my days felt routine and I knew I needed to make a change. My husband helped me realize that law school would not only be a logical next step—I already had experience speaking with clients, learning about the court system and helping with casework—but a positive one that would allow me to challenge myself. Everything clicked once I started practicing. This is what I am supposed to be doing.