This week, learn more about partner Elizabeth Bonanno!
Q. How long have you been an attorney?
A. I am in my 8th year of practice.
Q. Have you ever worked in any other areas of the law?
A. In law school I specialized and received a Certificate in Juvenile and Family Law. It’s the only kind of law I wanted to practice, and I plan to remain a family law attorney for my career.
Q. What drew you to family law?
A. I wanted to be able to work very closely with people and impact their lives. I’m a child of divorce, and I understand how difficult it can be for families. It’s a practice area where I feel I can have a lot of positive impact.
Q. What do you enjoy most about family law?
A. I enjoy seeing two people, who are at odds with one another and have lost trust, turn the corner and realize that they can make decisions together in the best interests of their children, and realize that life will be different, but that it is possible to move forward in a healthy way.
Q. What do you think makes you stand out among other family law attorneys?
A. I’ve worked on some of the most complex financial and parenting cases out there, and I have the skills to identify issues in those cases, identify the experts needed to assist (such as forensic accountants and therapists), and move them forward to a successful resolution. My trial skills also set me apart.
Q. Are you originally from Colorado? If so, what do you love most about it? If not, what brought you to Colorado and what do you love most about it?
A. I grew up in Missouri, but knew I wanted to go to law school – where I would be forming professional connections and work experience – in a place I wanted to practice. So, I picked the University of Colorado Law School in Boulder, because I completely fell in love with the way of life. There is enough culture and there are enough opportunities in Colorado where you have the benefits of living in a metropolitan area, while also benefitting from the laid-back way of life and friendliness I was familiar with from the Mid-West.
Q. When you are not working at GEM Family Law, what do you enjoy doing in your free time?
A. I love traveling to new places, such as Africa and Japan. I also enjoy spending lazy Saturdays biking around my neighborhood with my husband and enjoying the local restaurants and breweries.
Q. What is something interesting that most people don’t know about you?
A. I am a second-generation Italian American and grew up bi-lingual. My father’s family all reside in Sicily, where I attended first grade. I enjoy going back to Sicily as often as possible to spend time with my family.
Q. Any other interesting facts about you?
A. Because I grew up bi-lingual, speaking Italian, it was easy for me to pick-up Spanish in school. I received my Bachelor of Arts in Spanish, and was named the Outstanding Spanish Student of the Year when I graduated from college.