Felissa M. Garcia, Esq.

 

I would like to dedicate my second blog to my good friend, Felissa M. Garcia.

Similar to myself, Felissa loved to write. Incidentally, she was the person that initially pushed me towards blogging for The Family Law Firm, P.C..

As many of you may know, Felissa Garcia was the founder of the Family Law Firm, P.C., and past away this December after complications with surgery. We all have heard the saying “only the good die young.” This statement certainly applies to my friend.

I can still recall how I felt the day after I heard the tragic news of her death.

I was standing in Judge Gonzales’ Courtroom absolutely floored by the news. I was in court twice that day. Life felt surreal. I was running through the motions. That day was one of the worst days of my life. Truth be told, the thought of that day still brings a wave of sadness to my heart eight months later. Felissa was truly loved. Truly. She touched a lot of people – myself included. I am proud to have known her.

My point here is not to rehash the sadness that I felt, but to celebrate the life of Felissa Garcia. I learned many valuable lessons from Felissa that I would like to impart with each of you. I hope that anyone that stumbles onto this blog had the good fortune to cross paths with Felissa – your life was undoubtedly enriched by the experience.

Felissa was a firm believer in the value of treating others with respect. I’ve worked at several firms and I have never seen an attorney – much less the sole shareholder of a firm – that treats their employees and colleagues with such respect. Felissa treated all of her employees like an extended family. This respect wasn’t limited to employees of the Family Law Firm, P.C. Felissa treated everyone with respect. She certainly followed The Golden Rule.

Felissa understood the value of giving.

Felissa would give you her favorite pair of shoes if you really wanted them. Felissa loved to give – almost to a fault.

A couple of days ago I was waiting for the arresting officer to appear for a MVD Revocation Hearing – a procedural hearing that determines if one’s license will be revoked, following an arrest for DWI – a topic for a future blog. In any event,

while I was waiting for the arresting officer to appear I began talking with another defense attorney. The attorney was familiar with the Family Law Firm, P.C., and expressed his condolences for Felissa’s passing. Most importantly, the man expressed the fact that he remembered Felissa’s giving spirit. I was told that Felissa would send him thoughtful gifts, throughout the years, as her sign of gratitude for the little help that she received in the past. That was Felissa’s nature.

Felissa also fought with passion for all of her clients. She really cared. Really. Because of this fact, Felissa would take it personally if the Court ruled against her client. She would risk offending Judges and Hearing Officers that she truly respected by “blogging” about rulings that she felt were wrong. She couldn’t help it – she was that passionate about her clients.

If there are any lawyers that worked with or against Felissa that stumble onto this blog, I can assure you that even if you didn’t get along with Felissa on a professional level, she truly respected you. I’d bet dollars to donuts that any confrontation was based on an underlying foundation of complete respect for your abilities as a lawyer.

I want to end this blog with a story of Felissa that makes me laugh when it stumbles into my mind. I was a new associate at Felissa’s firm. It was my first month as an attorney and we were having lunch in her office. The moment that I took a bite out of my sandwich Felissa asked me a question. My mouth was full. Suddenly I morphed into a pre-pubescent school boy – awkward and fidgety. I was on the spot. She was looking at me. Should I finish chewing, like a civilized human, or should I cover my mouth to respond to her question? Surely, I couldn’t keep my boss waiting. The seconds passed by. Her presence and stare beat down on me. Once I was done chewing I responded. She burst out in laughter – a laugh that anyone that knew Felissa will always remember.

It turns out that Felissa would commonly ask questions as someone began chewing to get the upper hand in the conversation. This was one of her tactics to keep someone off guard. She wanted to see how I would respond. She wanted to get in my head to see how it would affect my actions. This memory shows why Felissa was such a great attorney – she would do whatever it took to get the upper hand in court.

Most importantly Felissa M. Garcia was a great mother, friend, wife, family member, and boss. This blog is for you, Felissa M. Garcia.

 

CHEERS TO YOU, FELISSA M. GARCIA FOR MAKING NM A BETTER PLACE!

 

ALBUQUERUQE CHILD CUSTODY LAWYER/ATTORNEY

 

Matthew Sanchez is an experienced Albuquerque child custody lawyer/attorney in Albuquerque, NM.  For more than a decade, Sanchez has handled child custody all across New Mexico, including: Rio Rancho, Santa Fe, Los Lunas/Belen, Gallup/Grants, Estancia/Socorro, and Taos.   Talk to a seasoned and successful Albuquerque child custody lawyer/attorney. Talk to (505) SANCHEZ.