Get to know a little more about Elizabeth Best, an associate attorney at Fowler St. Clair.
Growing Up and College
I was born and raised in Scottsdale, Arizona. Luckily, I had family in upstate New York and a place to escape the Arizona heat every summer.
For college, I attended the University of Arizona for my undergrad degree and majored in Public Policy and Administration at the Eller College of Management.
Since most people with this degree either get a Master’s Degree or go to law school, I took both the GRE and LSAT during my senior year of college.
Post-College and My Road to Law School
When I graduated from the University of Arizona, I decided to do a paralegal program to see if I liked the legal field before fully committing to it.
I moved to the Big Apple to complete the intensive paralegal program in three months at New York University.
Afterward, I moved back to Scottsdale and obtained a job at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office in the Special Crimes Bureau as a paralegal.
After working there for about a year, I decided that I did enjoy the legal field and wanted to expand my education.
I was determined to move to California, so I ended up going to Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles, California.
Law School Experience
After I was accepted to Southwestern Law School, I was recruited into their Accelerated J.D. – SCALE program, which meant I completed law school in two years instead of three.
I was able to do two externships. The first was with the Honorable Samantha Jessner at the Los Angeles Superior Court in the civil division.
The second externship was with Peace Over Violence for the Legal Advocacy Project assisting sexual assault and domestic violence survivors with legal issues. I was also an editor for the Journal for International Media and Entertainment Law.
After Law School
After graduating from law school, I returned to Scottsdale and became a paralegal at Fowler St. Clair in July 2016.
As I gained valuable experience through my work here, I was also working to take the Arizona bar, which I passed in October 2017.
I became licensed as an attorney after passing the background check in May 2018 and have continued working primarily in the transactional department while assisting with civil litigation.
Outside of Work
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family who all live in the Valley. I’m a huge Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy fan.
I also have a deep-seated passion for traveling, and my goal is to visit all seven continents.
Learn more about Elizabeth Best in her bio here.