BALANCING FAMILY AND WORK: Vance balances a successful career and family life
Judy Vance is a role model for women who want a family and a career. A successful attorney, she is the mother of two girls with another on the way.
“My family comes first,” she said recently during an interview at her office at 101 Campbellsville St., just off the public square.
The evidence is there. During the interview, her oldest daughter, Courtney, 6, comes into the office after school. She is comfortable there, often the focus of attention as people come and go.
As Vance talks, it’s evident that family is always a key factor when career decisions are made. Even so, she has chosen a course that provides her a fulfilling career while providing a valuable service to the community.
Vance has been in private law practice since September 2006. She is respected by her peers as a strong attorney and was recently selected by the Columbia-Adair County Chamber of Commerce as the businesswoman of the year.
Vance grew up here and attended Adair County High School and Lindsey Wilson College, where she graduated magna cum laude in criminal justice.
She and her husband Patrick married right after she graduated from high school. After Lindsey Wilson, they moved to Michigan so she could attend Thomas M. Cooley Law School.
“I think being married kept me focused on what I was there for,” Vance said. Determined to get her law degree so she could move forward with her career and family, she completed a three-year program in 22 months.
Patrick and Judy then returned to Adair County and have continued to make this their home.
Judy’s career choices have given her the unique opportunity of experiencing an array of roles in the judicial system. She was a law clerk for Circuit Judge James Weddle when the district consisted of Adair, Casey, Cumberland and Monroe counties.
After passing the bar in 2002, Vance went to work for the commonwealth’s attorney’s office, where she worked until she opened her own office. While there, she presented cases to the grand jury and helped with trial preparation, even presenting cases during trial.
“I think the prosecutor is an admirable position, to seek justice for the people but to also have the opportunity to review cases,” she said. Prosecutors have a unique role to make sure a case is based on evidence and the person being prosecuted should be charged with a crime, she added.
Vance said she also enjoys her role in private practice today, especially the variety that comes with the job.
“I like to be able to put something down and work on something totally different,” she said. Vance works on everything from criminal defense, divorce and custody cases to writing wills and deeds.
Judges often ask Vance to represent people who cannot represent themselves in court proceedings. She represents children in cases of neglect and abuse and often represents individuals in guardianship cases. She believes it’s a matter of respect to accept requests from the court.
When asked what she plans to do for the future, Vance said she likes the flexibility of her practice.
“I’m pretty content in what I’m doing,” she said. She expects to remain in private practice or in some role of public service. She also expects to remain in Adair County.
“This is home to me; this is where I want to be,” she said. “I think that’s why the (Chamber of Commerce) award means so much to me. This is where I was raised and where I came back to.”
Vance said she loves the sense of community in a small town.
“I like it when I go to Wal-Mart and people recognize me,” she said, laughing that they sometimes ask for free legal advice. “I lived in Michigan for two years and missed that.
“Here, you know who your neighbors are. The church is small enough you feel like family. We feel like the kids are safer growing up here.”
She and Patrick are the parents of Courtney, 6, and Kaylee, 2. They are expecting their third daughter in September.
By Sharon Burton
snburton@windstream.net
