Attorney Starts Next Chapter in Hopewell
By Caitlin Davis
Jun 11, 2012, 17:37
HOPEWELL - Jessica Mauger, Esquire, will be starting the next chapter of her career in Hopewell. Mauger opened her own practice on the second floor of the Daniel and Daniel building on City Point Road. It is a chapter of her life that Mauger is excited to begin.
“This gives me an opportunity for upward mobility,” Mauger said.
Another reason for independence from other law firms is her two young sons, Avery, 3,and Jase, 10-months-old.
“That is one of the beauties of working for myself, I can adjust things, like working at home while they’re in bed,” Mauger said.
Even though Mauger is a new business owner in Hopewell, she is not by any means new to the area. She grew up in Prince George and her parents live in Hopewell.
“I went to Syracuse to go to school ... that was one opportunity to go away from here, that way people couldn’t say, ‘She never left.’ I did, and I do know something that’s out there,” Mauger said.
Mauger went to law school for three years, took the bar exam in 2006 and then began working for the Prince George Commonwealth’s Attorney office, where she stayed for five and a half years.
“It was a great experience to be in the courtroom every day. I had to learn to think on my feet,” Mauger said.
Throughout her time in the Commonwealth’s Attorney office, Mauger tried some gruesome cases, some which will stay with her for years. One case in particular was a shaken baby case. Mauger said she had to look at crime scene photos of the dead baby and listen to the mother talk about her daughter.
“There is not enough punishment in the world for that...it sticks with you forever,” Mauger said.
While there are cases she runs across that prove to be emotional, she said she remembers her role within the court system.
“My role is to help, and I try not to take it home with me,” Mauger said.
When she is home, Mauger focuses on her two sons and Matt, her husband of six years. She said she loves to play outside with her sons after dinner; and if the weather is nice on the weekends, they explore surrounding attractions such as the zoo or Busch Gardens.
“They are my life. It’s all about them,” Mauger said.
Mauger tells her sons that she puts away the bad guys. Mauger said there is not a moment in her life that she remembers wanting a career putting away the bad guys. She said all she wanted to do was make her parents proud.
“My parents are awesome about encouraging me and supporting me. I didn’t ever have any trouble doing what I needed to do,” Mauger said.
Right now, Mauger is working on building a client list for her new business. While her experience is in criminal law, she has worked on drafting wills and custody cases.
“I’m touching on a little bit of everything,” Mauger said.
Mauger will not leave Prince George behind. She is currently on the court appointed list for Prince George and she has been sitting in on court cases in Sussex, Surry, Petersburg and Hopewell. By doing this, Mauger said, she learns how each courtroom operates.
“Every court is different on how they’d like things to work,” Mauger said.
As for the next chapter in her career Mauger said her goal is to be good at what she does. She also knows opening her own practice comes with a few risks, but risks she is willing to take.
