Thuy-Anh Nguyen is an attorney with Datz, Jacobson, Lembcke & Wright.
HER SPECIALTY
With the firm for over three years, Nguyen handles mainly civil litigation with a focus on family law. Divorces, adoptions and paternity suits are what she sees most. Nguyen clerked with the firm prior to joining the team.
WHY GO INTO FAMILY LAW?
“I like being able to assist people in rebuilding their lives. They are going through a grieving process. With adoptions there is not as much sadness, I’m helping them start a new life.”
WHO ARE YOUR CLIENTS?
Married couples of all ages.
EDUCATION
University of Richmond.
WHY PURSUE A LEGAL CAREER?
“We as Americans have a lot of rights that people in other countries don’t have. I saw my friends [from foreign nations] get taken advantage of because they didn’t know their rights. It made me want to understand the system so others would not be taken advantage of.”
SIDE BAR
Her bachelor’s degree in psychology comes in handy in the field. “These are emotionally-charged cases so my clients need more than an advocate, they need a counselor.”
WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
“The cases where parents use their children to hurt each other. “
HOMETOWN
Virginia Beach.
FAMILY
Nguyen lives in Mandarin. Her parents also live here and she has a sister in California.
HOBBIES
Reading non-fiction books, taking in a foreign film, beachcombing, traveling and Pilates exercise are what she enjoys when she’s not billing hours. A connoisseur of culinary creations, Nguyen gives her highest marks to Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif.
BRUSH WITH FAME
“I stood next to [film producer] Spike Lee once at a Tampa Bay Bucs game and didn’t know it. I didn’t know he was so short.”
PROFESSIONAL AND CIVIC AFFILIATIONS
Nguyen is a member of Esprit de Corps, Inns of Court and vice president of the Vietnamese Association of America. She is in the process of forming a Jacksonville Asian-American Bar. “There is a group of us doing the groundwork. It will give us an organized voice in the community. We are not seeking to exclude other people but to increase awareness in the legal community about other groups. We would like to see more diversity in the bar and the bench.”
— by Monica Chamness