7303 West Boston St. • Chandler, AZ 85226 • Phone: 480-705-7550 • Fax: 480-705-7503

Shareholders

Lisa Counters and Kevin Koelbel are not typical lawyers who start their own firm. Both ran successful businesses before practicing law. While their business backgrounds are different, they compliment each other well. Lisa was a legal secretary, a computer and operations consultant, and worked in her family’s business support and outsourcing service. Kevin also worked in a family operated business, working with his father performing custom woodworking and remodeling services in and around the Long Island, New York area.

Lisa Counters

Lisa’s administrative and entrepreneurial background has served her well in her legal career. Lisa has worked since high school, holding down full time jobs during college and law school. Lisa and her mother operated a business support service in their native Minneapolis, sold it, and started another in Phoenix from scratch. By the time Lisa graduated from law school, the business counted major local and national firms among its clients, including various Fortune 500 companies.

In addition to being a partner in the family business, Lisa served as an operations and computer consultant for thoroughbred racetracks throughout North America. In 1988, Lisa served as the Operations Manager at a Kentucky racetrack, one of the few women managers in the country. Teaming a software firm that designed, built, installed, and supported custom admissions, ticketing and operations systems, Lisa worked as project manager, trainer, and key support contact from 1985-1995 at some of the premier racing facilities in North America.

Complementing her business background, Lisa has received excellent legal training and experience. At ASU Law School, Lisa earned numerous writing, advocacy, and moot court awards. She was a two-time member of both the trial and appellate moot court teams. As a member of the appellate team, she finished with the 10th best brief in the country in her first year. In her second year on the team, Lisa and her partners earned the Edwin J. Weisel award from the National Moot Court Competition, recognizing the national runner-up brief. Lisa achieved the Order of the Barristers and was honored for her achievements in advocacy as her graduating class’s outstanding advocate.

Lisa is a member of the Arizona Trial Lawyers Association, where she serves as the chair of the publications committee, is a member of the seminar committee, and is on the Board of Directors. She is also a member of the American Association for Justice and the Federal Bar Association. She has spoken at seminars on insurance bad faith and ERISA Litigation. Lisa’s community service and pro bono work includes serving as a high school and law school mock trial coach. She is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Brain Injury Association of Arizona. She is also one of the coordinators for English Springer Rescue of America for Arizona and Nevada.

In her free time Lisa likes to participate in competitive CW dancing, watch football, play fantasy football, and play with her four English Springer Spaniels.

Read Lisa's Summary of Qualifications and Experience

Kevin Koelbel

Kevin worked as a custom woddworker for 10 years before entering law school. At first, it would seem that custom woodworking and law have little in common. Kevin’s experience proves otherwise. Woodworking and law both require patience, practice, and excruciating attention to detail if they are to be done well. While the substance of woodworking and law are different, the business demands are the same. In both professions the finer details are important, even if lost on the client. As a craftsman Kevin worked to satisfy his own demanding standards. Now, as then, Kevin is dedicated to delivering a higher quality product.

Kevin is a skilled advocate, with strong writing and oral advocacy skills. In law school, Kevin participated in the American Bar Association’s national moot court competition and closing argument competitions. Kevin externed in the U.S. attorney’s office and second chaired a mail fraud case as a student attorney. He is an adjunct professor at ASU where he teaches school law at the undergraduate and graduate level. Kevin briefed and argued a case of first impression on architectural work copyrights in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. In a published opinion, Hunt v. Pasternack, 179 F.3d 683, amended by 192 F.3d 877 (9th Cir. 1999), the panel unanimously ruled in his client’s favor.

Kevin has presented appellate arguments in the superior court; the state courts of appeals; the state supreme court, and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

He still enjoys construction and never stops "remodeling" his home.

Read Kevin's Summary of Qualifications and Experience

Paralegals

Melissa Gutierrez

Melissa started working when she was a high school freshman and has not stopped since. Before becoming a paralegal at age 23, Melissa was handpicked from a position in data entry to be the executive assistant to the Vice President of the sales department of a large company. Melissa graduated from the Academy of Business College (now Everest College) with highest distinction.

Counters & Koelbel was really Melissa’s idea. She is the right hand of Counters & Koelbel. Melissa performs all of the duties of a paralegal and has taken on more advanced tasks as well. She drafts the majority of complaints, disclosure statements, pretrial memoranda, discovery requests, and most other pleadings for Lisa and Kevin. She has also drafted more substantive documents such as ERISA appeals, Motions to Compel and summary judgment motions and is currently drafting portions of a Ninth Circuit appellant brief.

Melissa was born and raised in a small town in Georgia and has lived in Arizona since she was 14 years old. She is bilingual in English and Romanian. Melissa has recently added Mom as one of her titles and her baby daughter, Mia, is Counters & Koelbel’s favorite (and most productive) employee!

Cindy Myers

Cindy graduated with highest honors from the Long Technical College Paralegal Program in March 2006. Cindy has worked with Counters & Koelbel since February 2005. Cindy performs daily functions including mail, filing, potential client interviews, calendaring events, drafting complaints, discovery requests, and other pleadings. She also helps with the day to day functions needed to keep the office running. She is on intimate terms with the firm’s scanner and bates stamper. The best thing about Cindy is that she never appears to have a bad day. She always has a smile on her face. Cindy’s voice is the one you’re likely to hear when you call our office.

Before joining Counters & Koelbel, Cindy worked in Corporate Operations for a large corporation in the Phoenix area for 17 years. Cindy was born and raised in Arizona. She has been married for 16 years and has three children ranging in age from five to fourteen.