Degree(s): BJ ’00

Whereabouts: United States, Denver, Colorado

What do you do?

I am a practicing attorney in Colorado. I specialize in real property litigation.

How did you get your job?

I am a solo practitioner who opened my own practice, Pat Mellen Law, LLC. I went to the University of Denver Law School 13 years after graduating from Mizzou to put my MIzzou investigative reporting skills and experience to a different use helping people who have been harmed get compensation for their damages.

What is the best professional lesson you learned at the J-School?

Thorough research and compelling narrative writing.

What advice do you have for current students?

Find mentors whose careers you want to emulate. At Mizzou – and almost anywhere else – they are eager to help you if approached appropriately.

What is your favorite J-School memory?

Second guesses by George Kennedy at the Missourian. My favorite quote from one was that the writing in question “detracted from the sum of all human knowledge.” He held everyone to a high but completely realistic practical standard. We had obligations to the community that he expected us to fulfill in the morning paper.