Today we’d like to introduce you to Devin Quackenbush.
Hi Devin, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Utah County. I went to BYU for my undergraduate degree in Portuguese and then to Creighton University School of Law for law school. During law school, I wrote on to the Creighton Law Review. There I wrote a legal article that was published in the review on mandatory immunizations and religious exemptions.
Thereafter, I was named the executive editor of the Creighton Law Review. After law school, in 2010, the job market was suffering from the effects of the 2008 economic downturn, but I had managed to obtain a job as a judicial law clerk in Palmer Alaska, for the Honorable Eric Smith, Alaska Superior Court. There, I got my first real taste of what family law was about, given that I was assigned to review many divorce and child custody cases. I passed the Alaska Bar Exam and upon the completion of my clerkship, I accepted a position at a prominent professional liability litigation law firm in Anchorage, Alaska.
I represented clients in cases involving professional liability defense, municipal litigation, appellate practice, employment and labor law, products liability, commercial litigation, and professional licensing issues. I also assisted in cases for high-profile politicians, multiple insurance companies, as well as for heavy equipment, helicopter, firearm, and a number of other product manufacturers.
I went through a divorce myself, which create more interest in family law. After my divorce, I decided to move back to Utah. I took the Idaho bar exam and then used my score to be admitted into both Idaho and Utah during the same year. After that, I very rarely used my licenses in Alaska and Idaho and eventually allowed my license there to expire, keeping only my Utah Bar License. I worked for a few law firms over the span of about two years and then decided to hang my own shingle. I opened “The Law Office of Devin W. Quackenbush, PLLC” in 2014 and focused my practice on family/custody law.
I started out small, but eventually, the law firm grew and I was very fortunate to be able to expand. So I relocated the office from Orem, Utah, to Salt Lake County, and changed the name to Quackenbush Legal, PLLC. Since then, the practice has grown to include two more very effective associate attorneys, three paralegals, two legal assistants, and a law clerk, who is studying for the Utah Bar. We have expanded the scope of law we practice to include estate planning, wills, and trusts, as well as some business litigation and business formation law.
I have been fortunate to build a brand that I am proud of and the work we do really helps people who are going through difficult times the subject matter of the cases involves the most important things in people’s lives: Their kids. So, I am passionate about what we do and what we offer.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It was not necessarily a smooth road, because I had never owned or operated a business on my own before. There was definitely a learning curve and I felt like I was reinventing the wheel at times. I will say that I have never looked back and that this law firm is something that has brought me a great deal of pride and exciting/challenging work.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I suppose I already wrote this, but we are a smaller law firm that focuses on family, custody, divorce law. We also engage in substantial estate planning, wills, trusts, and estate administration for individuals.
My belief is that we work well within our legal community, with other lawyers and the Court and our lawyers are adept trial lawyers who work hard for positive results in the courtroom. In family law, specifically, we help people with divorces, both contested and uncontested, child custody and visitation, child support, alimony, domestic violence cases, as well as mediations.
Regarding wills, trusts and estates, we help people who have worked so hard in a family law case protect their assets and their rights and interests regarding the protection of their families through establishments of trusts, guardianships, conservatorships, probate, and trust administration matters.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
I could give a list a mile long of people who deserve credit at different stages of my life. First and foremost, I believe that God has been very kind to me. I believe if it weren’t for God’s kindness, I’d be living a very different life. My parents stressed education quite a bit and that certainly opened doors. My wife is also huge support for me.
She knows I work hard and she knows that her support for me as a motivator and is encouraging. I also have been very lucky to have great employees who work hard every day to make sure all of the details of every case are considered and that we are doing the best work for people. I have had a lot of help from friendly lawyers within the community who have given advice, offered help when needed.
And finally, I have appreciated when opposing lawyers have been good at what they do: it offers me an example of ways to better my practice, and a good challenge always improves my quality of work as well.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@quackenbushlegal.com
- Website: www.quackenbushlegal.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quackenbushlegal
Image Credits
Christina Wilson Photography
