Meet Erica! Erica Garcia was born in Brooklyn, New York. From a young age, Erica spent most of her free time reading and writing and was always told she should pursue law.
Erica got her start in the legal field at 19 years old when she accepted a position as a receptionist at a large full-service law firm in Orlando, Florida. While earning her undergraduate degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Central Florida, Erica learned the ropes of civil litigation and was eventually promoted to Legal Assistant, then Litigation Paralegal. Following undergrad, Erica continued to work as a paralegal while earning her law degree at Barry University.
After law school, Erica set her sights on the Rocky Mountains and accepted her first associate attorney position in 2021, practicing commercial litigation at a nationally recognized Plaintiffs’ firm in Denver. In 2023, Erica joined Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara’s Denver office, where she practices general liability and construction defect defense.
In her free time, Erica leads a weekly women’s walk group in Denver which aims to foster meaningful community and friendship. Erica also enjoys thrifting, fostering pit-bulls, and cheering on the Colorado Rockies.
Q: How have you evolved since joining BWB&O’s Denver team?
A: I have evolved my investigation skills as a result of practicing construction defect law and have enjoyed learning about the technical aspects of construction – whether it’s roofing sub-contract work or an entire private residential build. A keen eye for detail is crucial to a successful strategy, and I’ve found it often makes a huge difference in my confidence when defending our clients.
Q: What accomplishments are you most proud of and why?
A: I’m most proud of following through with my aspirations to become an attorney! When I started in the legal field as a teenager, the road to becoming an attorney felt long and daunting. I worked my way up over the years – working as a paralegal while earning my education. I’m proud of how this experience strongly impacts the attorney I am today; I have insight into the challenges our invaluable support staff face, and believe it makes me a better teammate.
Q: What techniques help you stay organized and productive?
A: My #1 tip is creating individual case folders in Outlook! Any email that doesn’t need action gets put away in its case folder – this automatically creates a sort of to-do list out of the emails left in my inbox. I’m also a big fan of handwriting a task checklist for each day, it’s satisfying to check them off as I go!
Q: You mentioned that you enjoy reading and writing. What are some books or articles that you have read recently?
A: Two of my favorite books I’ve read recently are “Fleishman is in Trouble” by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, and “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow” by Gabrielle Zevin.
A special thank you to Erica for sharing her experience with us!