I was raised in rural Maine back when it was just an unorganized territory, and my family were the only year-round residents brave or crazy enough to live on Spring Pond Mountain in the winter. We had no electricity and no running water.

We lived in an old farmhouse an elderly couple owned and let us live in for free if we worked the land; and work it we did. We had 4 acres of gardens with every vegetable you can imagine. We had blueberry bushes, blackberry patches, raspberries, strawberries, and an apple orchard. We kept chickens for eggs, goats for milk, horses to plow and harrow the fields, and dogs to protect the gardens and the animals from the deer and coyote. One year we even had a pig—what luck! I loved those dogs. One year, our Samoyed Husky named Able saved my life. I was in the apple orchard with my sister, and we got caught between a mama bear and her cub. The mama bear came out of the woods on one side of the tree and the cub came out on the other side. Mama bear charged at us, and we climbed up an apple tree. Naturally, the bear climbed right up after us. Able was at the bottom of the tree biting as hard as she could at the bear’s legs, until the bear got so mad she chased Able into the woods. We ran home safe and sound. Able came back later that night.

I was one of four girls. My father really wanted sons, but all he got was girls. All the same, he raised us like we were sons. He taught us to never show struggle on your face no matter how heavy the weight of the burden. He taught us to haul hay, split wood, and clean out an outhouse. He even gave me the name he had picked out for the son I was supposed to be: Christian Milton Morris. Having a man’s name helped in my early years of practice where all my mail came in for “Mr. Morris” and I felt like I got more respect. It has also hurt me at times as we are all sitting around waiting for Mr. Morris, but I was already in the room.

The one thing I know about myself is that when I feel injustice has occurred, I am like Able biting on that bear’s leg and not letting go. I love being a trial lawyer because I love changing the course of someone’s life because I know how to help. I love it even more now that I have children and I want to do everything I can to make this planet safer and better for them when I am gone.