Gretchen has been practicing law for over 25 years at the local and national levels. Gretchen represents adult and juvenile clients in state and federal criminal cases throughout the United States, litigating all stages of serious conduct like complex homicides, sex crimes, financial fraud, and gang crimes. Gretchen is a strong and passionate advocate, successfully litigating cases to dismissal and acquittal. She also brings a lot of heart to her work, understanding that compassion is a critical tool in navigating the criminal justice system. 

Gretchen started her legal career as a prosecutor. She handled hundreds of sexual assault, homicide, human trafficking, and general felony crimes from investigation through sentencing. She conducted over 300 preliminary hearings on a variety of felony offenses and obtained over a dozen Sexually Violent Predator (SVP) commitments. Gretchen provided regular training and 24-hour support to law enforcement and lectured and trained locally and internationally on sexual exploitation and sexual assault.

In 2011, Gretchen was recruited by the USMC to coordinate multi-jurisdictional investigation and prosecution for 5 installations in the western region of the United States. She identified needs and developed practices and protocols to grow and sustain an effective and fair legal system. Gretchen trained lawyers, state/federal/military law enforcement, forensic providers, advocacy and mental health support. Gretchen responded to congressional inquiries and met with legislative entities. Importantly, she created process and documentation for assessment of legal merit of criminal cases, a protocol adopted Corps-wide. 

From the USMC, Gretchen lent her talents to higher education where she grew and led 3 university teams investigating a wide variety of misconduct, including harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. She developed proactive policies, upheld by the California Supreme Court, and managed investigations involving diverse populations, sensitive parties, and complex issues. It was these experiences that taught her that without a fair legal system and an aggressive and compassionate defense, there can be no justice.