A Year in Moldova, A Year of Discovery

In 2003, spurred by the events of 9/11, 65-year-old Roberta Gubbins accepted the offer of a year-long volunteer/lawyer position with the American Bar Association/Central & Eastern European Law Initiative in the Republic of Moldova. She left the practice of law, sold her house, and put her belongings in storage. Gubbins was assigned to Moldova for a year. While there, she discovered a new culture and learned a lot about herself. Leaving home a lawyer, she came back a writer. A Year in Moldova, A Year of Discovery, A Volunteer Memoir is the story of that adventure.

In 2003, spurred by the events of 9/11, 65-year-old Roberta Gubbins accepted the offer of a year-long volunteer/ lawyer position with the American Bar Association/Central & Eastern European Law Initiative in the Republic of Moldova. She left the practice of law, sold her house, and put her belongings in storage. Then, packing up what she thought she'd need in seven suitcases, her cat in his travel crate, her computer, and assorted items in a carry-on, she took the twenty-plus hour plane trip to Moldova. While there, she discovered a different culture and learned how to adapt her skills in a new and impoverished environment. She left home a lawyer; she came back a writer. A Year in Moldova, A Year of Discovery, A Volunteer Memoir is a record of her personal growth and her efforts to help the legal community change from a Communist model to a Democratic one while encouraging self-determination and self-reliance. As one Judge said, "Roberta, you are giving them the pole, not the fish." Roberta Gubbins earned her Batchelor's Degree in Journalism at the University of Michigan and a Masters of Education at the University of Cincinnati. After many years teaching elementary school, she earned a JD at Detroit College of Law. She now spends her time in Mason, MI, writing fiction under the pen name Alexandra Hawthorne and editing legal newsletters.

I am a lawyer who, after practicing law for several years, returned to my journalism roots. I now write content for lawyers and law firms. I have been writing in the legal world since I graduated from the Detroit College of Law in 1986 and set up my practice. Using plain English, I wrote the necessary legal documents, press releases, and other marketing materials letting the world know of my practice. As part of those efforts, I wrote a monthly column for the local bar association newsletter. Leaving the practice of law in 2002, I traveled to the Republic of Moldova, where I used my legal skills as a lawyer/volunteer with the American Bar Assoc. In addition, I used my writing skills to create an e-mail newsletter for the folks back home. When asked, I wrote articles explaining the ABA's activities in Moldova for the local magazines. After returning to the U.S., I was editor, staff writer, and photographer for the Ingham County Legal News, a weekly legal newspaper. I covered legal events, interviewed lawyers, judges, and business people. In addition, I translated the legal jargon into plain English for our readers without legal training. For several years I was editor of Briefs, the newsletter of the Ingham County Bar Association, and the editor of The Mentor, the newsletter for the Master Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan. In addition, I presented workshops on marketing for the Institute of Continuing Legal Education and local bar association groups. For four years, I wrote a weekly column, Clear & Convincing for the State Bar of Michigan e-journal. My column concentrated on marketing techniques. My book, "Why do We do That? Commentary on Lawyers and the Law," a collection of essays, is now available in paperback on Amazon and as an e-book on Kindle and other e-reader publishers. Using a pen name, Alexandra Hawthorne, I write cozy mysteries featuring lawyers in a small town. I live in Mason, Michigan, with one aloof cat and assorted fish.