Growing up in South Dakota, Angela Lennon set her mind to go into a career in law at a young age.
“I always knew that I wanted to go into law,” she said. “I remember even in second grade, when they would ask you what you wanted to be, my mom would tell me later that I had always said that I wanted to be a lawyer. I just knew I wanted to do something big, and I knew attorneys in the community held important positions where they had access to make decisions and help people.”
Receptionist to Partner
In college, Lennon racked up impressive credentials, including graduating magna cum laude from both Vassar College in New York and Creighton University School of Law, and a clerkship in the Douglas County Attorney’s domestic violence unit. But it was a foot in the door that would eventually spark the professional success that was soon to follow.
“I was a receptionist at Koenig Dunne before I went to law school, so I had some exposure to a smaller private practice with a law firm owned and run by women helping people,” she said. “In law school, I wasn’t quite sure where I’d land, but I knew I wanted to be working directly with people and not more transactional work. I’d built really strong relationships with the folks at Koenig Dunne and went back and clerked there my second year and never left again.”
Now an equity partner and chief operations officer, Lennon is a respected voice in the legal community, especially for her work to bring expert family legal services to those of limited means. She designed and implemented Untie Online in 2019, an online option for individuals whose financial situation would otherwise require them to represent themselves.
“Many people contact us asking for support to meet with a lawyer, but they simply can’t afford it,” she said. “For years, we would refer them to other associations, but those folks are completely overwhelmed, and they can’t help everybody. That’s really what got our wheels turning about something we can do to help provide access to justice to these people who need a lawyer.
“In Nebraska, we are the first and still the only Nebraska law firm to offer an online limited-scope divorce. Something like Untie Nebraska is also quite rare nationally; it’s definitely on the leading-edge, cutting path of innovation.”
Charting the Future
Two years in development, Lennon said Untie Online will continue to play a big role in the company going forward.
“I think [the pandemic] helped push Untie Online further than it initially would have gone,” she said. “Before, that just wasn’t traditionally how the legal profession operated. I think we’ve revolutionized a way of accessing legal services.”
With Untie Online continuing to grow, Lennon remains at the forefront of business development, charting Koenig Dunn’s course for the future, both in the courtroom and in the community.
“Our collective firm’s goals in 2022 are to really peel back the layers of what happens in a divorce process and really look at the client support aspect,” she said. “I think the other piece is continuing our law firm’s culture focused on community endeavors and advancing social justice. Besides the reward of getting to work with an amazing, brilliant team, that’s something I appreciate most in this role.”
