AFTER HOURS
Fancy Footwork Valley attorney Wendy Riddell finds harmony on horseback By GABRIELLA HERRAN-ROMERO
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s the founding and managing partner of the legal firm Berry Riddell, which specializes in all areas of real estate, including development and construction, transactions and leasing, finance, litigation and more, Wendy Riddell is one of the Valley’s top-rated attorneys. The Phoenix native began practicing law in 1998. “I was fortunate to be hired right out of school by the firm Beus Gilbert. Ironically, my current partner, 12 | September-October 2021
John Berry, was the hiring partner there at the time,” she recalls. “Paul Gilbert, the firm’s co-founder, was very forward thinking and afforded me the flexibility to both practice law and be a new mom.” After about six years with Beus Gilbert, Riddell had the opportunity to continue practicing with Berry. “John focuses more on Scottsdale, whereas I have cases nearly everywhere else in the Valley,” she explains. “We have a very diverse practice, representing commercial and multifamily
developers, homebuilders, health providers — you name it.” But when not running a successful law firm, Riddell can be found training with her horse for dressage competitions. Riddell was introduced to dressage at a young age by her mother, who was a top athlete and competitor in the field. Dressage, derived from the French word “dresseur” for “training,” is an equestrian sport in which the horse and rider perform a series of compulsory movements and footwork that increase in difficulty as they move up the levels. Similar to figure skating, the movements are paired with sound, creating a musical freestyle. Riddell does traditional dressage, which requires an English tack and saddle, which are flatter and less ornate than their Western counterparts. As a young adult, Riddell competed professionally. She has been awarded
