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BUSINESS
GilbertSunNews.com
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GILBERT SUN NEWS | JULY 25, 2021
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Lawyer opens pop-up law office at Gilbert mall BY SYDNEY MACKIE GSN Staff Writer
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isitors to the San Tan Village in Gilbert can now find dining options, plentiful shopping – and legal counsel, courtesy of Mesa attorney Billie Tarascio. Opened early this month, her walk-in Modern Law Express office is the most recent iteration of Tarascio’s lifelong goal to ensure legal advice is attainable and affordable. The Modern Law Express location and is designed as a bridge between self-representation and traditional legal representation. The services provided by the San Tan location are family law matters such as divorce and custody, estate planning and guidance in Arizona’s new marijuana conviction expungement program. A graduate of the University of Oregon and its law school, Tarascio has utilized her 16 years of legal experience to create innovative options for those undergoing costly and complex legal battles.
Billie Tarascio “If people don’t have access to information, guidance and strategy, it can be devastating for them and their families,” she said. “They can lose their kids, they can really hurt themselves in court or they can end up with a divorce decree or
judgment that costs them tens of thousands of dollars that could have been avoided. “So having some options that are not just the traditional model is really important.” Her own experience has influenced her approach to law. “I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but very early on in college, my parents went through a divorce that was pretty unexpected and pretty traumatic and not really well done,” she recalled. “It was so disruptive to not only their lives but also to mine and my brother’s, that I decided I wanted to become a family law attorney and work with families going through similar issues.” Her in-store team of family law and legal advocates help customers determine the services needed and their cost, then connect them with the right lawyers or certified legal document preparers. To save clients what can become thousands of dollars in retainer fees, Tarascio often directs customers to online
resources. These can range from Modern Law’s sister company, I Do Over, a legal document preparation service, to free online classes or legal coaching. The San Tan Village Modern Law pop-up also helps people clear some marijuana convictions in Arizona courts from their records following the recent passage of Proposition 207, which legalized recreational marijuana. According to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, under the Smart and Safe Act, individuals may petition the court to have a marijuana-related arrest, charge, adjudication, conviction or sentence expunged if a case meets necessary qualifications. A charge can be expunged if the case involved possession of paraphernalia used to consume marijuana or less than 2 1/2 ounces of marijuana. Expungement also is possible if an individual was convicted of cultivating less than six plants at a primary residence for per-
to also He started offering to paint the exterior of a deserving individual’s home, by seeking nominations early last year for an essential worker who could use some help. Schnepp selected a nurse “that was saving people day in and day out,” he said, and then at Christmas solicited nominations for two other people in need. He chose a paraplegic and a senior citizen on a fixed income who was being threatened and fined by their HOA. Now he’s soliciting nominations again, hoping to help some needy individual
anywhere in the Valley. Schnepp said the pandemic inspired to do more than he and his crews already do to help people. “We were labeled an essential business, so we were able to keep working – albeit with much less work,” he explained. “I saw so many people in need – losing their jobs, not able to pay their bills, etc... – and I was looking for a way to help. We actually started giving back to our community by spraying disinfectant for free for non-profits.
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LAWYER page 15
Gilbert painting firm aims to give back GSN NEWS STAFF
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OVID-19 did a lot of bad things to a lot of people, but it inspired Pete Schnepp of Gilbert. The pandemic’s impact harkened him to the motto of his 14-year-old business, Envision Painting. His employees are “painters with a purpose” – meaning that while Envisions is naturally a business, they also want to give back to the community. While his company often helps the nonprofit Homeless Engagement Lift Partnership, the pandemic inspired him
Pete Schnepp
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PAINTER page 15
