I grew up running errands to the Framingham building commissioner after school for my Dad's permitting projects, and sometimes sitting in the back of hearing rooms and Town Meeting doing homework. It wasn't obvious to me at an early age that I would follow in my father's footsteps, but that is what I did – after stints in New York City and Boston, and a work hiatus when my children were small, I started law school at Northeastern University in 2001 as a second career. I originally thought that I would pursue estate planning, but between loving my property law class, and having a great co-op experience at Bowditch & Dewey (into which my Dad's firm Sheridan, Garrahan & Lander had merged in the 1980s), I decided to accept a job in the Real Estate and Environmental Practice Area – joining its MetroWest Permitting Group.