About Ashley
Ashley grew up in the St. Croix Valley area and attended Stillwater Area High School. After graduating from high school, she attended Hamline University for Undergraduate Studies, studying America Legal Studies and Political Science. While in undergrad, she worked for an attorney who practiced in the area of family law and criminal defense. Ashley served as the attorney’s legal assistant. She was exposed early on to every facet of handling simple to complex cases. Ashley knew she wanted to advocate for good people who found themselves in the legal system. Ashley entered into the Early Law School Admission program at Hamline. Soon after, Ashley was accepted into the Hamline University School of Law one year prior to completing her undergraduate degree. After completing her first year of law school, she graduated from undergrad, earning her Bachelor of Arts degrees.
While in Law School, Ashley served as one of the supervising Certified Student Attorney for the Children’s Advocacy Legal Clinic. Ashley later moved on to serve as a law clerk and Certified Student Attorney at the Legal Assistance of Washington County, Inc. (LAWC). LAWC was a non-profit organization serving primarily low-income individual in need of family law representation. Ashley continued to work for this organization through law school. Ashley graduated Law School with a Juris Doctor and a Certified in Dispute Resolution. Ashley graduated from law school a semester early, and passed the Minnesota State Bar Examination before her colleagues had even graduated law school.
In 2012, The Law Office of Ashley C. Cooper, LLC was formed. It was an obvious choice to start her own firm. Ashley already has years of experience in the legal profession and knew there was a high demand for good affordable attorneys. The goal of the firm has been the same since the beginning- focusing on the results while providing affordable representation along the way. The objective of representation is ultimately what matters most to the client, which takes listening and years of experience to help accomplish. Most of this firm’s clients have been referral based either from previous clients or attorneys. Good work stands on its own.
Since the firm has started, Ashley has provided family law and criminal representation on more than 500 (+ counting) cases. Ashley has worked with the Washington County and Ramsey County Public Defender’s Office, serving as a contracted attorney. Ashley has worked on over 150 + felony level cases. Ashley spends about half of her practice time in a courtroom.
Ashley serves as a Criminal Defense Panel Attorney in Washington County. The panel program is a small group of attorneys that assist on the Washington County Arraignment Calendar. The group of volunteer attorneys speak with individuals who are charged with an offense and have no idea what to do moving forward. The attorneys legal advice free of charge at the hearing and are available for hire for representation if their case moves forward.
Ashley is also a volunteer attorney for the Washington County Family and Criminal Legal Advice Clinic offered at the Washington County Law Library. With the work she does with the panel and the clinics, Ashley provides consultations on a large number of cases. The exposure is invaluable in terms of preparing those cases this office is retained on. Ashley sees arguments that work and arguments that do not work. Representation is more than just standing in front of the judge and asking for what a client wants or providing an explanation. Good representation is artfully crafted with a vision and understanding of what it takes to get to the desired result. Knowing how to apply the law and navigate the litigation process is key.
What does Ashley do when she is not representing clients?
Ashley is still on the move… Ashley is a competitive ballroom dancer. Ashley also enjoys reading, spending time with her family and socializing in the community.
