News editor
An astute visitor at Tuesday’s ribbon cutting for Joshua and Courtney Boehm’s new Cottonwood Law Group office in Hillsboro would have noticed three desks, not two.
Courtney’s desk is in the main entry area, but as she is running unopposed for county attorney, she’ll be spending most of her time at the courthouse come January. A legal secretary may take over that spot.
Joshua’s desk is in an adjacent large office and conference room, but another desk is there, too, tucked away in a corner.
It’s an old, small school desk, the kind with a top that flips up to reveal storage underneath, and it’s reserved for a young associate, 19-month-old Declan, the Boehms’ son.
“He’s been here quite a bit already,” Joshua said.
It’s been a quick transition from working with Marion attorney J. Robert Brookens, from whom they parted ways in June.
“Once we decided this was the best route for us and our family, it was kind of a race against the clock,” Joshua said. “We’re both hard-working and we both get after it, so it was dividing things up so we weren’t duplicating.”
Declan took it all in stride.
“I don’t know that he really noticed,” Courtney said. “We had both Joshua’s parents and mine come multiple weekends. They wanted one-on-one time with him anyway, so we could go to the office or work in the basement.”
The Boehms met as Washburn students and got married before their third year there. After graduating, their professional paths took different directions.
Joshua started working with Brookens in 2012 and solidified the partnership in 2014. He also became attorney for Hillsboro, Goessel, Florence, and Lincolnville.
Courtney added a family law certificate to her Washburn degree. It’s been valuable in stints with Johnson County Juvenile Division, Saline County public defenders office, and more recently assisting county attorney Susan Robson. She also worked in the Brookens and Boehm practice.
Those experiences will be reflected in how their practice develops.
“My scope is much more in office practice, with a lot less litigation and courtroom stuff,” Joshua said. “I really enjoy the city work. It’s not really corporate work, but to some extent it’s similar.”
Among areas Joshua expects to be involved with are estate planning and probate, domestic law, adoptions, business formation, and contracts.
The Boehms will build the business together until Courtney takes over as county attorney.
“I like being in the courtroom, both the criminal side and the domestic side,” she said. “Those cases can be difficult, but I really like that client interaction and coming up with solutions to problems.”
The Boehms bought a house in Hillsboro in 2013. They said that Hillsboro has been a good home and will work well as a base for future plans.
“Neither one of us is from Marion County, but we’ve enjoyed our time here and feel like we’ve settled in,” Joshua said.
And when work is done, there’s always Declan.
“Outside of the office that’s what we do, spend a lot of time with Declan,” Joshua said. “Every day he’s learning and climbing and doing everything. It’s a blast.”