Debra Reedy
Debra Reedy is a first-year evening JD candidate at the University of the Pacific’s McGeorge School of Law, where she is pursuing a legal career rooted in advocacy, reform, and access to justice. Her decision to attend law school was shaped by deeply personal experiences navigating the family court system during her son’s custody proceedings—an exposure that revealed systemic barriers faced by unrepresented litigants and families. These experiences sparked a commitment to closing the justice gap, particularly for parents, children, and individuals whose fundamental rights are often decided without adequate legal protection.
Before law school, Debra built a diverse professional background spanning real estate brokerage, accounting, and legal support services. She is currently a freelance process server in the Greater Sacramento area and has spent nearly a decade serving as a disability advocate and support person for disabled litigants, assisting with legal document drafting and ensuring courtroom accommodations are met. An extended period away from full-time work due to a serious heart condition further deepened her understanding of invisible and neurodiverse disabilities, strengthening her resolve to address how the legal system serves—or fails—these communities.
Debra’s professional focus centers on family law reform, disability accommodations, and reducing prolonged, costly litigation that harms families and children. She plans to enter private practice with an emphasis on appellate work while remaining actively engaged in public outreach, education, and legislative advocacy. In addition to her legal studies, she volunteers with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and is writing a book on disability accommodations in the legal system. Debra’s path is not driven by traditional career ambitions, but by a clear mission: to be a voice for those overwhelmed by an inaccessible system and to help build a more just, humane, and equitable legal process.
• Real Estate License
• University of the Pacific - McGeorge School of Law- J.D.
• Golden Gate University- Master's
• University of California, Davis- B.A.
• Court Appointed Special Advocates
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my ability to make an impact to being a self-starter and having a unique perspective as an outsider to the legal system. I've always been really a self-starter, and that's actually really part of my personality. What's also been crucial is that I had one degree of separation from the custody battle - it was my granddaughter, not my child - which gave me an objectivity that allowed me to be a voice for people who were already suffering so much that they couldn't take on one more thing. They just simply couldn't do it. My experience with disability also transformed my view and gave me insights that most attorneys and judges simply don't have. I'm not trying to create a career that other people are trying to create - I am an outsider, and I just need the mechanism to go into this and make those changes. By being on the inside, I may be able to influence things in a way that will help people to recognize what these problems are before we get there.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The biggest challenge in family law right now is the massive justice gap - 92% of people litigating in the United States have no attorney, and if you're unrepresented or underrepresented, your likelihood of succeeding in whatever case you're bringing is very small. We need court reform desperately. In California, people can return to court every 6 months, which means families spend years in continuous litigation with no break, devastating their mental health and finances. We need legislative changes like Arizona's law that prevents returns to court for a year after a custody order. There's also tremendous bias in family court because these are bench trials decided by judges who see the same parties repeatedly and decide prematurely who they like or don't. We need to make the rules about giving legal advice more lenient when it comes to family court, because you're talking about a liberty interest - the fundamental right to raise and care for your child. Another huge opportunity is addressing disability accommodations, particularly for neurodiverse individuals. We've made huge gains in understanding neurodiversity, yet we have not implemented the kinds of accommodations that are required for neurodiverse people to be recognized and have their accommodations recognized in court. Attorneys and judges just don't seem to understand the impacts this has on people coming into their courtroom, and there's a lot of bias there. We also need to develop resources using technology like AI to help nonprofits and pro se litigants navigate the system.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The most important value to me is being an advocate for those who cannot advocate for themselves. This really isn't about me - it's about kids, and it's about families, and it's about the position of our society where kids are growing up with two parents that are not in the same home so often. I want to make sure that families don't go bankrupt trying to stay in their children's lives. I believe in being a voice for people who are already suffering so much that they couldn't take on one more thing. I'm not going out there to be just a professional - I'm going out there to be an advocate for change, more than just being in the profession. There's a different motivation. I also believe you don't have to be the loudest or take up all of the space - you just have to have direction and make an impact in your small community. One person is not enough, so it's got to be a movement. I value objectivity and the ability to see systemic problems clearly, which my experiences as both a grandparent in a custody situation and as someone with an invisible disability have given me.