Life & Work with Rachel W. Robinson, Esquire

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Rachel W. Robinson.

Hi Rachel, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I am Rachel. I was born in Jamaica. My father was born in England. My mother, in Belize. And, after my father moved us to Ohio when I was a toddler, my little sister was born in Columbus. I consider myself a global citizen due to my multinational background and I have embodied that through my study of multiple languages and by traveling, living, and studying in several countries over my life.

As a youth, I was the All-American Jamaican girl. Starring on the soccer team; performing in choir concerts and piano and dance recitals; and excelling in the gifted and talented academic program at school.

I decided at the age of 7 that I would become an attorney when my uncle, a prominent attorney in Jamaica, explained his role as an attorney “to be a voice for those who don’t have one.” Like a superhero, I thought. And I never took my eye off of that goal.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story. Has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Despite being raised in an economically prosperous environment, life was not so great “behind the gates,” as I say. My mother was self-centered and abusive and my father, although an active parent, was not protective. He had high expectations, which I lived up to yet never felt that I was enough.

So, in high school, when I started being bullied by a former friend, I had nobody there to protect me. The school leadership swept it under the rug; my father decided that I should have the fortitude to persevere and, therefore, denied my requests to be transferred to a different school. When it became too much to handle, I simply stopped going.

When my parents found out that I had stopped attending school, they were disappointed. But I didn’t care. I did not believe they had a right to be disappointed when they had done nothing to protect me. My father decided to get me my own apartment, saying, “If you want to be an adult, go be an adult.”

I hadn’t wanted to be an adult. I had wanted to go to a different school but, there I was, plopped into the world alone with no identity or idea how I would reach my goal of becoming an attorney.

The next 5 years of my life were filled with righteous rage, rebellion, drugs, housing instability, and every kind of victimization that a woman can experience. Until, one day, I decided that I was going to release my disappointments and find a way out.

After I made that choice, things started lining up. I graduated with my high school diploma from an alternative school and went to live with my father. After a few months, the only school I had applied to found me again somehow and offered me a full academic scholarship. I took the opportunity immediately and never looked back.

I went on to complete my undergraduate, masters, and law degrees while traveling the world and completing prestigious internships. I passed the bar and officially started my legal career as a Deputy District Attorney in Denver. My personal experience and academic understanding of the legal system informed my philosophy as a prosecutor. I was humane, fair, insightful, and was not easily manipulated by defendants because I saw my reflection in the victims and I understood the mindset of perpetrators.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?

As a prosecutor, I connected with the victims and took extra care to help them navigate. So, when I started my law firm, I naturally found myself representing victims. There are not many attorneys who offer this type of representation, which is unfortunate because we would not even have a criminal justice system if people weren’t victimized. I am honored to be able to represent them in criminal cases, and in other areas of law.

When I realized that my clients were also seeking mental and spiritual healing, I incorporated holistic wellness into my offerings. Thus, The Ray Of Justice Legal Services and Holistic Care  (“ROJ”) was born.

The holistic wellness aspect of my firm is still evolving. Currently, my clients are introduced to holistic wellness modalities through pre-recorded Healing Sessions that I publish each month. These are fireside chats with providers who share who they are and a tool for my clients to add to their resiliency toolbelt. Within the next year, I will have a physical location that will be the Healing Place for my clients to go in person for services like massages, meditation, yoga, breathwork, and naps!

To date, I have published 12 sessions. Based on feedback from colleagues and clients, I have opened the sessions to the public. Now, anybody can watch Rachel’s Healing Sessions on YouTube. You can also join The Healing Portal from RoJ’s website.

YT: https://www.youtube.com/@TheRayOfJustice
Webpage: https://www.therayofjustice.com/healing-portal

For the most part, The Ray of Justice has grown steadily. I had some personal challenges that caused me to temporarily slow things down last year but, since there are very few attorneys who offer trauma-informed, victim-centered representation, I knew I had to invest in administrative support and lean on my partnerships to keep RoJ going until I was back up to full speed. That foresight and resiliency has paid off.

RoJ has doubled its 2023 revenue in the past four months, and I have won my first two awards for this work. Good Business Colorado (“GBC”) honored me with two special awards. GBC is a Statewide, member-led community of small business owners who prioritize social responsibility over profits. They honored me with The Policy Star Award for my work on the GBC Policy Council, where I provided a victim-centered perspective on bills proposed by the State legislature. RoJ received the Member’s Choice Award, which my fellow members voted on.

Now, with momentum growing, it is time to hire some help so that RoJ can handle the increase in referrals while maintaining my signature high level of care for clients.

How do you think about luck?
Bad luck led me to start my law firm. Good luck landed me into the exact area of law I was always meant to practice.

I left my career as a prosecutor after experiencing an immense professionally traumatizing nightmare. I was ordered to keep a case open when I, and the police, knew we did not have the evidence to proceed. When I resisted and reported this illegal order, I was retaliated against, and after filing the proper complaints, I resigned.

I was angry. I vowed never to be compromised like that again. The only way to ensure that was to work for myself. Thus, ROJ was born.

I didn’t know what type of law firm it would be at first, but I knew it would not be a criminal defense—at least not for violent offenses. People referred crime victims to me because they needed my expertise and connections as a former prosecutor to get their voices heard. That’s when it became clear that I would be a Victim Rights Attorney. That is also when my whole life leading up to that moment finally made sense. I believe I have found my purpose. And my prosperity.

I guess one can call that good luck, but it sure took a lot of bad luck to get here.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.TheRayOfJustice.com
• Youtube: https://www.YouTube.com/@TheRayOfJustice
• TikTok: https://www.TikTok.com/@TheRayOfJustice