Our Team
Kristi Cole
PARALEGAL
Kristi Cole is Lanzone Morgan’s most experienced paralegal with over 42 years working in the legal field. In addition to taking care of her daily tasks, Kristi also acts as a mentor to the other paralegals by providing assistance and guidance.
Kristi, born and raised in Buena Park, grew up in a stable and close community. Growing up, she looked up to her two loving parents. Kristi finds them inspiring as they were completely different, yet naturally complemented each other. With her parents offering the best of both worlds, their harmony inspired Kristi to want to be a mom her entire life. She now has 3 kids, in Washington and New York, whom she enjoys visiting in her free time.
At 14-years-old, Kristi became a candy striper at an SNF where she spent time sitting and talking to the elderly. At 18-years-old, she started working at her first law firm as a file clerk. She moved on to be a legal secretary, office administrator and, eventually, a paralegal. Among her 42 years of experience, almost 10 has been with Anthony and Jim.
Kristi entered the elder abuse field after her mother fell ill. Kristi’s family debated putting their mother in a SNF. Kristi, who knew Anthony prior to working at Lanzone Morgan, reached out to Anthony for advice. He informed her about the dangers of elder abuse, and the numerous ways that it can happen. From there, Kristi began her career in elder abuse.
When Kristi talks about why she is at Lanzone Morgan, it is evident that she is genuinely grateful for both the opportunity and the impact that they have as a firm:
“I initially came because of Anthony, and I stayed because I truly love what I do here. Coming in every day is a positive thing for me. This is what I want to do. I feel fortunate that I will be able to do this until retirement. Not a lot of people are afforded that opportunity. I believe that this firm will be here for a long time in the future, and I personally do not want to do anything else. How many people can say that they have a job helping people? We help people that otherwise will not receive any help from anyone.
Kristi sees the importance in an individual’s influence in an elder abuse situation. She wants to make sure that those who are working with victims and their families are passionate because “if you are not passionate about it, you are not going to be proactive in understanding why these people are sick.” Like Kristi’s parents who embodied complementary differences, she demands that those who work in elder abuse need to have passion to litigate in congruence with compassion for people.
