From Legislative Service to Starting Her Own Law Firm, Kimberly Cook Blazes Her Own Path

A great advantage of a small college like Unity is that it can be many things to different people.  While there are common themes that run through the College and shared values, such as an affinity for the environment, there is a diversity of learning styles among students that is prevalent and has been for some time.  Some students flourish with step-by-step, one-on-one attention and benefit greatly from the learning resource center. 

They also benefit from the small environment for its superior academic support and often individualized instruction they receive.  Though hands-on learning is and has been common to the Unity curriculum for quite some time, with students who may have struggled in high school able to flourish with new skills acquired, this approach also helps the academically gifted.  Professors who work closely with students experiencing learning difficulties also reach out to the gifted, those like Kimberly (Boggiatto) Cook ’93, Environmental Studies (self-designed).  This balancing act of empowering one set of students while challenging another is not an easy task.  Cook feels that Unity professors excel at both.

To scan Cook’s resumé is to recognize a classic type A personality high achiever, someone who flourishes when challenged.  What no one would ever guess is that she overcame a learning disability.

After graduating from Unity College, Cook earned a Master of Science degree in Environmental Science and Policy from the University of Wisconsin at Green Bay in 1997.  Cook moved to Denver with her husband Jonathan in 1996 while finishing her master’s thesis. She held several different jobs, from working for a consulting firm doing transportation and environmental planning, to serving as an aide to a Denver city councilwoman to working for Earthjustice, a nonprofit environmental law firm, as a research associate.  She also served as campaign manager to former Colorado state Representative Jennifer Veiga, who went on to become a state Senator.  She and Jonathan moved to Maine in 2001.

Jonathan, an optometrist, joined Gray Family Vision Center in Gray, while she headed off to law school.  Cook graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maine school of Law in 2004, graduating second in her class.

In December of 2006, after more than two years working as an attorney for the Portland, Maine law firm of Curtis Thaxter Stevens Broder & Micoleau, Cook struck out on her own, founding Cook & Associates LLC of Portland.  In her own firm, Cook focused on government relations and environmental and land use regulatory work.

In the summer of 2007, another Unity alumna making a name for herself in Maine’s legal world, Emily Walsh ’01, Environmental Education, joined Cook as an attorney at the firm.  They will soon be known as cook & Walsh.

“I started a firm last December (2006),” explained Cook.  “Emily started working with me in August (2007) and we are joining forces to form Cook & Walsh.  Long term, the sky is the limit for this firm.  Cook says “it’s always a possibility” that some enterprising Unity College graduate with a law degree might join them.

This two-attorney firm is now flourishing, growing its client base and aggressively pursuing its business plan.  The firm’s goals reflect Cook’s personality, aiming high and seeing possibility at every turn.

The liberal arts education she received at Unity College, her graduate degree and her various work experiences are all valuable tools for Cook.

Currently Cook is a board member of the Portland LandBank Commission, a city commission that looks to preserve open space in Portland.  She is also an active member of the Women’s Law Section of the Maine State Bar Association.

“I have done pro bono work for the Conservation Law Foundation, working for sustainable management of the herring fishery in the Northeast,” noted Cook.  “I have also done pro bono lobbying work for the Penobscot Bay Alliance regarding Sears Island development issues.”

Though she has never held elective office, Cook feels it is important to be an active citizen and ensure the continued vibrancy of an active democracy.  This is a core value of a Unity College education.

“There are plenty of opportunities to make a difference on issues that are important and these efforts (service to community, pro bono work, etc.) provide great experience and contacts that can further your professional goals,” Cook noted.

While some Unity students praise professors who empowered them by helping them to accomplish more than they thought possible, Cook praises professors who were the most demanding of her.  This is the academic Yin and Yang of Unity College, empowering those who need special help while still challenging the high achievers like Walsh.

One Professor who she cites in this regard she knows only as “Phil.” With a laugh she acknowledges this as Unity type of issue.

“You know everyone (at Unity College) by their first name, so I remember this professor only as Phil,” Cook said.  “He taught biology and ecology and left in ’91 or ‘92, but I liked him because he challenged me and was demanding of students.”  She lists other particularly memorable professors as (Professor Emeriti) Dave Purdy and Professor Chris Marshall, who still teaches at the College.

Cook says that John Sanborn, an English professor, was a fantastic teacher of composition.  “Professor Sanborn taught students the process of how to write by first requiring us to write in a journal during every class to get us over the fear of writing, and get us accustomed to putting thoughts on the page, even if they were only in random and rough form.  He stressed that writing was a process of revising your work.”

“Being able to write well is critical to being successful in law school and in practice,” Cook continued.  “I would say that it is not a skill that comes easily for many, but it is a vital skill that comes with much practice and guidance from professors.”

“Chris Marshall’s teaching made me realize and question assumptions about a host of social and cultural issues,” Cook said.  “His classes really served to broaden my horizons and thinking.”

Purdy was the professor who Cook says had the greatest developmental impact on her.

“He provided thought provoking concepts and ideas in his classes and stressed the importance of critical thinking and precision of information,” Cook said.  “He would often say ‘what’s your source?’ to students during discussion.  These are very important skill for law students and lawyers, as well as other professionals.”

“He would also not put up with me giving anything less than my best effort, and pushed me to work hard.”

The bottom line for Cook is that Unity was the right decision for her.

“Both my undergraduate and graduate educations prepared me for success in the legal field,” said Cook.  “I received a solid liberal arts education while at Unity.  When I was at Unity (1989-1993), I found that some students were content to skate by doing the bare minimum required, which often meant not being prepared for class.  Because I was the first in my family, including extended family, to go to college, and because I was paying for much of my education myself, I was very aware of how fortunate I was to be attending college.  Hence, I was very focused on getting a good education.”

“With the right attitude and drive, Unity College can provide a very good education.”

Cook is living proof of that.