To a small business, obtaining a government procurement contract can be exciting, lucrative, and daunting. Kristi L. Morgan (JD ’05) has devoted her legal career to the field of government contracting and now helps guide small businesses through the labyrinth of government procurement. “I like that I get to help a small business through a very complicated process of obtaining a government contract,” Kristi says, “and then they can use that contract to better their business.”
Kristi began her legal career with The Winvale Group, a professional services contracting firm in Washington, DC. It was there that she was introduced to public contract law and working with various types of businesses to guide them through the maze of government procurement. She worked exclusively with company principals at businesses of all sizes, ranging from entities with $300 thousand in annual sales to those with over $200 million. In addition to her hands-on client experience, Kristi networked with her peers in DC in the community of lawyers at the ABA Public Contract Law Section, a relationship that she maintains today to share ideas and stay current on the latest issues in public contract law.
The invaluable experience in government procurement law and client management gave Kristi the confidence to form Weitz Morgan PLLC in October 2006. Weitz Morgan is a boutique, two-partner firm representing clients throughout Texas (and Florida on a limited basis) in matters related to public contract law, international business transactions, and insurance law.
Despite being responsible for essentially every facet of her firm, Kristi is enjoying the challenge of wearing different hats in her new venture. “Since going into private practice, I get to represent clients in an area that I enjoy working in, and I can more easily balance my work and personal life without feeling like I’m sacrificing one or the other.” Day-to-day, Kristi interacts with many individuals at various levels of business and government, which can be challenging. “Although there are set procedures for obtaining a procurement contract, each individual interprets those rules differently, and it can be a challenge adapting to so many personalities.” And while Kristi readily admits that the business of law and the practice of law seem dissimilar, “Doing both requires a lot of versatility, dedication, and determination.”
Kristi grew up in a rural town outside of Montgomery, AL. While she remains only the second member of her family to finish college and the first to obtain a graduate degree, it is that close-knit family who inspired and encouraged Kristi to seek out educational opportunities. “Unfortunately, my paternal grandparents only made it to the sixth grade. They stressed the importance of getting as much education as possible to me repeatedly as a child, and as an adult, I believe it was one of the reasons I decided to attend law school.”
After graduating from Hooper Academy, a small private school her grandfather helped found, it was not until three years later that Kristi began her post-secondary studies at Auburn University – Montgomery (AUM), where she majored in English and minored in Spanish. “I’ve been asked before whether I regretted taking the three years off before college. My response is always unequivocally ‘No’ because it was during those years that I decided I wanted to be a lawyer and that I wanted to go to UM.” Kristi earned Chancellor’s Scholar distinction, the highest academic honor awarded at AUM, and Outstanding Student, Department of English and Philosophy, the highest honors awarded by that department.
Coming to UM Law was a life-long dream fulfilled for Kristi. “My family had visited the Miami area when I was a child, and I had fond memories of it being a special place. When I started doing research on the law school, I felt assured that that I would get an incredible legal education, and that sealed the deal for me.” After learning about UM’s reputation in International Law, she was so confident of her choice that she broke the cardinal rule in law school admissions: Kristi applied to only one school. “For me it had everything that I wanted: knowledgeable faculty, a diverse student body, excellent facilities, a great support program for students, and a location that’s hard to beat. I couldn’t have asked for more.”
Kristi hit the ground running at UM, participating in the James Weldon Johnson/Robert H. Waters Fellowship during the summer before her first year of law school. She has fond memories of her UM Law professors Oxman, Abraham, and Rosen, who infused their classes with intellectual thought, passion, and creativity. “Overall, I had an excellent experience at UM Law. It is something that changed my life in so many ways, and all the professors there were part of that transformation.” In addition to her demanding course load, Kristi clerked for the General Counsel of a group of medical providers in McAllen, TX, telecommuting during her second and third years and working on-site while classes weren’t in session. Being able to enjoy a city like Miami offered Kristi a welcome respite to Kristi’s active academic and work schedule.
Although Kristi spends more hours than ever juggling all aspects of running Weitz Morgan, she divides her time between Stowe, VT and Austin, TX. When she’s not representing clients, Kristi enjoys cooking, attending art and music events, and spending time with the people she cares about. Her most recent article, entitled “Selling to the Largest Consumer in the World: An Introduction to Federal Government Procurement,” will appear in the upcoming (April 2007) issue of NSIDE Magazine.