The husband-wife attorney team of Josh and Courtney Boehm opened their own law office in Hillsboro June 13.
Their independent practice is called Cottonwood Law Group and the office is located at 107 E. Grand Ave.
The Hillsboro residents had been associated with Brookens & Boehm, with offices in Marion and Hillsboro, since Josh joined the firm in June 2012.
“Really, for the most part, it was just a difference in planning and where we wanted to go with things and how we wanted to do those things,” Josh said about their decision to go on their own.
“One of the first goals is to really become a paperless office—other than obviously providing copies and anything required as an original to different places, or if clients want originals,” he said. “Some things will always be on paper—wills, and things like that. On a lot of other things, we’ll be getting away from that.”
The Boehms also plan to expand Cottonwood Law Group by opening satellite offices in the area.
“Our hope is to be able to provide services to smaller communities that they wouldn’t normally have available, but would have to go to Wichita or Salina or even Kansas City to find someone with those specific skills and training,” Josh said.
“You can’t keep up to speed on all the changes but if you’re able to cover a bigger area, attorneys can move between offices and things like that,” he added. “In the group there can be somebody who has that training and those skills and can provide them to Hillsboro and wherever else we may be.”
Courtney Boehm’s role in the firm will differ in that she is on track to become Marion County attorney starting in January. She was appointed assistant county attorney by Susan Robson, and is running unopposed for the top office.
“Starting January, I’ll be in Marion 98 percent of the time,” Courtney said. “I’ll still be an attorney with this firm because the county attorney (office) technically is just part time.
“I’ll probably only do things like taxes, maybe a little other consultations or appointments,” she added. “But my primary role will be the county attorney job. That will be my focus, especially in the beginning as I get accustomed to that office and doing that full time.”
The Boehms are both graduates of Washburn Law School. Josh received his degree in spring 2012 and Courtney a semester later.
After earning her degree, Courtney went to work with the Salina Public Defenders Office.
“I commuted to Salina for a few years from (Hillsboro),” she said. “Then, once I had our son in December 2014, I quit Salina and for about six months went to work with Josh and Brookens (in June 2015).”
In addition to his case work, Josh serves as city attorney for Hillsboro, Goessel, Lincolnville and Florence.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the law office tentatively is planned for 10 a.m. July 12.
Contact information for the law office is available at cottonwoodlawgroup.com
