As a practicing attorney for over 20 years, Krista Andrews helps clients navigate the sometimes overwhelming and stressful legal process. With this experience, Krista and co-owner Tim Brookins have created PartUs, an application focused on the legal divorce process. “My goal is to help my clients and and give them tools, inform them, and empower them to get through the divorce process easier,” explained Krista.
Lawyer and Entrepreneur
As a young girl, Krista had aspirations to become either a doctor or lawyer. In high school, Krista worked at a law firm making copies and completing other tasks, which led to her desire to become a lawyer. Krista chose to attend the University of North Dakota where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English followed by a Juris Doctor degree. “I know that I am helping people as a lawyer, and I would truly love to help more on the global basis,” explained Krista.
Krista specializes in several areas of law including estate planning & probate, family law, landlord-tenant law, and real estate. With 20 years of experience in family law, Krista would often think about adjusting the cumbersome process of divorce. “Because I am very organized, the legal process of data entry, mediation, negotiation are ineffective and bothersome… and I felt for some time that the process needed innovation,” shared Krista.
The Friendship Connection
Cassi Brookins, a longtime friend of Krista’s, gave the initial spark to her to create a helpful app for divorce proceedings. “She texted me one day and said that her husband suggested that I should create a divorce app with calculators, resources and other notes,” explained Krista. In addition, Krista shared her idea with a family friend who had recently been through a divorce. He was so interested in the idea that he was willing to in invest $100,000 to see this app become a reality.
With the growing desire to help future clients and these affirmations of her idea, Krista connected with Jake Joranstaad and the Myriad Mobile team to create a prototype of the app. Once again, the Brookins family was integral in the creation of PartUs. “I reached out to Tim Brookins again with the possibilities created by the Myriad Mobile team…and he was so excited about the project that he wanted to join me as a part owner,” shared Krista.
Currently, Krista and Tim operate as a team with complimentary skill sets. “Tim is a distinguished engineer at Microsoft and a technology legend…and I am not the techy type, but I have the knowledge and experience to help create the app,” explained Krista. The company is in its early stages of development, which includes a grass roots effort for attorneys utilizing the prototype app and sharing it with other attorneys. PartUs is setting its course to disrupt the legal industry.
Learn more from Krista Andrews and PartUs as she speaks at 1 Million Cups Fargo on Wednesday, July 19th, 2017 at 9:15 a.m. at The Stage at Island Park.
