Sophya Raza

I am the oldest child of immigrant parents and was the first to graduate from college on my mother’s side of the family. I have wanted to be a lawyer ever since I drafted a contract at the age of 12 for my mom and sister to sign involving my sister’s desire for a perm. It was this first instance of helping two individuals resolve their dispute in a fair manner that hooked me. I live in Wildwood with my daughter and 3 dogs. In my free time, I play tennis, workout, garden and spend time meeting all the dogs! Despite vowing to never return to St. Louis after college, here I am. I returned to St. Louis after college in DC and stayed here for law school. In between graduating from college and attending law school, I worked at Edgewood Children’s Center with physically and sexually abused children. It was this experience that first sparked my interest in family law. I wanted to choose a career that I was passionate about and that I was good at and found that fit with family law. I have focused my practice solely on family law since graduating from law school in 2002. I have found that concentrating my practice on family law has allowed me to gain a very deep understanding of the issues and laws involved. When I first started practicing, I only focused on traditional family law litigation in court. As I have grown in my practice, I have realized that while some cases must be litigated in court, many situations can be efficiently and effectively resolved outside of the courtroom. With this in mind, I also began working as a family law mediator and a Collaborative family law attorney. I truly do enjoy helping those who are in a crisis or who need help solving problems. I take great pride and find it deeply rewarding to resolve my clients’ problems and guide them through their family law issues. I have experienced firsthand the effects and emotions of divorce and custody litigation. Not only on myself but also on my daughter.