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But the 1989 Hill-McCloy High School graduate said the decision to hang her shingle on State Street came naturally.

"After a few years, I realized I really wanted to work for myself and Montrose was where I wanted to do it. I have a five-minute commute. I'm close to my family. I'm really excited to be here," she said.

Swart's road back to Montrose has been a winding one.

After high school, she earned a degree in international political science from Aquinas College, with an eye on a career with the U.S. State Department. An illness following graduation changed her priorities, she said, so she took an administrative position with the Flushing Police Department to be closer to her family.

Always fascinated by the legal system, she headed down another path after several years and began night classes at Cooley Law School in Lansing. In 1999, she earned her law degree and passed the state bar.

Swart worked in the Genesee County Prosecutor's office and for a Fenton law firm, but becoming a mother to her first child, Danny, now 2 1/2, heightened her interest in opening her own practice. She prefers a more one-on-one relationship with clients, something that wasn't always possible at a larger firm.

The arrangement gives her the flexibility she needs as a working mom, but also benefits her clients.

"I understand that not everyone can make an appointment between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., so I try to be as flexible as I can," she said.

Swart handles felony and misdemeanor criminal cases, probate matters, traffic tickets, basic estate planning and family law, including divorce, child custody and child support cases.

Keeping law and order is a family affair for Swart and her husband, Lou Weller. She met the Flint City Police officer in 2001 when he responded to a traffic accident she was involved in while working in the city.

"I still got a ticket," she laughs. "But it was definitely worth it."

The couple's family grew last year, with the addition of daughter, Grace, now 6 months old. Swart's parents, Don and Pat Swart, reside in Montrose, and her brother Jeff and sister Rita also live in the area.

The latest addition to the downtown Montrose business community opened on January 1 at 115 W. State Street. Hours are available by appointment. For more information, call (810) 639-8080.