Nyquist Legal Team

KELLEY D. ARD, J.D. | SENIOR PARALEGAL

Joined Nyquist Law Group in 2015. 
Ms. Ard graduated from William Mitchell College of Law in 2009. Before law school, Ms. Ard worked for the Alaska Court System as an In-Court Clerk for 17 years. After law school, she worked for the District Attorney’s Office in Anchorage, and for a prestigious law firm that focused solely on Indian Law. Ms. Ard received her B.A., in History, with honors, in 2005 from University of Alaska Anchorage, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and Phi Alpha Theta. Ms. Ard is married to the love of her life, and is very proud of her two-adult stepsons. She has lived in Alaska since she was a young child and has lived in many places around the state: Soldotna, Kodiak, Juneau, Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, Utqiagvik (Barrow), and Anchorage. Outside of work, Ms. Ard enjoys spending time with her family and her spirited and lovable Irish Terrier, Theodore Rex Roosevelt (Teddy). Her hobbies include Scuba Diving, Travel, Cooking, and spending time with her friends enjoying good food and wine. Ms. Ard finds the field of Family Law extremely rewarding and cares about each individual client who may be dealing with challenging and difficult relationship or family issues.

JESSICA FALKE | J.D. Associate attorney

Jessica Falke graduated from Mitchell Hamline School of Law with a Certificate in Conflict Resolution Theory and Practice from the nationally ranked Dispute Resolution Institute at Mitchell Hamline. Jessica became a bar member in 2022, but has been working with Nyquist Law Group, LLC since 2016. Prior to being admitted as a full member of the bar, Jessica took advantage of Bar Rule 44 permits and was practicing supervised by Kara Nyquist for almost two years. Jessica has a wealth of knowledge and experience in family law, and mediation. Jessica is passionate about dog rescue and currently has two dogs (and a rotating foster dog roster). Her experience as a legal professional, compassionate human, and mother all add to her skillset as an advocate for clients. Jessica feels honored to be able to advocate for and assist clients and their children during some of the most difficult times in their lives

GEORGE BARBINE | Legal intern | J.D. anticipated 2024

Prior to joining Nyquist Law Group in 2020, George spent 20 years in the United States Army, retiring as a First Sergeant. George also worked as a judicial intern to Judge Angel Kelley in the District of Massachusetts and as a student attorney at the Domestic Violence Institute in Boston, MA. George uses a trauma-informed approach and focuses on high-conflict custody cases, domestic violence cases, and cases where one or more of the parties are service members. As a parent with primary custody himself, George understands how important it is to approach divorce and custody cases from a client-centered, empathetic perspective. George has completed all academic requirements for his JD and is practicing under Ms. Nyquist’s supervision.

B.A., English, magna cum laude, American Military University, 2021

J.D., Northeastern University School of Law, graduating in May 2024.

Connie kirchner | SENIOR PARALEGAL

Connie is a native of Pennsylvania who moved to Alaska about 35 years ago and has over 30 years of legal experience in Anchorage. She has dedicated her professional life to helping Alaskans. She has worked in the legal field in a variety of capacities and is a strong and knowledgeable advocate for her clients. Charter College provided her with a paralegal certificate and has spent much of her career working in family law. Connie is a loving grandmother to her grandchildren and has two daughters. She enjoys spending time at her cabin, snow machining, and reading when she is not advocating for clients or spending time with family.

ISABEL FINLEY | J.D. Associate attorney

Isabel graduated from Harvard Law School in 2019 and began her career at a national plaintiff’s side civil rights firm, with a focus on sexual violence and employment discrimination litigation. Prior to joining Nyquist Law Group, Isabel served as a federal law clerk to the Hon. Angel Kelley of the U.S. District Court in Boston, MA. In law school, Isabel was elected President of the Harvard Women’s Law Association, the largest student organization on campus. She also won the Best Brief award in a national moot court competition, as well as the Dean’s Scholar Prize for her paper on how adolescent neuroscience can inform needed changes to sexual abuse tort law. Isabel adopts a trauma-informed, client focused approach in her cases, and is committed to eradicating sexual and domestic violence. 

Admitted to practice law in Massachusetts and California; expected upcoming admissions in New York and Alaska. 

J.D., Harvard Law School, 2019; recipient of the Deans Award for Community Leadership. 

B.A., Political Science, magna cum laude, Barnard College, 2015.

Kallie Lafferty | Legal Assistant

Kallie joined Nyquist Law Group in August of 2019. She graduated from the University of Alaska Anchorage with a BA in Legal Studies in the spring of 2020. Before joining NLG, Kallie gained two years as a legal secretary in a family law office. As a lifelong Alaskan, Kallie enjoys the outdoors with her family and dog, Remi, who you will find wagging his tail and greeting clients from her office at NLG. As one of the first points of contact with clients, Kallie is passionate about providing high quality customer service to each and every one of our clients. She is known for her timely updates and ability to communicate with clients efficiently. Her goal is to ease the legal process for families during their most difficult times.

Dane Lester | Legal Assistant

Dane is a junior at West Anchorage High School and a student of the Highly Gifted and Baccalaureate Academic Programs. He has worked for Nyquist Law Group since 2021. Dane is extremely interested in the legal field, having participated in Anchorage Youth Court and Mock Trial in the past and joining Nyquist Law Group to learn more about family law. While originally working as a file clerk, Dane’s position has grown to encompass a wide variety of legal research, exhibit preparation, and drafting. Outside of law, Dane enjoys participating in his school’s Drama, Debate, and Forensics team, playing the piano and viola, and spending time outdoors.