By Diane Skouti Baiza, Alumni Liaison
On her left arm, criminal defense attorney Tiffany Pack (Law ‘18) has a large tattoo of a jellyfish, an original drawing by her daughter. Her right arm - also fully tatted (even her elbows are inked) displays colorful and happy images from Disney movies, symbolizing her love of family and adventure. “My job (criminal defense attorney at Fitzgerald Alvarez & Ciummo) is stressful,” Tiffany says. Rather than spend a fortune for a therapist, she prefers to talk with her tattoo artist. “He listens to me. It’s therapeutic and it makes me feel better.”
With her petite stature, whitish-blond hair, and intense but kind blue eyes, Tiffany already stands out in a crowd. Her “skin sleeves” are meant to express her love of Disney and art. “I’m a walking art piece!” Tiffany exclaims. “It (the art) signifies who the person is.” And she believes her criminal defense clients feel more at ease around her because of it. “They think: This b…. is bad-ass, because they see me as down to earth, non-judgmental, and unafraid of them with their own, un-Disney like tattoos.”
Tiffany carries her suit jacket into court and puts it on before each session. The tattoos attracted some attention during her first few appearances, but no one notices much anymore. “Clients often ask to look at the artwork, and the deputies and I like to compare arms.”
A self-described feisty diamond in the rough, Tiffany says she hated school as a kid. Unable to handle any degree of boredom, she wound up in detention, a lot. “I could pick up trash like the best of them!” Rather than an aim to pursue higher education, Tiffany aspired to become an actor and movie star. She appeared in some commercials, but auditions revealed an almost debilitating shyness. Her lack of ability to sing or dance closed the curtain on her dreams of movie stardom.
Having endured an abusive family environment during a 10-year marriage, Tiffany struggled with challenges to find help when filing for divorce. The experience taught her to become self-reliant and determined to support her young children and herself, without help.
As a “Plan B,” Tiffany attained AA and AS degrees in liberal arts and paralegal studies from City College. She became a skilled paralegal. While interning at CCLS, fellow SJCL grad Paul Mullen (Law ’01) suggested she consider law school. An efficient time manager and single mom of two children: her daughter was 12 and her son 10, Tiffany enrolled at SJCL and put her multitasking skills to the test. Beyond the time she committed to her studies, Tiffany prioritized being there for her kids. Her daughter helped by learning to cook, and when in class, Tiffany helped her kids with homework through email and kept tabs on them via cell phone. She never missed any school events and found ways to study her law books while working the snack bar at their various sports competitions. Both in their 20’s now, her daughter is completing her last year for a B.A. in psychology (with plans to go for both a masters and Ph.D), and her son is entering the coast guard but also hopes to work in animation and visual effects. The “go getter” gene is undeniable.
After just six years as an attorney, Tiffany has caught the attention of her colleagues. In May the Fresno County Bar Association chose her as the 2024 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year. In addition to working full-time as an associate at FAC, Tiffany has several gigs on the side. She works with Quall Cardot practicing creditors rights, and Huff Legal in San Francisco doing criminal defense. “I need to keep up with inflation!” she says, but it’s more than that. “I’m not out to change the world,” she says, “I just want to promote justice.”
In addition, Tiffany does special appearances for local and out of town attorneys in criminal, civil and family matters, and a pro bono expungement clinic for CCLS. She works seven days a week, often from home, so it makes more sense to ask how many hours a week she sleeps, rather than spends working.
“My superpower is time management,” Tiffany says. “I don’t drink, no caffeine, and no drugs.” She has learned that her overcharged mind and anxiety are silenced when she’s active. She says she can’t sit for a movie because she feels she’s wasting time that could be better spent. In her free time Tiffany does community service on behalf of Fresno Unified School District. She mentors high-risk students and stays in contact with them long-term while they work to get their lives together. She sees herself as their “Jiminy Cricket,” a sort of wisecracking conscience. In addition to her selection as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, she was recently recognized as a “One on One Mentor of the Year” by FUSD.
If that’s not enough to run a person ragged, Tiffany also raises Dalmatians and rescues endangered California Desert Tortoises. She has a few of the hyperactive spotted dogs at home, and there are puppies on the way. Next to a heated doghouse in her backyard is a heated house for 14 tortoises, along with a fenced tortoise run(!) She cares for federally protected, endangered tortoises, some of which grow to 150-200 pounds. The tortoises are barcoded, which makes it legal for her to care for them and Tiffany says they are delightful companions. “They are just like dogs and cats,” she says, “but a little dumber!”
While her star is rising a few hundred miles north of an acting career in Hollywood, Tiffany has set her sights even higher. “I want to be (another) Judge Judy,” she said of the future. “I think we need more neutral people on the bench,” she adds. She recalled an instance in court where a judge misunderstood her and flipped out, yelling so much she spit. Tiffany says she realized she could do better than that. “I have less than five years to go before I can apply for a judgeship,” she said. For Judge Pro Tem, she may already be eligible “with cause” due to all the time she has put in thus far.
Tiffany says the main secret to her success is honesty. “Everybody wants the truth – I don’t sugar coat anything.” She treats her clients how she would want to be treated, and it appears to be working out quite well.