Christie Petruzzelli

Associate Attorney with Sniffen & Spellman, P.A., 28

 Growing up, Christie Petruzzelli was always playing a sport or auditioning for a part in a show. She’s competitive by nature—subscribing to the belief that with the right focus, attitude, and energy, she can master nearly anything. This point-of-view has allowed her to meaningfully contribute to legal cases and outside-of-work projects. She looks forward to using skills developed through the practice of law to better the lives of children and families in her community.

Who is the single greatest person who supported your journey to success?

 My father has been instrumental in shaping who I am. He taught me to treat people well, shoot for the stars, and put in the work. He is my voice of reason in hard times and greatest cheerleader in good ones.

What advice would you give to young people with a similar trajectory to yours?

There is no one sure way to get where you want to go. Words of wisdom are invaluable, but so are intuition and self-confidence. Your unique perspective, characteristic, or experience might be exactly what gets you there. Be comfortable making your own blueprint for success.

What do you hope to accomplish in the next 5 years? 

I want to continue to hone my skills as a litigator as well as mentor young attorneys and students. I also want to keep learning about myself, explore the world, laugh a lot, get back into sports (maybe complete a triathlon), and start a family.

 What motivates you?

I am most motivated by concepts of excellence and contribution. It has always been a fundamental goal of mine to add value to the people, places, and things I interact with. Growing up, I was always playing a sport or auditioning for a part in a show. I blame my competitive nature on this, but that competitive nature has caused me to always be competing with myself. I’ve subscribed to the belief that with the right focus, attitude, and energy, we can master or excel at mostly anything. I find that process rewarding, and the upshot of that process is that I am able to meaningfully contribute to the cases on which I work and projects outside of work in which I involve myself.

 What impact do you hope to make on your community?

I have always felt called to make an impact in the lives of children and families and strive to do so through my volunteer commitments. Looking toward the future, it is my goal to use my knowledge and skills from the practice of law to better the lives of children and families in my community.