Phone:	(816) 531-2224
Fax:	(816) 531-2147
Email:	Contact Us

Ms. Chiala joined Slough Connealy Irwin & Madden LLC in March of 2011. She works primarily with Dale Irwin on a wide variety of consumer protection cases. She also defends consumers who are being sued by debt collectors and prevailed on many such cases.

Ms. Chiala began her career as an organizer in social justice campaigns. Through this work, she was introduced to the legal field and worked side by side with lawyers devoted to equal rights for working and low-income people. She gained experience in the areas of employment discrimination, tenants` rights, wrongful convictions, prisoner rights, and environmental justice.

This experience inspired her to attend law school and, in 2006, she graduated cum laude from UMKC, where she received awards for her performances in moot court competitions, criminal law, and other areas of academia. While in law school, Ms. Chiala organized law students and lawyers in the community toward the goal of making law school more accessible to all people.

After graduation, Ms. Chiala worked for the Public Defender`s office, where she gained invaluable experience in the courtroom and attained a reputation for vigorously defending her clients. She handled thousands of felony cases, tried scores of juvenile cases, argued countless motions and handled several jury trials, with many successes. Ms. Chiala believes strongly in listening to her clients, understanding their issues and fighting hard to get them the best result possible.

Bar Admissions

• Missouri, 2006

Education

• University of Missouri-Kansas City J.D., Doctor of Jurisprudence, 2006
• San Francisco State University, Bachelor of Arts, Sociology, 2003

Professional Associations and Memberships

• National Association of Consumer Advocates
  
  
• Missouri Bar Association
  
  
• National Lawyers Guild
  
  
• Institute for Research and Education on Human Rights