What Is My Why? – Freedom
Why did I want to be a lawyer and why do I practice family law and criminal defense? My mission is to help people be courageous enough to make the tough decisions that will lead to better futures. We are all meant to be free.
When I was young, I wore rose-colored glasses. I grew up in a very close, intact family and had everything I ever needed. I didn’t know what it was like to struggle and didn’t really understand the depth of other people’s pain. I didn’t have to think about injustice. When I left home at 18, I quickly saw that life was a lot different for many people.
I was going to college for social work. I’ve always been a fixer and a problem solver, and I thought I would be able to help people solve their problems if I got a degree in social work. I got involved in the Court Appointed Special Advocate Program (CASA) during college and helped judges understand the best interests of children who have been removed from their homes by Children and Youth Services. I got some court experience. I knew then and there that if I truly wanted to help people using my personal skill set in the most impactful way possible, I needed to be an attorney. I’d found my purpose. I got a degree in Social Work and a degree in Behavioral Science and moved to Pittsburgh for law school at Duquesne University School of Law.
I relate to my clients on a very personal level. I’ve been through an unhealthy relationship in the past and I know what it’s like to feel alone and unable to find the courage to choose a different path. I also know what it’s like to make those hard decisions and come out the other side a stronger and better person.
It’s my personal mission to help others find their freedom and their strength.
Education & Training
And now for the obligatory background information…. Attorney Beth Tibbott has been a driven and resourceful advocate since her legal career began in 2003. After graduating Summa Cum Laude in 2002 from Mount Aloysius College, Beth accepted a position at the Pittsburgh law firm of Dornish & Scolieri, P.C. as a Law Clerk in 2003. Her natural talents for keen observation and critical analysis were utilized by the firm to prepare and draft pleadings, commercial agreements of sale and contracts. She assisted attorneys in the practice areas of civil litigation, landlord-tenant law, property law, business law, and estate planning and administration. And, as Beth worked on these matters for the firm and was a practicing real estate agent and personal trainer, she was also attending law school at Duquesne University School of Law.
Upon graduating from law school at Duquesne and receiving her Juris Doctorate in 2007, Attorney Tibbott sat for the bar examination and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar that year. Beth accepted a position at Allegheny Attorneys at Law in Pittsburgh, PA where she became a valuable asset as an attorney working on civil and criminal pleadings, briefs, motions, and praecipes for the firm. She spent a lot of time in court. It was here that she first discovered her passion for the challenging elements of defending those accused of a crime. Then, in 2008, Beth took an attorney position for the Cook Law Group. Beth prepared for and attended all aspects of criminal law cases, which included jail visits, preliminary hearings, arraignments, motions, trials, sentencings, and plea entries.
As her passion for criminal defense law grew, the successful results Beth was able to obtain for her clients also grew. She wanted to do more and decided to turn back to her roots and focus on family law in addition to criminal defense. That determination led to establishing the Tibbott & Richardson law firm with Attorney Dana Richardson.
Best of friends since meeting in law school, Beth and Dana have built Tibbott & Richardson to help people make the hard decisions to make their lives better. Beth’s skill set and experience has developed over the years to focus on complex child custody, custody communication coaching, and criminal defense. She excels at providing strategic communication coaching and complex case strategies to custody clients and works with and advises experts nationwide to achieve clients’ goals.
- Duquesne University School of Law Pittsburgh, PA
Juris Doctorate 2007 - Mount Aloysius College Cresson, PA
Bachelors of Science 2002 Graduated Summa Cum Laude. - National College for DUI Defense
Mastering Scientific Evidence Training Program -Certificate
Bar Admissions & Memberships
- Admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Attorney in good standing admitted to practice in all PA state courts, including the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. - Admitted to the Common Pleas Court of Cambria County
Attorney in good standing admitted to practice in the Court. - Admitted to The United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Attorney in good standing admitted to practice in the federal Court. - Admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States
- Member of the American Bar Association
- Member of the Allegheny County Bar Association
- Founding Member of the Pennsylvania Association of DUI Defense Attorneys
- Member of the DUI Defense Lawyers Association
- Member of Pennsylvania Bar Association
- Member of Cambria County Bar Association
