Helping others comes naturally to attorney Laura Mann; She’s found a home in West Milford where neighbors look out for each other, By Ginny Raue She was the little sister to three big brothers and it made Laura Mann strong and scrappy. While she was far from being a school-yard bully, she did end up being the girl the other children came to when they needed rescuing. Now an attorney with a private practice located in West Milford’s Bald Eagle Square, Mann looked back on her inner self and motivation for choosing law as her career. “I always felt like I should be doing something to help people. My most prominent traits are my verbal skills and my wish to stand up for other people. It’s a grown-up version of me protecting everybody on the playground,” she said. Mann was born and raised in Hillsdale. She attended Pascack Hills High School, Richard J. Stockton College and then Hofstra University School of Law, graduating in 1996. After graduation she went to work at a legal aid firm in Ohio. While the hours were long, Mann said that the supervisory structure and training programs for young lawyers are generally excellent in such firms and she enjoyed helping those who could not afford an attorney. In 2006, when Mann was pregnant with her daughter, Jordan, she decided to return to New Jersey to be with her family. She stayed for a time with her brother and sister-in-law in Upper Greenwood Lake and got to know the West Milford area. She liked what she saw. Mann opened her general practice in West Milford in 2008. With a decade of litigation experience, she now concentrates on family law, tax disputes, real estate, small businesses, non-profit corporations, general litigation and civil and family mediation. As a trained mediator, Mann explained, she can act as an impartial third party to help people work out their disputes without going to court. Her service can be of a private nature or a court referred mediation and can deal with many issues including all manner of domestic relations. Mann said that the most satisfying aspect of her job is being able to help people to resolve their issues, alleviating their stress and fear. While she admits that she may be entertaining a romantic notion, her desire is to get to know her clients well and become a good old-fashion country lawyer. “I have to build to that, but I see it happening,” she said. West Milford suits that scenario for Mann. She finds the people laid back and friendly and she particularly appreciates the way they watch out for each other. When not busy protecting and defending, Mann most enjoys spending time with her daughter. To unwind, she watches “really bad TV,” reads fiction and dabbles in digital photography and scrap booking. At one time she invested a lot of time in volunteer work but since Jordan arrived on the scene her time has been limited. She plans on getting back to volunteering, wanting her daughter to grow up learning the importance of such work. In the kitchen Mann finds herself doing more cooking lately and sent along a recipe for one of her specialty dishes. korean Bulgoki Prep time: 15 minutes Marinating time: 1-4 hours Broil/grill time: 2 minutes Tips: Use beef flank or sirloin steak. For easier slicing place meat in freezer for 30 minutes before slicing and marinating. Serves four 1 lb. beef 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 2 tbsp. sugar 1/4 cup chopped green onions, including tops 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper 2 tbsp. sesame oil (or salad oil) 2 tsp. sesame seeds Thinly slice beef against grain in 1/4 in. slices, 2-3 in. long In bowl, stir together all ingredients Add meat, coating all slices Cover and marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature or 4 hrs. or more refrigerated Place one inch apart, broil or grill for one minute on each side.