Attorney Greta LaMountain says she once wanted to be a folk-rock star. The daughter of longtime Valley folk performer Tex LaMountain, she says that as a kid she used to “jump onstage with my dad and his band,” and singing was the only career she was interested in. She went on to study at the Berklee School of Music, singing a variety of music and leading a rock band, but came to feel the musical life was too self-absorbed for her taste. “I really wanted to be in a profession where I could work with and help people more,” she says.
That brought her to law school and a series of internships in state offices that oversee victim assistance and juvenile rights. These days, LaMountain is back in her hometown of Amherst, working for a local law firm and specializing in bankruptcy law. As she sees it, bottoming out financially is a frightening, demoralizing experience for most people, and that’s where she can help.
“Bankruptcy practice is comprised of an incredibly complex set of laws, and my clients, whether corporate or individual, face unique and acute struggles when they come to see me,” she says. “It’s extremely gratifying to let clients know they are not alone and to assist people in accomplishing a tangible, positive outcome.”
Full name: Greta LaMountain
Place of birth: Montague
Address: Granby
Job: Attorney for Bacon Wilson/Monsein & MacConnell, P.C., mostly in the Amherst office
Who lives under the same roof as you? My boyfriend, Damian Biagi, and his daughter AnnaMaria, 6
Children: None of my own, but I adore them
Education: Amherst Regional High School, 1990; Berklee College of Music, vocal performance degree, 1994; Boston College Law School, 2003
Book you’d recommend to a friend: I read so much for work that I no longer read much for pleasure … but I could recommend a few good bankruptcy cases
Favorite movie: Whatever leaves me in a puddle of tears – “Once Were Warriors,” “Gran Torino,” “Grumpy Old Men,” “My Cousin Vinny”
Favorite television show: “Grey’s Anatomy” and, shamefully, reality shows (“Biggest Loser,” “Amazing Race,” sometimes “Survivor”)
Favorite singer or group: I somehow developed a love for country music in recent years … and Toto, Kansas, Tori Amos, Norah Jones
What do you waste your money on? Impulse purchases, gifts for other people
Guilty pleasure: Umm … I mentioned country music and reality shows, right? And rich foods!
Life-changing experience: Living in Bolivia with my mom as a child; going to law school (permanently changes your perspective)
Funniest memory: Laughing at a really stupid show called “Best of the West” with my best friend (at the time) when I was about 9
Strangest job you ever held: Working as a greeter at The Disney Store in Copley Place in Boston
Bumper-sticker statement? Nooooo … but if I did, it would say “Buy Local”
A little-known fact about you: I am quite shy in many situations
Dumbest thing you ever did: It’s a secret
Celebrity encounters? I was a guest and sang at a wedding in Georgetown where the groom’s godfather was Al Pacino and another guest was Geraldine Ferraro. I have a picture with Al and told Geraldine I really wanted her to be the vice president when I was a kid
Favorite Web site: Facebook
One thing you would change about yourself: My metabolism and my near inability to censor myself before speaking or putting pen to paper
People who knew you in high school thought you were: A dizzy blonde?
Whom do you most admire? My sister is a most awesome mother to her babies
Parting shot: Make an effort every day to do a bit of right, try to leave your corner of this earth just a little bit better than it was when you came into it, and try not to hold a grudge or hold onto hatred. Professional and personal integrity is not just something … it’s almost everything