Name
Gabriella Reihanian Havlicek
Age
30
Company/Organization
Berecz & Associates, PLC
What Does Your Company/Organization Do?
Provide family law litigation, mediation, and collaborative process services.
Education
Juris Doctor
Accomplishments
– married Arthur and started a family – graduated law school – completed domestic and civil mediation trainings – helped draft the Save Our Students Act while working for the late Representative Andrea Schroeder in the Michigan House of Representatives – prosecuted multiple domestic violence cases to protect survivors of abuse while working for the Berrien County Prosecutor’s Office – helped build the Behavioral Health Mediation Program for the Michigan Community Mediation Association
What else do you hope to accomplish by the age of 40?
Grow B&A to continue helping families remain intact post-divorce.
Current City
Saint Joseph
Place You Were Born
Los Angeles
What was your first job?
Camp store clerk at Blue Lake Fine Arts camp
What’s the best advice you ever got?
“Everything can be fixed” – Steven Pierangeli
Who inspires you most?
My husband, Arthur Havlicek.
That one thing about you we’d be most surprised to learn.
My dream job would be to work in a library again. I worked in the Engineering Library while attending MSU and loved the quiet and ability to read all day.
What do you love to do in your downtime?
Cuddle with my girls and Arthur, read a book, or bake.
What book are you reading now?
I am listening to “The Let Them Theory” by Mel Robbins and waiting to pick up “Onyx Storm” by Rebecca Yarros from the library (support your local libraries!!)
Volunteer activity you love the most.
I serve on the committee for the Dr. John Proos Laker Athletic Golf Classic for Our Lady of the Lake Catholic School and I absolutely love it. Our committee has so much fun together and it’s such a great cause to ensure all of the students play sports for free and have the necessary equipment to do so.
What motivates you to give back to your community?
It is a deep passion for my family and I. We love this community and want to see it prosper. Our faith also guides us to give back.
What Superpower would you most love to have?
The ability to be in two places at once. I just want to hold both of my girls at the same time all the time, but I also love my job and serving my clients.
What would you like to leave behind as your legacy once you are gone?
I pray that my children grow up with their father and I as their role models and that they know their faith will guide them, they can have a strong family unit and community presence, and the ability to work in an area that makes their hearts sing. They are my legacy.
What does the honor of being named to the 40 Under 40 most mean to you?
I am grateful that our community and Moody on the Market offer this opportunity to showcase Southwest Michigan’s hardworking young professionals. Being included in this year’s class is deeply meaningful. I’m especially thankful to Deb Bennett Berecz, who became my mentor when I first moved here and later welcomed me into her firm. Her belief in me, along with her ongoing support and guidance, has played a pivotal role in shaping the attorney I am today. To be considered was an honor in itself, but to be selected feels both validating and inspiring. I’m proud of the work I’ve done and excited to continue growing and giving back to our community.
