10 under 40 recipient: Michelle Jungers: Legal Aid attorney raising the bar

Jungers has been an attorney for 11 years, 10 of which have been spent with Iowa Legal Aid.

Born and raised in northwest Iowa, Jungers was one of five children. As she studied to prepare for her future, she took an interest in law as a career.

“I started law school thinking that’s going to be my way to make a lot of money,” Jungers said.

That changed while in college where she became involved in legal clinics and discovered the social service aspect of the field.

“I didn’t know there was this realm, that a lawyer could help people who couldn’t afford an attorney. I underestimated the impact that having the knowledge that you need to empower yourself could change their life,” Jungers said.