Allison grew up in the small town of Parker, South Dakota with her parents and one older brother. While a first generation lawyer, she had unique exposure to the legal profession starting at a young age; her mother, Lana Sanner, worked as a paralegal for Michael Butler, one of South Dakota’s most prominent criminal defense attorneys. Allison had the opportunity to work in Michael’s office throughout her high school and undergraduate years and spend invaluable time assisting with cases and attending various court proceedings. This sparked her interest to pursue a legal career. 

Allison graduated in 2019 from the University of South Dakota with a degree in Criminal Justice. She continued her education at the University of South Dakota Knudson School of Law. During law school, Allison completed internships at Helsper, McCarty, and Rasmussen in Brookings and for the Attorney General’s Office in Sioux Falls before graduating in 2022. She spent her first year out of law school clerking for the Third Judicial Circuit of South Dakota, which consisted of working personally with six circuit court judges. Experiencing the legal field from the perspective of a defense attorney, prosecutor, and through the eyes of a judge have given Allison a well-rounded start to her practice.

When Allison is not working, she loves spending her free time at a group fitness class, visiting her family, especially her nephew and niece, going to concerts with friends, or taking a cat nap with her longhair orange tabby, Lenny.