Natasha Haims was born in St. Petersburg, Russia as an only child. She immigrated in 1976 with her parents and came directly to Hartford, Connecticut where she was in one of the first five families from the Soviet Union to do so. After arriving, she studied English as a second language, but shortly thereafter she went to work so that her parents could also learn English. Before settling in West Hartford, she lived in Baltimore for a year. While working full time, she earned an Associates degree in computer studies and continued her education with a Bachelor’s of General Studies at the University of Connecticut. Later she earned her paralegal certificate from the University of Hartford, also while working full time.Natasha worked as a Programmer Analyst at the Hartford Insurance Company. She has also worked as a paralegal specializing in juvenile, criminal and probate law. She has been appointed by the Probate Court to serve as Conservator of Estate and Conservator of Person since 1996. Natasha enjoys helping the elderly and immigrants that need guidance in America, their new home. Over the years, she has helped over two thousand individuals. She has also volunteered at Jewish Family Services and various churches to help with translation.
While her passion is helping others who need legal guidance, Natasha loves nature walks, yoga and tai chi. She also enjoys opera, knitting, cooking and making sourdough bread. She is currently learning Hebrew and also speaks Russian and English.
In 1982 Natasha married her husband Howard Haims after meeting him on a blind date. He passed away in 2010 from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Natasha has two children - Barbara of West Hartford and Michael of Aurora, Colorado. Lilian, her granddaughter by Barbara is thirteen. Natasha currently cares for her elderly mother, a published author, World War II survivor and survivor of the ninety-day seizure of St. Petersburg, Russia. Natasha has a dog, Autumn, adopted in 2012 from a dog rescue. Autumn speaks English, understands Russian and is fluent in food language.