Work Life Balance
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Violence Against Women, Religion, & Power
As we near International Women’s Day, I wanted to review Jimmy Carter’s latest book on violence and women called A Call to Action: Women, Religion, Violence and Power. First, regardless of your political opinion regarding the Carter administration, I really recommend reading this book because, if anything, it provides real statistics regarding the state of women in the world and the violence they encounter. That being said, I think everyone should read this because it presents complicated, ancient, and horrifying problems in simple terms with concrete examples of ways to improve said problems. It’s an easy read in that every chapter is concise and you’re not inundated with policy or…
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Ending the Latina Dropout Problem
I listen to the amazing Latinos USA podcast every week–it’s my absolute fave NPR program, second only to the late, great It’s All Politics, RIP :(. Last week’s story focused on Latinas and confidence–the first story pinpoints the problem with Latinas, confidence, and education (discussion starts at 3:3o). I think the producer identifies the problem incredibly well when she states that often Latinas struggle to feel empowered because we fear that we’re taking something from someone. This idea that if we feel too confident, too secure in ourselves and our goals, then we’re doing something wrong. I agree with her assessment and think this is a struggle many Latinas face when…
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Ready for Spring!
March is almost here! I’m so ready for it! Not just because it’s my birthday month, but because we finally will start seeing a few signs of Spring. For those of us living in real winter weather, we desperately need some sun and warmth! But February wasn’t so bad! We discussed: Balancing professional requirements that conflict with our natural style; Keeping the winter blues at bay; And discussed a new creed for the Latina Lawyer. As we wrap up the month, I’m sharing some favorite stories from this month: New verse, same as the first–patronizing advice to women attorneys and what we wear. Slate offers a great analysis on revenge…
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Quick and Healthy Breakfast Options
I’m one of those odd people that don’t really enjoy breakfast food. I know–I’m a freak. I just have more of a salt tooth than sweet and most American style breakfasts are so heavy on the sweet. Also, around the time I turned 16 I stopped eating breakfast (and hello, all of Freshman year in high school I stopped eating lunch–I was the epitome of healthy eating). I eventually starting eating lunch and dinner, but never got back on track with eating breakfast. I was a two-meal-a-day (plus snacks) person for the majority of my life. It wasn’t until law school graduation, when I started seriously reviewing my unhealthy eating…
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Re-Gaining Momentum: How to Keep the Winter Blues at Bay
When I started at my first job post-law school it was a week from Thanksgiving. By the time January and February rolled around, I was still so immersed in learning new material, getting accustomed to my work’s culture, and just being thrilled to have a job that everything went smoothly. Imagine my surprise, when a year later, I started feeling a sense of ennui and lack of motivation. I think most people experience a type of post-holiday funk or a mild case of the winter blues. Once the shine of being a working attorney wears off, the reality is that we’re working long hours and often aren’t home until it’s…
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Romantic Information: Balancing Love and the Law
I recently read an article where a marriage was quickly going south. One of the partners said that they had thought their marriage was in the bag and decided to focus on other areas instead, which led to the slow dissolution of the relationship. Anyone in a relationship quickly learns that if you don’t put in the time and dedication then the relationship will not work like it once did. As attorneys, we sometimes have to deal with added pressures of the job that can seep into relationships and make it harder. These added stresses could be why women attorneys have a higher rate of divorce. So seeing that tomorrow is Valentine’s Day,…
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Spotlight On! Immigration and Criminal Defense Attorney Cynthia Santiago
This is another installment of the series, Spotlight On! A series where we showcases Latina lawyers and learn about the early successes in their careers. Today I’m excited to share a little bit about Cynthia Santiago, an immigration and criminal defense attorney. I “met” Cynthia through Instagram and was impressed by her hustle through her solo practice and her community engagement, see Cynthia’s decision to give her answers in English and Spanish, which highlights her desire to ensure everyone in the community is informed and aware. Once I learned that she had previously ran for political office I knew it was necessary to share her journey with everyone! When did you start…
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Bend Don’t Break: Yoga
There are obviously cycles during school and work when things are very busy. I remember that in my last semester of law school I didn’t have a free Saturday until the end of March. That meant I was going full steam for 6 days a week and then having to do all my readings on Sunday. It was intense and stressful, which lead to stress-eating. But really, I was stress-eating from the moment orientation started. During law school, I gained probably around 40 pounds. It was not good; not just for my self-esteem, but for my actual health. Diabetes and heart disease run in my family–like in many Latino families,…
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Culture Conflict: Looking Latina
At Latinas Uprising, we talk a lot about forms of assimilation and how to “look” like an attorney. These discussions aren’t done because we believe that we should erase all forms of individuality or culture from our appearance; rather they are provided as a way to give guidance for those that haven’t had the chance to interact with the legal profession and want to learn how to be accepted by the legal community. Ultimately, the goal is to help people learn what it takes to be accepted as an attorney, but also encourage empowerment so that you are the one that decides what your appearance will entail, regardless of what the status…
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Chocolate for Work: Eyeshadow Options
I mentioned before that I really love makeup and I really love colorful makeup, especially a bright eye. When I was younger I would ignore the “don’t be matchy-matchy” rule and match my shadow to my outfit and I loved it! But, obviously, now that I’m older and working as an attorney bright blue shadow isn’t going to work while I’m talking to judges. Sad. But! that doesn’t mean that you can’t have fun with a neutral eye. So, today we’re comparing two palettes by Too Faced that are great options for work: Too Faced’s Chocolate Bar and their second edition, Semi-Sweet, offers a great variety of neutral eyes and mixes enough…