Work Life Balance
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Sidebar: So this is Adulting…
Wow, January was ridiculously long, was it not? I mean was it just last month we feared entering a serious war? What is this life even? One thing I’ve done to keep myself semi-sane is to keep focused just on local news. I know it’s a little bit like head in the sand mentality, which isn’t great, but I just can’t consume all this news all the time. Plus, local news is really pertinent to my job so it helps two-fold… Speaking of work, I made it to the six month mark! I can say that I finally, truly feel steady about what I’m doing and have found a rhythm…
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Getting That Polished Look: Simple Ways to Increase Executive Presence
We have talked about executive presence before (many times before!) but as a quick reminder, Executive Presence, is a theory that in business/work, people respond to you depending on your executive presence, which is really how you’re perceived based on how you look, speak, and act. There is a whole lot to dissect in that simple statement, especially if you include how race and gender play into all of this. But in the day to day, as you are establishing your own career, executive presence does play a role in your daily work and I wanted to discuss how the first part of EP (how you look) is something that…
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A (1/2) Decade of Latinas Uprising
It’s kind of exciting that we’re entering a new decade right? I think because I’m working on census 2020 stuff all the time at my new job that I’m very aware of this decennial time frame and how much changes in ten years. But this time around, I am a little more relaxed than times past where I had a set timeline of accomplishments and milestones I wanted to work towards. In 2010, my only goal was to graduate law school, pass the bar, and find a full time job as an attorney. I can say that decade really delivered. Not only did I become a lawyer, I laid a…
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The Perfect Nude [Lipstick]
It’s been a while since I’ve shared favorite lippies and thought this would be a good time because I have such a mix of colors that I’ve been reaching for on rotation. As always when we talk about makeup–you do you, it’s most def not a necessary component to look “professional.” But if you enjoy it, then let’s dig in! I continue to prefer nudes and neutrals for work, but have added a little more color, especially for days where I have events in the evening. Que Linda x Vive Cosmetics: It’s a great neutral, lasts forever (like all vive products) super good quality and just nice for an every…
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Lawtina Book Club: Sabrina and Corina
When I first decided to read this book by Kali Fajardo Anstine, I was mostly intrigued because a lot of the Latina content creators I follow were mentioning it. I purchased it and didn’t even read the blurb, assuming it was a novel about two women. Well, let me be the first to explain this is actually a collection of short stories and I don’t think I have a read a piece like this ever in my life. Sabrina and Corina spans across different women, in different seasons of their lives and yet ties them together with similar tragic, painful, and often violent experiences. A little warning, if you can’t…
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What do Leaders Look Like
A while ago I listened to the late, great Cerebronas podcast where they were guest in another WOC podcast. In the discussion, one of the hosts mentioned how surprised she was when she started law school at the homogeneity in body types. As I was listening, I found myself nodding along because it was true that in the law there is generally not a ton of body variation. And when I stopped to think why, the first explanation that jumped out at me is that most law school students are or were athletes at one point in time. For many of them, long-term participation in a competitive sport is how…
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Summer Series: The Right Mindset to Conquer The Bar
Summer Series 2019 continues! Today we have Karen Martinez, a repeat (and beloved) guest writer to this series. We have seen Karen conquer her 1L summer, master networking to nab a great second summer internship, and now she gives us a peek into her Bar Prep. She has the right mindset and animo that we should all hope to capture when studying for this beast of an exam! One month into Bar prep has felt a lot more stressful than the last three years of law school. I have also realized that it is only more stressful because it is 3 years of law school condensed into 2…
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When It Comes to Your Money, Leave the Guilt Behind
A few weeks ago, AOC had a funny instastory asking people to help her figure out how to use the garbage disposal because she never had one and thought it was a fancy add-on to her new, fancy apartment. She jokingly asked if social mobility means having appliances you never had growing up. And while it was all in good fun, the gist of her story struck a chord for many of us who come up from low income homes. Acclimating to financial stability, dare I say, even wealth, is a mind screw. And while many people struggle in their early careers, there’s a huge difference between those that grew…
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50 Lessons for Women Lawyers, a Review
A few weeks ago I received a copy of 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers by Nora Riva Bergman. This book is a compilation of contribution from 50 successful, accomplished women lawyers in the U.S. and Canada. The attorneys are in different stages in their life, have had different careers, experiences—it is a really great group of people offering guidance. What I appreciate is that many of the contributors share vulnerable moments in their personal life and careers that are experiences many of us can relate to—the attorney who opts to take a break to take care of children, the one who experienced domestic violence as a child, and the most…
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Overcoming Burnout: Stress and the New Lawyer
Call it burn out, adulting so hard, winters blues–whatever you want to call it, it’s likely that sometime into your career as a new attorney you will feel drained from the responsibilities of your work and life. It’s completely normal to feel out of balance because suddenly not only are you juggling lawyer responsibilities, but you’re also adjusting to the demands of daily, adult life. And if you’ve always been in school or your gap year(s) didn’t really involve full-time work, then this adjustment can be difficult. When I was a new attorney, it took a while to find a steady routine that didn’t leave me drained. I was also…