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Culture Conflict: Leaving the Home
A few weeks ago we discussed the dropout rates and the obstacles Latinas face in finishing high school. It is a real problem for our community, but thankfully it is improving because Latinas are starting to attend higher Ed at a rapidly growing pace. This fantastic news! However, even when Latinas are making strides in graduating from high school, they have an obstacle placed before them when it comes to earning their college degree. The obstacle being: Will my family be OK if I attend school away from home? Many young Latinas that have been accepted into four-year Universities feel pressured (consciously or subconsciously) to forgo an education at their preferred school…
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Easing into Fitness.
When I started my first job out of law school, I suddenly realized I had so much time on my hands. Yes, I worked 9 to 5, but it was steady work with weekends free. Completely different than law school, where I had an unpredictable schedule of classes, studying, meetings, etc.; plus, I didn’t have to block off huge chunks of my time to commit to studying for finals. Life after law school felt so much more unrestricted-it was great! However, I quickly realized that if I wasn’t careful, then I would be wasting hours watching t.v. and eating mindlessly. Instead, I decided that I finally was going to commit…
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A Rock and Hard Place: Negotiating Salaries as Women
When I was a 2L, my Women’s Law Society brought in a group called WAGE to talk about salary negotiations. It was an eye-opening experience and I’m so grateful that WLS opened my eyes to the wage gap and helped us learn skills to push back and feel confident in negotiating our salaries. When I started my job and received my offer, I knew I didn’t have much wiggle room because our salaries were based on our Union contract, but I still made it a point to see the COO so that he could explain to me the reasoning behind the offer. Mostly, I just wanted to feel comfortable and…
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Try Out Tips for Moot Court.
One of my goals when I started law school was to participate in my school’s very prestigious mock trial program. It just seemed like the path to success. The day I tried I out, I had no experience doing mock trial; I had no attorney mentor or upperclassman to provide insight; and I didn’t dress the part. Surprise, surprise–I did not make it. I was disappointed because I knew that participation in this program would be so beneficial. In fact, participating in any law school trial advocacy or moot court is a great way to increase your skill set, and it also builds connection between you, alumni, and other members of…
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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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Executive Presence: Gaining Respect at Work
About a year ago, I started noticing an odd trend at work. People would ask for my advice on how to move ahead on a project; I would give them my advice; and then they would hurry off to get a second opinion, as if they didn’t trust what I had to say. Once I realize that this kept happening, I got a little annoyed. On the one hand, I see the value in getting a second opinion, but if you are constantly re-confirming what I’m telling you then stop wasting my time and just get your first opinion from someone else, you know? Obviously, that is not the right attitude…
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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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The Latina Lawyer’s Creed
A few days after the Superbowl I read an article about Malcolm Butler, a player for the Patriots who had been working at a Popeye’s a few years earlier. He credited his “confidence, faith, and hard work.” as the reason he had made it. That statement resonated with me so much: confidence, faith, and hard work. It jumped out at me because I realized that this phrase outlines exactly how Latinas can succeed in the law. First and foremost, confidence is key. I’ve said my piece about humility and while that often is a virtue in our cultures, being too humble can lead to stagnation. Instead, when we strive to project self-confidence…
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Breaking Law School Barriers: Law School Essays
This series, Breaking Law School Barriers, tackles the big and small issues that come into play when you’re deciding if you’ll even attend law school. The purpose is to give practical advice for college students, and for current law students and attorneys to give suggestions about their real world experience. Nothing seems to stop people in their track more than having to write about themselves. It’s a hard endeavor. I see it all the time in clients who have to write statements about certain events in their lives. The client and I are going along just fine, and when we move on to the next step of writing their statement,…