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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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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…
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Latina Leader: Karla Navarrete
It’s time for another Latina Leader Lunes feature! Today we hear from California attorney, Karla Navarrete. A senior attorney at Coalition for Humane Rights, shares a bit of her work and what motivated her to become a lawyer. Spoiler: what I love most about her story is that she saw the need for more representation of Latinos in the law and then she went for it! And not only is she is excelling, she is leading a path for the next generation. 1. When & why did you decide to go to law school? I decided to go to law school as a sophomore at UCLA. I was looking for…
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Sidebar: It’s Cold AF
I can’t believe January is over. It felt like it lasted forever, which I think January usually feels long but also had a super busy time at work that just made this month dragggg on forever. What didn’t help was that my two best friends at work left. #everybodyleavesme. I have only one left and that makes me super sad. So I had two going away parties to attend, one at the beginning of the month and one about a week ago. They have moved on to bigger and better things, but that doesn’t mean I have to be happy about it lol. Work in general has been steady, but…
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Latina Leader: Mayra Rodriguez Alvarez
After a way too long hiatus, Latina Leader Lunes is back! And I’m super thrilled to start with Mayra. Just from the small peeks of her life via social media, I know she is a force to be reckoned with! She is exactly what a Latina leader is all about–she saw how the Latino community in Northwest Indiana was underserved and marginalized. Then she worked hard to become the leader that they need. After graduating law school, she opened her own practice and is continuing to provide for her community. Here she gives us some insight on her journey through law school and goals for the upcoming year: 1. …
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Small Biz Saturday Prep
So I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m the perfect example of someone who is always politically and ethically aware about how I spend my money. I could be a lot better. But in fairness to me, ahem, growing up the idea was survival so you bought clothes, food, whatever other needs as you could afford them and there wasn’t time/ability to think, “is this product right for me and my values?” I’m sure many can relate. But now, I don’t have much excuses in not thinking through how I spend my money, especially now that I can know what my purchase may support. That’s why as I’ve…
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Side Bar: Spooky Scary
It’s November–yikes. I still have a few new year’s resolutions to meet (yes, I’m still keeping track because they’re on a ~vision board~ that stares at my face every morning. And I think I’m weird enough to try and get them accomplished before the end of the year. But before that, can I just say that October was crazy short. It was a whirlwind. Starting with work–we had Latinx heritage month celebrations, which are always super fun. I wasn’t able to do too much planning of it this year, but the events I went to were great. I had a lot of fundraising events to attend and that included an…
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American Like Me: A Book Review
On one of my first days of school in the U.S. a young boy approached me and asked: What color are you? I had never been asked this before and remember showing him my arm, confused that this poor boy didn’t know his colors and answered: I’m tan. Later when I told my mom what happened, she laughed and said if someone asks you that again just say you’re Mexican. Easy enough. However, as I grew up, I realized the complexities of race in the U.S. I grappled with my own cultural identity and picking the right “label.” It’s all so complicated and made more so by the fact that…