LawHer

"You don’t have to trade humanity for success." — Nikka Maleki

At just four years out of law school, Nikka Maleki co-founded Sparrow Law Group —and in its first year, Sparrow surpassed $1 million in attorney’s fees. She did it by rewriting all the rules. For her, power isn’t about prestige or posturing. It’s about showing up with empathy, fighting like hell for your clients, and never forgetting your own story.

In this episode of LawHer, Nikka shares how losing her mother on the second day of law school changed everything, how grief became her greatest teacher, and why authenticity is her firm’s most strategic asset. From the heartbreak that shaped her to the courtroom strategies she’s honed, this is a story of vulnerability, vision, and the kind of leadership that grows in the dark.

Nikka Maleki is the co-founder and managing partner of Sparrow Law Group, an employee advocacy firm based in Los Angeles. Just four years after graduating from Southwestern Law School, she launched her own firm—and in its first year, Sparrow surpassed $1 million in attorney’s fees with only two founding partners.A former defense-side litigator who once represented Fortune 500 companies, Nikka now fights for workers facing harassment, discrimination, and wrongful termination.

About Nikka Maleki

LinkedIn 

Sparrow Law Group: Website I Instagram

What’s in This Episode:

Power in Vulnerability: Nikka’s take on showing up authentically—and how it changes conversations, cases, and courtroom energy.

No Lane, No Limits: What it’s like to build a law firm from scratch, and how Sparrow Law Group made seven figures in year one—without sacrificing values.

Human-Centered Advocacy: Why she believes storytelling is a legal strategy—and how her firm helps clients reclaim their voice and power

Scaling with Soul: What it means to grow a business intentionally, with the right hires, the right cases, and the right kind of culture.

"I used to think control meant doing it all. Now I know real power is knowing when to hand it over." — Lauren Grochow

Ten years into Big Law, Lauren Grochow had everything she thought she wanted—title, prestige, and the next rung on the ladder in sight. But with a six-month-old baby in her arms and a mentor’s question still echoing in her ears, she made a move that changed everything.

In this episode of LawHer, Lauren shares how motherhood reshaped her ambition, why launching her own firm was an act of both resistance and renewal, and how empathy became her sharpest tool in the courtroom. From defending workers in high-stakes disputes to building a team-first workplace with Zoom babies and shared racetracks, Lauren is leading a new kind of legal practice—one rooted in purpose, community, and sustainable power.

This is the story of a litigator who walked away from the illusion of stability to build something radically human.

About Lauren Grochow

Lauren Grochow is the founder of Grochow Law, a plaintiff-side employment firm based in Southern California that advocates for workers facing discrimination, retaliation, harassment, and wrongful termination. Outside the courtroom, Lauren is a community builder and mentor through Mommy Esq., a support network for lawyer moms. She lives and practices in Orange County, where she’s known for blending jiu-jitsu with justice—and for turning firm ownership into a path for purpose.

LinkedIn 

Grochow Law Website

What’s in This Episode:

The Power of No: Why boundaries are a form of advocacy—and how Lauren teaches her team and clients to use “no” with conviction.

Culture that Cares: From shared calendars to shared playdates, how Lauren designed a workplace that respects people’s lives.

Justice as Empathy: What it means to represent workers in their most vulnerable moments—and how Lauren channels that into strategic, client-first litigation.

Rituals for Resilience: The unexpected role jiu-jitsu, therapy, and yoga play in helping her carry the emotional weight of the work.

“I didn’t feel powerful then. But when I look back, I see how powerful I was.” — Michelle Etchebarren

Michelle Etchebarren didn’t wait for permission to lead. She launched a national legal tech platform as a single mother of four, built it from her kitchen table, and kept it alive through personal and economic freefall.

In this episode of LawHer, Michelle shares how she turned desperation into momentum, why a religious-level morning ritual was her secret weapon, and how surviving poverty—and scaling into millions—reshaped her definition of success.

This is the story of grit over glamour, systems over shortcuts, and a kind of power that shows up when you’ve got everything to lose—and choose to bet on yourself anyway.

About Michelle Etchebarren

Michelle Etchebarren is the founder of Attorneys in Motion, a legal tech company that transformed the way law firms handle court appearances. A systems thinker and strategist, Michelle now runs a foundation for women entrepreneurs in law. Her work centers around abundance over scarcity, mentorship over isolation, and redefining what leadership looks like for women who refuse to choose between ambition and authenticity.

Michelle Etchebarren: LinkedIn 

Attorneys In Motion: Website | Instagram

The Ritual is the Resistance: Why Michelle treated her morning routine like a sacred practice—and how it fueled her resilience when everything else fell apart.

Tech Meets Tenacity: The origin story of Attorneys in Motion—and how Michelle stitched together Uber and Match.com to design a solution the legal world didn’t know it needed.

Radical Vulnerability: What Michelle learned when she stopped hiding her emotions—and why embracing her femininity made her a more powerful leader.

Balance is a Myth—Integration is Real: Michelle’s real-talk on parenting, burnout, boundaries, and the impossible math of having it all.

"Power has to be seized—because we already have it. It’s not outside of us. The ‘big’ isn’t out there. The ‘big’ is inside." — Twila White

Twila White dismantles injustice with precision, presence, and purpose.

With nearly 25 years of courtroom experience, Twila White has helped shape the law itself—winning multimillion-dollar verdicts and establishing legal precedent that expanded protections for women and workers. In this episode of LawHer, she shares hard-won lessons from jury trials, moments of spiritual guidance from her grandmother, and the pivotal case that helped establish #MeToo evidence in California courts.

This is a story of a woman who trained herself not just to speak, but to be heard. Who chose storytelling over silence. Who faced down broken systems and kept going—even when the odds were stacked, and the rules were rigged.

Twila’s voice is unshakable. Her presence in the courtroom is unforgettable. And her message is clear: power doesn’t wait to be handed over—it’s claimed, one bold decision at a time.

Twila S. White is a seasoned employment attorney and founder of TerminationLawyer.com, where she represents workers facing discrimination, retaliation, and harassment. Her track record includes landmark verdicts, including some of California’s earliest #MeToo cases. A graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial College, Twila brings old-school storytelling into modern litigation—and she’s as committed to mentoring women lawyers as she is to winning justice for her clients.

What’s in This Episode:

"I knew I was arguing against the law—and I was being forced to do it anyway… Thats when I had to walk away." — Whitney Betts

For Whitney Betts, power didn’t come from title or tenure. It came from walking away from the prestige of a national defense firm—and toward work that actually aligned with her values.

In this courageous episode of LawHer, Whitney shares how she left behind the safety of the traditional path to co-found Betts Law Group with her husband. Together, they’ve achieved over 300% year-over-year growth—by centering survivors, creating a trauma-informed practice, and mentoring the next generation of advocates.

From recognizing the disconnect in her defense work to reclaiming her power as a plaintiff’s attorney, Whitney’s journey is a powerful reminder that you don’t have to wait for the system to change. You can build something better.

About Whitney Betts

Whitney Betts is a Certified Rape Crisis Counselor and the Co-Founder of Betts Law Group, a rapidly growing civil litigation firm based in San Diego. Specializing in advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, harassment, and discrimination, Whitney has helped shape a trauma-informed practice that centers both justice and healing. After years as a partner in a national defense firm, she now leads alongside her husband Tom Betts—forming a legal powerhouse known as much for their results as their values. In addition to her trial work, Whitney presents nationally on mental health and vicarious trauma and actively mentors junior attorneys.

What’s in This Episode:

Leaving What Doesn’t Fit: Why Whitney walked away from defense work—even when it meant sacrificing prestige, and how that decision set her up to build something radically different.

Building a Firm That Heals: How trauma-informed practices, safe spaces, and deep intention transformed Betts Law Group into one of the fastest-growing boutique firms in San Diego.

Strategic Risk, Personal Power: From carefully choreographing her and her husband’s exit to launching two separate companies and ultimately merging under one roof, Whitney shares how they built their business without sacrificing financial security or personal values.

Self-Care as a Power Move: Why stepping away—literally and figuratively—can be the first step toward clarity and realignment, and how Whitney’s approach to conscious parenting and monthly mental health days helped her survive high-stakes litigation.

"I don't think people give you power. I think that you have to find that. What makes you feel strong? What makes you feel alive and feel like you can be confident about accomplishing something?" — Nalini Prasad

Power doesn't wait to be handed over. For women in law, it's about finding the tools—and the confidence—to build it yourself. But in a crowded industry of massive budgets and established firms, how can women attorneys create a level playing field?

In this strategic episode of LawHer, Nalini Prasad reveals how digital marketing has become the ultimate equalizer for women in law seeking to build influence and power. As the architect behind hundreds of successful legal marketing campaigns, Nalini shares why women's natural strengths in social media may be their secret competitive advantage in an AI-dominated future.

From claiming credit for your wins to finding your authentic voice online, Nalini offers women attorneys a practical roadmap for leveraging digital tools to compete with larger firms. She challenges the old referral-only model and demonstrates how intentional branding lets you take control of your narrative—and attract the cases and colleagues who align with your values.

Nalini Prasad is the Chief Strategy Officer at BluShark Digital, a legal marketing agency she helped build from scratch. With her unique background at the intersection of law and digital marketing, she's spent the past decade empowering law firms—many women-led—to compete, grow, and establish powerful voices online. Nalini's journey began in mock trial competitions, where she broke barriers as the first freshman closer in GW history, before discovering her passion for digital strategy while creating a website for a nonprofit. Initially planning to attend law school, she found her calling helping attorneys build digital influence instead.

• Nalini Prasad: LinkedIn

"The archetype of the good girl as a lawyer would be the same as the archetype of any good girl in any profession, which is living someone else's dream." — Rachel Clar

When you've built an identity around being useful, driven, and in control, slowing down doesn't feel like rest—it feels dangerous. But what happens when living up to everyone else's expectations leaves you unrecognizable to yourself?

In this illuminating episode of LawHer, Rachel Clar reveals how she transformed from an accomplished professional with "massive resistance to slowing down" to a compassionate disruptor helping women lawyers reclaim their authentic power. 

After giving away her "agency and power bit by bit" across a successful yet unfulfilling career, Rachel shares the wake-up call that led her to turn her "Titanic" life toward greater purpose and peace.

Through her own journey incorporating meditation, Buddhism, and peer community, Rachel offers women lawyers a revolutionary roadmap for breaking free from the "good girl" archetype that keeps them silenced, overextended, and exhausted—while still achieving meaningful success on their own terms.

Rachel Clar is the founder and CEO of Interconnected Us, a business supporting women lawyers through masterminds and coaching. Armed with a JD, Rachel spent 15+ years in business development across affordable housing, urban infill, and renewable energy before launching her coaching practice. Rachel left traditional legal practice due to misogyny and billable hours to help women lawyers set better boundaries, grow confidence, and expand their networks. Her popular speaking topic—"From Nice Girl to Bold Leader: Grow Your Influence, One Conversation at a Time"—encapsulates her transformation and mission.

"I could influence the case by either diminishing her case or I could switch sides and support her and get her justice." - Laura Ramos James

Law firms often prize efficiency, billable hours, and winning  - at all costs. But what happens when an attorney realizes the "win" they're pursuing comes at the expense of human dignity? What if following your conscience means walking away from everything you've built?

In this episode of LawHer, Laura Ramos James reveals the moment that redefined her entire career trajectory. After years as a successful insurance defense attorney, Laura discovered that true fulfillment meant abandoning the safety of her established career to advocate for the very people she once opposed.

Through her journey from Monclova, Mexico to the United States at 18 with limited English to building an eight-figure personal injury practice, Laura demonstrates how our perceived weaknesses—cultural differences, language barriers, personal traumas—can become our greatest professional strengths when authentically embraced.

Laura Ramos James  is the founder and owner of Ramos James Law, an eight-figure personal injury law firm. She immigrated to the United States at 18 with limited English skills, overcame significant struggles in law school, and transformed her own experience as an injury survivor into a mission-driven legal career. Named one of Austin's #1 Personal Injury Attorneys by Austin Monthly Magazine consecutively since 2022, Laura is also an Amazon bestselling author with contributions to "Law Moms: Juggling Motherhood, Ambition, and Personal Fulfillment" and "Point Taken: Brilliant Business Advice from Women at the Top."

"Everything we want is on the other side of the word ‘yes’... Power is getting people to do things that you want them to do. Influence is the definition of power. And it means impacting the decision-making process…. Every communication is an opportunity to influence through body language, eye contact, cadence, energy, and word choice." - Jennifer Gardner

Law schools drill attorneys to be logical. Rational. Fact-driven. But what if that approach is fighting against human biology? What if everything we've been taught about legal persuasion is backward?

In this mind-shifting episode, trial attorney Jennifer Gardner reveals the neuroscience that's turning legal education on its head: emotions, not facts, drive decisions in the courtroom. After 35 years winning cases others deemed "unwinnable," Jennifer has cracked the code on legal persuasion—and it's not what they teach in law school.

Through brain science and battle-tested techniques, Jennifer shows how attorneys who rely solely on logic are missing the biological reality of how humans actually make decisions. She demonstrates how understanding emotional decision-making doesn't just supplement case preparation—it transforms outcomes and verdict sizes for clients.

Jennifer Gardner holds certification from the Wharton School of Business in Neuroscience and Business Strategy, studied at the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyers College, and has extensively studied the work of Carl Jung, Joseph Campbell, and James Hillman. This unique background informs her approach to persuasion, storytelling, and emotional intelligence in legal practice.

In addition to her legal work, Jennifer is an educator and speaker at The Edge Education, runs "Power: The Art of Influence" workshop program through her Power Lab, and founded Roamhowl Creative, which consults on video and digital marketing.

"It's having the confidence... to do what you want to do and others be damned because it is your path; do what brings you joy." - Christy Granieri

When you've spent a decade building a career that no longer serves you, what does it take to walk away and rebuild on your own terms?

Host Sonya Palmer sits down with employment attorney Christy Granieri, who left partnership at an established firm to co-found Freeburg & Granieri, APC. In this revealing conversation, Christy shares how stepping into the unknown helped her discover her authentic voice and true power as both an attorney and business owner.

Christy Granieri is a Partner at Freeburg & Granieri, APC, which she co-founded in February 2021. With over a decade of experience in employment litigation, Christy represents employees in wrongful termination, discrimination, whistleblowing, and wage and hour cases throughout California. After graduating from Loyola LA Law in 2009, she spent over ten years at a boutique employment litigation firm before making the leap to start her own practice.