The Jabot

In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Laurette Mulry, an Attorney-in-Charge at the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society, to talk about working with different clients as legal aid attorneys. Laurette breaks down the principles that guided her when working with clients, as well as her advice to those who are in a legal job that requires a lot of attention and time. She also explains how it really is working as a legal aid attorney, as well as her most memorable representation throughout her career.

Who's The Guest? Laurette Mulry is the Attorney in Charge at the Suffolk County Legal Aid Society (SCLAS), which plays a vitally important function in the criminal justice system in Suffolk. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Chief Defenders Association of New York, an organization of Chiefs of institutional and assigned counsel defender programs statewide.

Laurette is married to her husband Cliff and they have three children: David, and Aidan, who are both attorneys, and her daughter, Ali, who is attending nursing school.

Episode Resources

• Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power
• https://sclas.org/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurette-mulry-2bb00710 Episode Highlights
• Why Laurette decided to go to law school
• What got her interested in pursuing legal aid?
• The principles that guided Laurette when working with client
• Advice for people who are in a legal job that requires a lot
• What is it really like being a legal aid attorney?
• Laurette's most memorable representation throughout her career
• The biggest challenges when dealing with or being able to serve indigent populations and their legal needs

Episode Sponsored By https://pli.edu/taxstrategies

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Richard Zitrin, a trial lawyer and lecturer at the University of California, Hastings College of Law, to talk about how he became a criminal justice advocate and shares some advice for aspiring lawyers. He explains his involvement in the San Quentin Six Case, which became the impetus for his career in criminal justice. Richard has dedicated his career to fighting for justice, first as a criminal defense lawyer, and then as a civil lawyer representing poor people. He has seen firsthand the injustice that poor people and people of color face in the American legal system and he has written a book about it. Additionally, he describes how the cases he handled opened his eyes to the way in which prisoners were treated and how this motivated him in writing his book, Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power.

Who's The Guest? Richard Zitrin has been practicing law for over 47 years. He started his career in the early '70s, representing Johnny Spain in the San Quentin Six Case.

Currently, Richard is a consultant to other lawyers on ethical issues. He is also a Lecturer in Law at the University of California while maintaining his position as the President of the Arthur & Charlotte Zitrin Foundation and Principal at the Zitrin Law Office. He is an accomplished author, sharing some anecdotes from his book, Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power, which also includes details of his product liability case against the Chrysler Corporation as well as his personal opinions regarding Roe v. Wade and the Supreme Court.

Episode Resources

• Trial Lawyer: A Life Representing People Against Power
• https://www.richardzitrin.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-zitrin-19771114 Episode Highlights
• Why Richard Zitrin decided to go to law school and then drop out after a year
• What is his role in the San Quentin Six Case
• How he used his role to fight the inequality and injustice in the American Legal System
• Shifting his focus from criminal defense to civil rights
• The impact of systemic racism on the American criminal justice system
• What his process of writing a memoir is
• How he balances burnout, compassion, important work, and mental wellness to have the kind of longevity in his career
• The benefits and drawbacks of courtroom tactics
• The importance of connecting with your jury

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Grant Sovern, a Partner of Quarles & Brady LLP, to talk about his area of concentration: Employment immigration. Grant recalls how he shifted to immigration law and describes the challenges of working as an immigration lawyer. Additionally, Grant shares his work with Afghan refugees and where the immigration law stands on this.

Who's The Guest? Grant Sovern is the chair of Quarles & Brady's national business immigration practice. He works primarily on managing the employment immigration issues for employers and employees, specifically, nonimmigrant visas such as the H-1B, L-1, O-1, TN, and immigrant visas (permanent residence) through employment means such as outstanding researcher, extraordinary ability, and labor certification. He also counsels companies on developing, maintaining, and defending immigration compliance programs. Grant speaks on panels and at seminars on immigration issues affecting employers and employees across the country and has served as an Adjunct Professor, teaching Immigration Law at the University of Wisconsin Law School.

Episode Resources

• https://www.quarles.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/grantsovern Episode Highlights
• Why Grant Sovern decided to go to law school
• The process of shifting to immigration law
• Grant's work with Afghan refugees
• The challenges of working as an immigration lawyer
• The legalities of the Afghan refugees: Where the immigration law stands on it?

Episode Sponsored By https://pli.edu/taxstrategies

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Linda Benfield, an environmental lawyer, and Partner from Foley & Lardner LLP, to talk about how she became wanting to be a problem solver in law school to be on top of the profession. Linda also recalls the different programs created in partnership between Foley and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, as well as how other organizations can help. Additionally, she shares how Biglaw firms can get their lawyers more engaged in helping and giving more opportunities to others.

Who's The Guest? Linda E. Benfield is an environmental lawyer, with over 36 years of experience in permitting, counseling, and litigation in all aspects of environmental law, including air and water permitting and compliance issues and solid and hazardous waste handling and disposal. She has extensive experience on the cutting edge of the regulation of "emerging contaminants," the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Superfund, and RCRA enforcement, as well as citizen suit litigation, settlement strategies, and related cost recovery, insurance coverage, and indemnity disputes. Linda is a member of the firm's Management Committee. She is the former chair of the Environmental Regulation Practice. She is also a member of the firm's Government Enforcement Defense & Investigations Practice and the Manufacturing Industry Team.

Episode Resources https://www.foley.com/en/people/b/benfield-linda-e https://www.linkedin.com/in/linda-benfield-3ab48b179

Episode Highlights

• Despite having no lawyers in the family, why did Linda decide to enter law school?
• The coverage of Linda's responsibilities as a "problem solver."
• How she became wanting to be a problem solver in law school to be on top of the profession.
• Advice to lawyers who are still making their path and figuring out exactly where their footprints will be.
• What are the different programs created with the partnership between Foley and the Boys & Girls Clubs of America?
• The challenges of being a mentor.
• What are the best practices that Biglaw firms can have to get lawyers more engaged in helping and giving more opportunities to others?

Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Shirley Jefferson, the newly appointed Vice President for Community Engagement and Government Affairs at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS), and together, they talk about how the law is an effective tool to affect change in the world. Shirley, being the first person of color to be appointed as the VLGS's VP, also shares the twists and turns of her career and how she's able to pitch and convince people not just to go to law school, but to enter Vermont.

Who's The Guest? Shirley Jefferson is the newly appointed Vice President for Community Engagement and Government Affairs at Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS). She is the school's first Vice President of color.

Prior to her appointment, Shirley Jefferson is a 1986 VLGS graduate who has been a long-time professor and administrator at VLGS. She was also the associate dean for student affairs and diversity and also became the special assistant to the admissions department and director of alumni affairs.

Episode Resources https://www.vermontlaw.edu/directory/person/jefferson-shirley

Episode Highlights

• Why Shirley Jefferson decided to go to law school.
• How the law can still be an effective tool to affect change in the world.
• The twist and turns of her career: How she went from being very involved in the civil rights movement to where she is today.
• How does she pitch and convince people not just to go to law school, but to go to Vermont?
• What does the Vice President of Community Engagement and Government Affairs do? How is that an evolution of Shirley's mission for diversity?
• What are the highlights of Shirley's legal career?

Episode Sponsored By https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus

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Who Are The Guests? Rena Paul and Margaret Gandy are the founders of Alcalaw, a women-founded legal consultancy comprised of former federal and state prosecutors who believe that the most effective advocates are those whose legal acumen and depth of experience are matched by their emotional intelligence. Alcalaw provides legal guidance to individuals, organizations, institutions, and corporations who are facing cases of sexual misconduct, harassment, and discrimination.

Summary In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Rena Paul and Margaret Gandy of Alcalaw to talk about how they started building a practice around trauma-informed lawyering. Rena and Margaret describe how the route was from studying in law school to navigating their way into the world of law to establishing their own practice. They also give a piece of their mind surrounding the effects of cultural awareness and the dissolving of NDAs.

Episode Resources

• https://alcalaw.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/alcalaw-llp Episode Highlights
• Getting to know the guests: Why Rena Paul and Margaret
• Gandy decided to go to law school
• How different are their experiences in law school from the way their careers played out
• The evolution of their careers from graduating to navigating the ups and downs of their chosen fields
• What Alcalaw is: How they started and what their focus is
• Practices that Rena and Margaret use to integrate concepts of wellness into their day-to-day practice and how you can make it work for you
• The effect of cultural awareness in the world of law that opens the practice of dissolving NDAs
• What are the up and coming issues that might arise due to the trends in the trauma space
• Words of advice from Rena and Margaret to a person who wants to enter the world of law Episode Sponsored By
• https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Shana Simmons, a General Counsel at Everlaw, to talk about how her career in the world of law started. Shana leads the legal department and is responsible for all legal, regulatory, privacy, risk and compliance, and governance issues around the company. She describes the transition from working as the Head of Google's Cloud Go-To-Market Legal team, to being a General Counsel. Additionally, Shana talks about how their own practice ensures that the culture at their workplace is inviting to people of all backgrounds and colors.

Episode Resources

• https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/shana-simmons-02295498 Episode Highlights
• Why Shana Simmons decided to go to law school
• The differences that happened as her career evolved
• What helped Shana drive her career
• Her career transition
• The concept of culture
• How she makes sure that the culture of the workplace is truly inviting to a diversity of background
• What being a General Counsel (GC) at a legal tech company is about

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Jessica Martin, a lawyer, and a published novelist, to talk about balancing life as a lawyer, a writer, and having a family. Jessica recalls how she got into the world of law, and how she slowly transitioned from big law to working as an in-house lawyer. She also describes the process she underwent to be a published author and shares her advice with those who want to give writing a try.

Episode Resources

• https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
• For the Love of the Bard
• https://www.facebook.com/ohfortheloveofbard Episode Highlights
• Who Jessica Martin is
• Why Jessica decided to go to the law school
• Why litigation is not a choice for her
• The work-life-family balance: How she balances writing, being a lawyer, and having a family
• What the process was for leaving big law
• What the pros and cons of going in-house are
• What the process is to be a published author

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes Imani Maatuka, a Commercial Litigation Associate at Sidley Austin LLP, to talk about Bridging the Gap Scholarship. Imani recalls how what made her decide to follow in the footsteps of her other family members and what the big difference is between what she expected and the reality now that she's working as a litigation associate. She describes how she picked litigation as the law area to specialize in. Additionally, Imani shares more information about Bridging the Gap Scholarship: How it started, what their goals and steps to reach these goals are, and how it continues to help other students.

Episode Resources

• https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
• https://bridgingthegapscholarship.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanimaatuka Episode Highlights
• Why Imani Maatuka made the decision to go to law school
• What is the difference between what she expected and the reality now of being an attorney
• What Bridging the Gap scholarship is
• What she really learned once she started practicing law
• What keys made this year work
• How she picked litigation
• What are the goals she set for herself and what steps she's taking to reach them
• Where can people find more information about the Bridging the Gap scholarship?

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In this episode, Kathryn welcomes back Laura Leopard of Leopard Solutions to talk about their white paper, Women Leaving Law. Laura narrates their experiences writing and running the survey: How depressing it is knowing the reasons why women are leaving the law space and how unfair some firms are to them. She shares how culture affects the work environment. Additionally, Laura describes why a lateral move is important and why law firm leaders should start taking a closer look at what's going on internally.

Episode Resources

• https://www.lexisnexis.com/lexisplus
• Women Leaving Law
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraleopard
• https://www.leopardsolutions.com/ Episode Highlights
• What the motivation is behind the white paper: Women Leaving Law
• What the most depressing thing is when running the survey
• How culture affects the work environment
• Is the industry becoming more transparent when it comes to making decisions?
• Why a lateral move is important
• Why law firm leaders should start taking a closer hard look at what's going on internally

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