The Portia Project

In 2024, women served as presiding judges in 5 Southern California counties and as presiding justices on several California Courts of Appeal. The Portia Project was invited to highlight many of these dynamic women presiding judges – including then Justices Kathleen O'Leary, Lee Smalley Edmon, and Maria Stratton, and LA Superior Court Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner– in a live panel at the California Lawyers' Association's Annual Litigation and Appellate Summit in Long Beach, California. This episode features that panel discussion.

In celebration of the successful Artemis II mission, we reprise our episode with Nicole Stott, a NASA engineer and astronaut who journeyed into space twice and was a crewmember of the International Space Station, shares her career journey. As a former crew member of the International Space Station (ISS), Nicole brings a unique perspective to today’s episode, shedding light on her extraordinary career journey and the profound human experiences that come with exploring the cosmos. Nicole discusses the essence of teamwork and what makes it truly successful. Drawing from her extensive space missions, she emphasizes the importance of assembling the right team members and nurturing their individual strengths to accomplish extraordinary feats. Her insights into the power of empathy, humanity, and personal responsibility within a team resonate far beyond the boundaries of space exploration, making this episode a must-listen for leaders and innovators seeking to achieve greatness. Join us as we explore the magic of space, the art of teamwork, and the vital role each of us plays as crewmembers aboard Planet Earth.

In this compilation episode, we feature marketing and presentation tips from cross-disciplinary guests Angela Meyer, Rachel Cossar, and Carol Carpenter. If you want to level up your client development and client presentation game (particularly on remote video calls), this is your episode.

In this episode,  Justice Carol D. Codrington, the first African American justice on California's Fourth District Court of Appeal, shares her unique career trajectory, starting with being a litigator and a lawyer and moving up to her current position. She takes us deep behind the scenes of what goes into being a judge, sharing challenges and advice for students and lawyers on the process of opinion and brief writing as well as oral arguments. 

Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen sits down with M.C. Sungaila to share her career journey from clerking for a federal judge to serving in the appellate division of the U.S. Attorney's Office and now on the appellate bench. She shares how her acting training helped her gain confidence early in her career, the importance of mentors, and the role a flexible work arrangement played in her remaining in, and rising in, the legal profession.

On the heels of the inaugural American Space Law Foundation national moot court competition, we reprise this compilation episode featuring some of our guests who focus on Space Law - in academia, private practice, and government. Michelle Hanlon, Caryn Schenewerk, Franceska Schroeder, Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, and Bailey Reichelt share their paths to the law and the growing field of Space Law specifically.

We reprise one of our most popular episodes in our continuing series on Space with Aarti Holla-Maini, the Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) who joins the podcast to share her journey from solicitor training to attending business school and entering the aerospace industry, growing and leading the Global Satellite Industry Association, and now leading UNOOSA. Along the way, she discusses the importance of meditation and knowing your own strengths and purpose, as well as the importance of authenticity in leading others.

In this reprise episode, Newport Beach, California City Council Member and now Mayor Lauren Kleiman talks with host M.C. Sungaila about her path to practicing law and the unexpected road to elected office. She also draws the ugly and amazing side of elections and politics in general. Council Member Lauren Kleiman encourages people in Newport Beach to get involved in different areas of what their community is doing to shape and support the place they live in. In this episode, we learn that politics remains an avenue for positive change, and by working together, finding common ground, and putting the community's needs first, we can overcome the negative aspects and create a more inclusive and vibrant society. Tune in to learn more!

Continuing our space leader series, Dr. Ulpia-Elena Botezatu, Space Policy Officer at the Romanian Space Agency, joins us from the sidelines of the recent UNOOSA Commercial Lunar Activities and Space Law Conference at the United Nations in Vienna. Dr. Botezatu leads two major international bodies related to space activities: the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) and the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC). Dr. Botezatu shares her path to space and space governance at the UN, and the important work of these international bodies in paving the way for cooperation and peaceful activities in outer space.

Get ready for our annual episode of The Portia Project Podcast compiling and highlighting the personal mottos of many of our guests - extraordinary women in the legal field - sharing the wisdom that shaped their careers. From judges to law professors, hear their guiding principles, life lessons, and how they’ve overcome challenges. Whether you’re aspiring to the bench, the bar, or beyond, this episode offers powerful insights to motivate and inspire your own journey. Tune in and discover what it takes to become a change agent in the world of law!