Today, I’m talking with Alex Lagos (Shareholder in Litigation at Greenberg Traurig in Miami), Lara Bueso Bach (Senior VP of Litigation at Televisia Univision), and Mercedes Armas Bach (Retired Judge of the 11th Judicial Circuit in Florida and current JAMS mediator). If you can’t already tell, these ladies all have something in common–they’re related! Alex is the daughter of Mercedes and Lara married into the family when she married Alex’s brother. Law is the family business for these incredibly bright and inspiring women. This was a fascinating discussion. Each of these ladies had a unique experience and perspective to share. And I’m thrilled for you to hear our conversation. Please enjoy!

Today I’m talking with Erin England. Erin has over 20 years of experience in finance and is widely recognized as one of the top lawyers in her field. She specializes in corporate and finance transactions, including serving as outside general counsel to businesses. Erin has helped Fortune 500 companies, private equity and private credit funds, and regional and national banks successfully navigate complex commercial issues. Erin began her legal career at Haynes and Boone in Dallas, Texas. She served as a Partner at three major law firms, and is the former co-chair of the fund finance practice group at an AmLaw Top 30 law firm. With her extensive background, Erin recently decided to start her own firm–Erin England Law. She walks me through her career and her decision to hang her own shingle. She and I had a great discussion and I’m thrilled to shine a light on her story.

Today I’m talking with Marlana Shoshtari, Counsel for Entertainment Networks (Scripted) at NBC Universal. Marlana is originally from a small town in Oklahoma but later moved and went to undergrad at the University of Virginia where she studied psychology. She and I bonded over our fascination with crime and psychology as both of us grew up during the peak CSI and Criminal Minds days. Marlana decided law school was the best path for her and attended Syracuse University where she got her JD and a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Image Management. Marlana had her sights set on being an entertainment lawyer so she made her way to the west coast. As you’ll hear, Marlana did WHATEVER it took to achieve her goals. Initially, when she moved to the LA area, she was staying with a family friend, enduring an hour and half commute every day each way to work. She was grinding it out just to get the experience she needed, which she got from a company called New Form Entertainment where she worked closely with the general counsel and created innovative ways to improve their efficiencies. Marlana then broke into the streaming/network scene when she moved to Netflix where she focused on nonfiction series. Now at NBC Universal, Marlana drafts and negotiates contracts for scripted series, among having many other responsibilities. When she’s not practicing law, you can probably find Marlana reading a book. She is a big book lover and even started her own YouTube series reviewing the latest books she’s read. I hope you enjoy our discussion and find inspiration in Marlana’s story (I know I did).

Today I’m talking with Maria Daatio Perez, Senior Counsel & Director for Advertising, Marketing, Content Review, S&P, and E-Commerce. Maria was so fun to chat with. She spoke about her immigrant family’s background, her days in undergrad at UC Santa Barbara, and how she came around to the decision to go to law school. She ultimately attended Southwestern Law School and when she graduated, she wanted to be an entertainment lawyer. She made her way into a startup of sorts, a company called Maker Studios, that was later acquired by Disney. Maria later took a job at Facebook back in the bay area (where she is from originally). At that time, Maria and her husband-to-be were long-distance and commuting to and from southern California to the bay. After that, Maria landed a job at Mattel where she focuses on advertising and marketing issues. Maria was super involved in all the Barbie movie promotional work so you’ll hear me ask about that. I had such a great connection with Maria. I think you’ll hear that and I hope you enjoy the episode.

Today I’m talking with Sara Kamal, Legal Counsel at Yum! Brands. This was an especially fun interview for me because Sara is one of my closest friends. She and I met when she was actually a client of my firm and we were working together on an arbitration matter. It didn’t take long for us to become friends. She is someone I count on all the time to give me a work advice so I’m really excited for you all to hear her insight. But, before we dive into the interview, let me tell you about Sara’s background. She was born in Egypt and moved to the States with her family when she was just a baby. She attended the University of Texas where she majored in accounting. She later moved to Washington D.C. and after law school did a fellowship focused on public policy. After her stint in D.C., Sara moved back to Texas (the Dallas-Fort Worth area) and began working for a small firm. She cut her teeth for a couple years learning everything she could about the law, getting diverse experience in all different subject matters. Sara then moved in-house to Dickey’s Barbecue during the pandemic, where she wore many hats and handled various legal issues, including some especially complicated matters where she had no prior experience. Not surprising to anyone who knows Sara, she handled it like a champ. And that experience is, in part, what gave her the confidence to join Yum! Where she is crushing it y’all. She won’t say that, so I’ll say it for her. She’s GREAT at her job. She has a natural ability to gain the trust of her clients and you couldn’t ask for a better team player. I hope you enjoy this conversation with one of my dearest friends.

Today I’m talking with Kristine Campbell, General Counsel of Uhaul. Kristine was so fun to chat with. Not only is she a former Greenberg Traurig attorney, so we bonded over our loyalty to the firm but she was forthcoming about her experiences, how she reached the GC’s office at Uhaul after serving 12 years in the company’s legal department, and how she’s done it all while raising two kids. I also asked her about whether she ever felt like she needed to be a chameleon in the practice of law - everchanging with her circumstances. I thought this was an especially entertaining conversation and it’s an example of why I love doing this podcast. It was a treat to get to know Kristine and I think it will be for you too. Please enjoy this episode.

Welcome to a special episode of Women In Law On The Record. This week I'm sharing a few stories of women lawyers who are also moms. I wanted to honor all the mom lawyers out there and share the good, the bad, and the ugly of being a lawyer and a mom. So you'll hear all those sides. And I preview my next episode as well featuring Kristine Campbell. Thanks for listening! 

Today I’m talking with Erin Borg, Vice President and Assistant General Counsel for the Neiman Marcus Group. Erin is an Arizona native who moved across the country to attend Indiana University Bloomington where she studied political science. She would later return to Arizona to attend the University of Arizona for law school. But, before that, she made a stop to intern at the White House during the Clinton administration. It was her time in Washington D.C. that helped Erin decide she wanted to pursue a legal career. She started out her practice in private practice but made the move in-house to US Airways (now American Airlines) where she primarily focused on labor and employment issues. Erin made a few more stops in-house before landing at Neiman Marcus Group. She speaks openly about why she made the moves she did and how she thinks it has (or has not) impacted her long term. On the whole, through her experiences, Erin has developed a well rounded practice and expertise that has positioned her well for her current position and any role she may have down the road. I found a lot of good takeaways from our conversation, including how we both still deal with imposter syndrome. And y’all…this isn’t a generic discussion about how I question whether I deserve to be a lawyer. We keep it real…giving legit examples of how it shows up for both of us. Please enjoy listening to Erin Borg.

Today I’m talking with Lindsey Swiger, Senior Associate at Norton Rose Fulbright in Houston, Texas. Lindsey is an energy lawyer who has spent her career advising clients on conventional and renewable energy transactions across the value chain.  Lindsey's practice focuses on project development and financing, mergers, acquisitions, divestments and joint venture structuring. Prior to joining Norton Rose Fulbright, Lindsey was in-house counsel with Exxon. During our conversation, Lindsey candidly shares her journey in and out of big law, how life circumstances factored into her career decisions, and how she persevere through some especially challenging times. In my opinion, conversations like this one with Lindsey don’t happen enough in our industry. I’m so proud of Lindsey for sharing her story and inspiring others, myself included. Please enjoy.

Today I’m talking with Aliza Shatzman, an attorney and advocate based in Washington D.C. who writes and speaks about judicial accountability, clerkships, and diversity in the courts. Aliza earned her bachelor's degree from Williams College in Williamstown, MA in 2013 and her JD from Washington University in St. Louis School of Law (WashU Law) in 2019. Aliza is also the Founder of the Legal Accountability Project, a non-profit mission is to ensure that law clerks have positive clerkship experiences, while extending support and resources to those who do not. Aliza shares her personal experience of with a judicial clerkship and how it motivated her to start her organization. She provides incredible insight into how the system can be improved and more transparent. Please enjoy my conversation with Aliza!