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The Influencers: America’s First Woman Lawyer?
By Carron Nicks • February 29, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Who was the first woman lawyer in America? Was it a woman who bucked tradition in the heavily male-dominated American Colonies? How about a woman who studied law not in the powerhouse commercial centers of the East, but the American Heartland after the Civil War? Or the woman who took the denial of her bar application to the US Supreme Court? History tells us that lawyers have been plying their trade since the days of ancient Rome and Greece. But history also tells us that those were male lawyers. From what we know, there were no female lawyers in America…
Everything Nobody Ever Told Me: Is Self-Employment For You?
By Paula M Jones • February 25, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence, Careers, Firms and the Private Sector, Other Career Issues
Being a self-employed means you work 12 hours a day for yourself so you don't have to work 8 hours a day for someone else. - Oliver Markus Malloy After twenty years at law firms, I left with my book of business and opened up my own practice. Words really can’t express the sheer happiness I have experienced since then. I bill fewer hours but take home significantly higher compensation. I actually enjoy practicing law again. I am finally able to combine my international practice with my love of travel, resulting in more trips abroad to meet with clients and…
Five things I learned working in the construction industry
By Katalin Tarjan • February 25, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
My first legal job after law school was at a semi-governmental organization working in the construction industry. In short, we were either helping construction workers when their bills didn’t get paid, or home owners when they didn’t get what they paid for. Construction law is a special area of law with lots of learning opportunities. A few years ago, just getting out of a job that promised one thing and turned out to be something completely different, I was eager to find any job that fits my qualifications and pays the bills. I didn’t know much about construction law…
The Influencers: America’s Pioneering Women Law Students
By Carron Nicks • February 02, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
The Law.com headline of January 21, 2020, read, “Women Hold Editor-in-Chief Positions at the 16 Most Elite Law Reviews.” It made me smile. I’ve been practicing a long time - close to 30 years. And while women have not been particularly rare in the profession during my tenure, the struggles have been real. Many women still in the profession today can recount the difficulties they encountered convincing law firms they were capable of handling the rigors of a practice. Many women today continue to face issues of inclusion, equal pay, and sexual harassment. As difficult as those issues have been for…
Bail Bonds: Sometimes cash isn’t the problem
By Leigh Bond • January 31, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
The awareness of the systemic destruction caused by the money bail system has grown alongside bail reform efforts and increased media coverage. Indeed, many may recall the story of a woman in Texas who admittedly took $1.00 (be sure to read that as "one dollar") and was charged with felony robbery. A judge set her bail at $12,000 and the woman was unable to post bail. There are more stories across the nation, like those of half the women in a Massachusetts jail who are stuck in jail because they cannot post a fifty dollar cash bail. Shedding light on the stories of…
Techlegality: Emerging Roles in Emerging Industries
By Victoria Willingham • January 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
The beginning of the year always triggers a sense of renewal. As we embark on yet another orbit around the sun, the essence of ambition infiltrates the atmosphere and we make efforts to tackle new goals and aspirations. That same energy is seemingly constant across the tech industry. With new ideas and concepts come new legal issues and requirements. Lawyers, therefore, are integral in moving the needle forward in efforts to shape industries that may not have previously existed. The decision to become a lawyer can vary greatly between individuals. Consequently, it is common to see law students and law…
Get Moving with a Group
By Sarah Valdes • January 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
“Your poses may look a little different than anyone else’s!” she said right as she walked by my yoga mat. The yoga instructor smiled cheerfully as she suggested the use of blocks right after she saw me tumble to the floor after trying to contort my body into some unnatural shape. This was my first time taking a yoga class…in fact this was my first time taking any sort of group fitness class. I never fell into the crossfit fad, and for my entire life I was unapologetically the unathletic one. A cherished anecdote I often tell when peers…
Poised for Growth: Technology and Law
By Desiree Goff • January 30, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
Becoming a tech savvy, innovative attorney will open up new opportunities and career growth in whatever law practice you envision. Whether you are on the transactional side or the litigation side of practice, understanding and implementing technology is essential. As a contract attorney, understanding and incorporating smart contract technology as the situation necessitates is warranted. As a litigator, being able to navigate e-discovery and utilizing electronically stored information in the course of litigation is increasingly essential. Additional challenges include presenting this e-discovery in a technology limited courtroom. I can still remember my first jury trials in which each courtroom was…
Interviewing Esha Bandyopadhyay, Principal- Desi Advocacy: Spotlight on South Asian Women in the Law
By Prianka Misra • January 29, 2020 •Ms. JD, Writers in Residence
I had the pleasure of interviewing Ms. Esha Bandyopadhyay, a Principal in the Silicon Valley office of Fish & Richardson P.C. As an experienced attorney handling intellectual property and technology-related commercial matters, she has represented an array of clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. Esha has litigated high-stakes issues regarding medical devices, computer software and hardware, consumer products, copyrights, trademarks, and trade secrets, among several other topics. Esha received her J.D. at the age of 22 from Berkeley Law School, and prior to joining Fish & Richardson in 2018, she has been a partner at Kirkland & Ellis…-100x100.jpg)