Book Review: Rebuilding Justice: Civil Courts in Jeopardy and Why You Should Care
By Amanda Gonzalez • November 30, 2011 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Book Reviews
As someone who spent time representing low income clients during law school, I’ve always been a little (ok, more than a little) skeptical of who the “justice system” was set up to work for. I’ve been perceived by judges and court administrators as both a client and an attorney, and the difference in treatment I received in each of those roles was startling. When I read a synopsis of Rebuilding Justice: Civil Courts in Jeopardy and Why You Should Care, I knew I had to get my hands on a copy. When page two proclaimed, “The only person in the…
LSAT: No Breast Feeding Mothers Allowed
By Amanda Gonzalez • October 05, 2011 •Other Law School Issues
Do you remember taking the LSAT? It was the SAT...but scarier. Most people invest substantial amounts of time, nose-deep in prep books, hoping to surmount the last hurdle in the law school application process. All ABA accredited schools use the test, administered by the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC) ,in their application process and most give it substantial weight. Most female law school applicants know that they will face substantial barriers in the legal profession, but few have likely considered an issue being raised by Ashley, an LSAT test taker who prefers to be identified only by her first name.…
Which Firms Are Actually Women Friendly?
By Amanda Gonzalez • September 29, 2011 •Firms and the Private Sector
When I was in my first year of law school a female partner did me a huge favor. She didn’t hire me. As I sat interviewing in her office, my resume aglow with progressive she-power women’s organizations, this partner scowled at me. She interrupted my soliloquy on my passion for employment law to clarify one thing. “We crush the little guy here. You know that right?” Let’s just say the summer position would have been a bad fit. But what do you do if you’re not lucky enough to have a no-nonsense interviewer? Or what if you have multiple offers…
Book Review: The Road to Independence
By Amanda Gonzalez • September 21, 2011 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Book Reviews
She just couldn’t hack it. Let’s be honest, we’ve all thought it. When a woman leaves BigLaw (or even MediumLaw) and goes out on her own…we think it. We think that she couldn’t make it. Sure, maybe she was just looking for a change; but, maybe she just need to work harder. If you’ve ever thought those things…This is the book that will prove you wrong. Released earlier this year, The Road to Independence: 101 Women’s Journeys to Starting Their Own Law Firms is a series a letters from women who have started their own firms. Each of the women…
Book Review: In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate by Nancy Gertner
By Amanda Gonzalez • September 01, 2011 •Ms. JD, Ms. JD Book Reviews
One of my favorite spoken word poets once recited a line that has stuck with me. “I’ve seen too much injustice,” he shouted “to believe in chance.” This could have been the subtitle to Gertner’s book. A seasoned advocate, not believing in chance could be her motto. In 246 pages Gertner writes about her experience of institutionalized inequities as well as the value of old fashioned hard work. In Defense of Women details Gertner’s dedication to her work as an advocate on behalf of women as well has her commitment to the practice of law. Based on the tales in…
Ms. JD in Toronto: Reception featuring Nancy Gertner
By Amanda Gonzalez • August 09, 2011 •Mentoring and Networking
This is the second installment in Ms.JD's series "Ms.JD in Toronto" covering issues related to women and gender at the ABA's 2011 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I have a confession. I have a new crush. A strictly professional lady lawyer crush of course, but a crush none the less. Last Friday, Judge Nancy Gertner spoke at a reception held at the Law Society of Upper Canada. Judge Gertner, who one gets the feeling might rather be called Nancy, talked about her road to becoming a judge. The road was, well, nontraditional. “How does one become a judge,” Gertner asked…
Ms.JD in Toronto: The Road to Independence
By Amanda Gonzalez • August 08, 2011 •Careers
This is the first in Ms.JD's series "Ms.JD in Toronto" covering issues related to women and gender at the ABA's 2011 Annual Meeting in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. “There’s nothing like the thought of having to eat cat tuna that will incentivize you to perfect your marketing.” – Roberta Liebenberg, Chair of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession. Have you ever considered starting your own firm? Whether you want a work environment that better reflects your own values or you just want the ability to govern your own work load, most women have at least considered running their own…
The Carlisle Collection Gives Back to Ms.JD’s Global Education Fund
By Amanda Gonzalez • July 21, 2011 •Other Issues
In June, Ms. JD celebrated the Global Education Fund at an event hosted by Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Deputy Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program at the Council on Foreign Relations and the author of the New York Times bestseller The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, spoke about the importance of education for women and girls. We at Ms. JD couldn’t have been happier with the success of the event and the outpouring of support for our inaugural scholars Joaninne Nanyange and Monica Athieno.One of the events attendees and supporters, The Carlisle Collection,…
First Woman: Sonia Pressman Fuentes
By Amanda Gonzalez • July 21, 2011 •First Women
Sonia Pressman Fuentes is a leading author, feminist lawyer and one of the founders of NOW. The following is her story of how a she went from fleeing Nazi Germany as a child and went on to become an activist and the first woman lawyer in the EEOC's Office of the General Counsel. It's a truely remarkable journey...I can't wait to read her full memior later this summer! I was born in Berlin, Germany, of Polish Jewish parents in 1928. In 1933, my brother, Hermann, who was fourteen years my senior, saw the threat Hitler posed to Germany's Jews and urged my…