10 Questions

Just for Kicks: This New York City lawyer turned his sneaker obsession into a practice niche

This New York City-based lawyer not only rocks the latest kicks, he stands at the forefront of sneaker-related law, entrepreneurship and investment in both the physical world and the metaverse.

Aug 1, 2022 1:00 AM CDT

How to turn a career sabbatical into a permanent lifestyle

In 2018, San Francisco lawyer Roshida Dowe found herself at a crossroads. She decided to take a break. Four years later, she has yet to return to California—or to the practice of law. Dowe now runs her own business specializing in sabbatical planning for professional women.

Jun 1, 2022 1:10 AM CDT

Virtual Reality: From development to investment, this cryptocurrency lawyer is all in

The metaverse may be a virtual realm, but lawyer Amy Madison Luo is doing very real work there—and achieving very real success. As a new partner at DIGITAL, a billionaire-backed venture firm, she invests in metaverse-focused blockchain companies, from applications to infrastructure. But she’s been working full time in this space since 2018, when she left BigLaw to follow her passion for a new kind of currency.

Apr 1, 2022 1:30 AM CDT

Innovative nonprofit organization supports public defenders and their clients

A low-income defendant. An overworked public defender. An underresourced legal system and a cash-strapped local government. Most people wouldn’t look at this scenario and immediately think “opportunity,” but that’s what sets New York City lawyer Emily Galvin-Almanza apart—and explains her innovative approach to legal reform.

Feb 1, 2022 2:20 AM CST

Lawyer-chemist’s career path includes research into psychiatric uses for psychedelic mushrooms

Andrew Chadeayne, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, is also a patent lawyer. His experience includes intellectual property work for pharmaceutical companies and a major freight forwarder. But it was his work for the revolutionary cannabis research company Ebbu that ignited his interest in developing and commercializing the mind-altering properties of much-maligned plants.

Dec 1, 2021 2:10 AM CST

This New York City litigator advocates for transgender rights and is teaching other lawyers how to do it, too

“BigLaw requires a certain personality and way of doing things,” says Jillian Weiss. “I had always known I was transgender … and I just viewed it as something I had. I didn’t view it as bad, but I knew it was bad in the eyes of other people, so I had to hide it.”

Oct 1, 2021 1:40 AM CDT

This New York attorney uses TikTok to shed light on lawyer life

Unhappy young lawyers often share a common lament: “If only I’d known what being a lawyer was really like.” It’s easy to understand the disconnect. After all, TV shows, movies and the media focus primarily on the endgame—the trial, the closing, the conviction. There’s rarely much about the day-to-day legal work leading up to that big moment—assuming there is one at all. Cecillia X. Xie is out to change that.

Aug 1, 2021 2:00 AM CDT

This voting rights advocate and ‘Jeopardy!’ champ is ready with the right answers

In addition to appearing on Jeopardy! last year, Zach Newkirk was involved with a lawsuit against then-President Donald Trump on behalf of those injured during the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests in Lafayette Square.

Jun 1, 2021 2:20 AM CDT

This NYC-based lawyer runs a talent agency for internet-famous animals

Loni Edwards is the founder and CEO of the Dog Agency, a talent management company that connects animal-focused social media accounts with commercial opportunities. Among her most influential clients: Tika the Iggy, Crusoe the Celebrity Dachshund, Harlow and Sage, and Toby Toad.

Apr 1, 2021 2:20 AM CDT

Son of Holocaust survivors exposes the harms of bystander complicity

Amos Guiora’s book Armies of Enablers: Survivor Stories of Complicity and Betrayal in Sexual Assaults set him on his most recent path. The book explores institutional complicity in relation to the victimization of young people by college sports coaches, trainers, doctors and Catholic priests. As a result of this work, Guiora has become not just an academic but also an advocate for sexual assault victims.

Feb 1, 2021 1:40 AM CST

Meet a new chief public defender in Texas working to end criminal justice disparities

As a public defender in the Bronx, New York, for almost a decade, Adeola Ogunkeyede saw firsthand how patterns of institutional racism and systemic inequality impacted her clients even before they entered the criminal justice system. This spring, she moved to the Lone Star State to establish the first-ever public defender’s office serving Travis County, which includes Austin, the state capital. Travis County had been the largest jurisdiction in the country without a PD’s office.

Dec 1, 2020 2:10 AM CST

After nearly a decade in the MMA industry, this general counsel now keeps NASCAR on track

Not many lawyers can say they’ve worked with the late U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, with cage fighters nicknamed The American Psycho, Cyborg and Rampage, and with the first family of stock car racing. But not many lawyers have a career like Tracey Lesetar-Smith’s.

Oct 1, 2020 2:20 AM CDT

David Lat discusses conquering the coronavirus, pursuing dreams

Lawyer, journalist and publishing entrepreneur David Lat has spent nearly two decades covering the ins and outs of the legal world while working as a federal prosecutor and later through the popular legal news-and-views site he co-founded, Above the Law. Rarely, however, has Lat stood at the center of a news cycle. That changed with COVID-19.

Aug 1, 2020 1:15 AM CDT

Once in prison for life, this New Jersey lawyer’s story has inspired an ABC TV series

In 1991, a New Jersey jury decided Isaac Wright Jr. was a drug kingpin and sent him to prison for life plus 70 years on related charges. Except Wright didn’t do it—he was framed by the very prosecutor arguing the case against him. Wright spent the next seven years studying law from his maximum-security prison cell, eventually proving his innocence and winning his freedom.

Jun 1, 2020 1:25 AM CDT

‘People at home have got to start paying attention,’ says Texas lawyer on COVID-19 front lines

On April 3, personal injury lawyer Jim Mullen departed from his wife and toddler for a three-week assignment as a temporary nurse at a Level 1 trauma center in New York City. He completed his first shift—7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.—this past Sunday morning. He spoke to the ABA Journal shortly afterward and answered 10 questions.

Apr 8, 2020 8:00 AM CDT