Inter Alia

Working remotely for the first time? Here are lessons from a lawyer who’s done it for 13 years

“The pandemic has done what I never thought possible, validating what I have known for some time: When one works from home, one is actually working. Despite the industry’s negative projections during the early stages of COVID-19, our firm had a profitable year with all of us working from home,” writes Tracey Mihelic, senior counsel at Husch Blackwell.

Jun 1, 2021 2:30 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

Depleting reserves can lead to burnout

Law practice should not require you to sacrifice your health—the most obvious reason for that being that your well-being is the cornerstone of being a good lawyer.

Jun 1, 2021 2:10 AM CDT

Biden has an opportunity to reform and diversify federal courts

We have seen that courts can be an instrument for social and political change; they can be the sword and the shield. But they best serve justice when they are inclusive—a perennial challenge for the federal judiciary.

Apr 1, 2021 2:40 AM CDT

Walking meditation is a step toward calm

“Having a strong mindfulness practice as a foundation has helped me get through these difficulties,” writes lawyer and author Jeena Cho. “This isn’t to suggest that mindfulness has somehow shielded me from experiencing grief or trauma. What it has allowed is a way for me to process it so that the grief isn’t the only experience my mind is paying attention to.”

Apr 1, 2021 2:30 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

Professor’s justice project aims to humanize those behind bars

“In September 2014, I started teaching at a maximum-security prison in Maryland because I wanted to provide an educational opportunity to a group of human beings who have largely been forgotten by society. I knew the research showing prison education dramatically improves people’s behavior and life chances, but I wanted to see and feel that human transformation myself. Teaching my own class provided an ideal opportunity to create a productive educational environment in a classroom setting with minimal staff supervision.”

Apr 1, 2021 2:10 AM CDT

Reimagining Policing: Organizations and activists help drive law enforcement change

A new administration means a new approach to justice issues in America, but it remains to be seen what actions will be taken amid clamors for reform. There have been months of protests over police brutality and continued killings of Black people at the hands of law enforcement. And while President Joe Biden conducts triage, activists are seeking substantive change.

Feb 1, 2021 2:10 AM CST

Stop chasing perfection, and make it a family affair

Both partners’ support and active engagement is vital to a satisfying work-home balance. Since her passing, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has been celebrated not only as a trailblazing legal giant but also as a loving wife, mother and grandmother. The Ginsburgs demonstrated that a strong partnership at home leads to success as professionals, life partners and parents.

Feb 1, 2021 2:00 AM CST

How to release self-destructive thoughts and cultivate optimism

During this period of COVID-19, when so many of our norms have been disrupted and the future is uncertain, it is an understatement to say there is a lot to feel anxious about.

Feb 1, 2021 1:50 AM CST

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

Firms team up to tackle systemic race issues

At the virtual summit of the recently formed Law Firm Antiracism Alliance this fall, Louisiana lawyer Jamila Johnson walked through the ways that post-Reconstruction and Jim Crow laws inscribed white supremacist beliefs into criminal law—and how the effects are still felt in practical and painful ways. LFAA formed in June as a collaboration of law firms interested in combining efforts to address long-standing systemic racism. At the beginning of October, 280 firms from every state had signed on to the organization.

Dec 1, 2020 2:30 AM CST

BigLaw litigation partner uses his platform to fight for civil rights

In law school, my plan was this: Spend two to three years at a large law firm and then return to my hometown of Shreveport, Louisiana, to practice civil rights law and run for public office. But life doesn’t always go exactly as planned, and my trajectory turned into an improbable 34-year journey in BigLaw, where I found my path and have made the kind of difference I always hoped for.

Dec 1, 2020 2:20 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

Female lawyers face unique challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic

Female lawyers face unique work-from-home issues, compounding well-documented attrition and promotion challenges. Virtual work makes it harder to establish relationships with mentors and sponsors, and fractionalization can happen.

Oct 1, 2020 2:50 AM CDT