My Path to Law

Immigration judge says balance and gumption have led her career

A good temperament is the cornerstone of a judge’s success, and Mimi Tsankov, an immigration judge, says she’s been working on that for some time.

Dec 1, 2024 1:10 AM CST

Lucy Lang, NY inspector general, has always wanted rules evenly applied

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang thinks her decision to pursue a legal career has something to do with being interested in rules and how they were applied. “As the bossy older sister, I had this desire for an even application of the rules among all the kids,” says Lang.

Oct 1, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Lawyer with muscular dystrophy shoots for the stars

Megan Parker was born with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. She has a limited range of motion and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility. She also has a tracheostomy tube in her neck and breathes through a ventilator. Despite these challenges, Parker persevered through college and law school, graduating with both a JD and an LLM.

Aug 1, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Federal Aviation Administration’s chief counsel has fought challenges with resolve

Marc Nichols describes his career and life’s trajectory not as a straight line leading him to the FAA but more of a wandering path in which he has fought against difficult circumstances and seized opportunities. The key, Nichols says, is to stay determined and embrace change. “Change can sometimes be your friend. It’s about mental attitude and perseverance.”

Jun 1, 2024 1:40 AM CDT

A love for canines influenced this lawyer’s work to outlaw greyhound racing

People often ask me how I came to become a lawyer for greyhounds. In fact, the dogs led me to law school.

Apr 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

A second child during China’s one-child policy becomes an immigration lawyer in the US

“I came into this world as the second child of my family during the stringent era of China’s one-child policy. To avoid governmental persecution, we took refuge in a secluded rural area where my mother was forced to give birth at home without any medical attention. As I grew older, my inquisitive nature drove me to question why my sister and I lived apart, and why I seemed to be the cause of additional paperwork at school.”

Dec 1, 2023 1:30 AM CST

Florida lawyer creates the role models he didn’t have through a children’s book

“It’s been my goal to try to change the imagery of what attorneys look like to kids,” says Okoye Morgan Jr., founder and general counsel of The Black Law Company in Tampa, Florida.

Oct 1, 2023 2:40 AM CDT

Protecting the citizens on the ground—both in Afghanistan and as a lawyer

“Ideas are destiny. Mine sent me to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, to platoon leadership in Afghanistan, to the intensive care unit—and, eventually, to law.”

Sep 21, 2023 10:36 AM CDT

From Undocumented to Attorney at Law: A journey of hope and resilience

There was room for only two of us on our tiny raft, yet three of my siblings and I managed to cling onto its surface as my father waded through the Rio Grande, pulling the raft behind him. In front of us was the promised land: America. It promised an education and a better life.

Jun 1, 2023 1:30 AM CDT

How law, family and history shaped my career

“Life is a dance. For more than a decade, the legal profession has been the floor on which I’ve danced. It’s been hilariously comical, painfully awkward and immensely powerful. At its best, practicing law is a medium through which we experience and discover who we are when the lights are the brightest, when we’ve fallen short and when we dare to lead. That is our profession’s genius. Here’s what I’ve discovered while dancing to our profession’s mesmerizing tune.”

Oct 1, 2022 1:20 AM CDT

First Gen, Full Circle: Personal tragedies motivate lawyer’s work as a reform prosecutor

I wish I could begin my story with some childhood aspiration like “I wanted to be a lawyer since learning of Thurgood Marshall’s crusades” or “This has been my passion ever since I first saw My Cousin Vinny.” However, the law forced itself into my life in a more direct way. I was born in New Orleans and raised through Hurricane Katrina’s devastation. I was a senior in high school when my father was arrested, convicted and handed a long sentence in state prison that he is still serving today. This traumatic experience left 17-year-old me with a load of emotions and questions that would take years to explore.

Apr 1, 2022 1:50 AM CDT

From Defendant to Attorney: My journey to the other side of the justice system

“The year was 2005. I was 27 and securely set in my ways; however, God had another plan for my life. By then, I was no stranger to the justice system, having been a defendant in most courts throughout Wayne County. … This time, however, I was at the center of a drug sting operation with a confidential informant and marked money. I was facing up to 20 years in the Michigan Department of Corrections for delivery of a controlled substance.”

Oct 1, 2021 3:10 AM CDT

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

The power of my hearing loss

To many, it may seem ironic that a deaf judge presides over hearings. Although I navigate the world as a South Asian Muslim woman with hearing loss, seeing my disability as my power is what shaped my path to law.

Oct 1, 2020 2:30 AM CDT

Support and sacrifice paved the way for teen mom to eventually become a lawyer

The label “teen mom” can carry negative connotations. No one would expect someone who came from a poor background and had a child before she even became an adult to beat the odds and accomplish her dream of becoming an attorney. By sharing her story, lawyer Jasmine Grant wants others to know that they are capable of so much more than what society may believe.

Aug 1, 2020 1:20 AM CDT