You can never have too much experience in this field, especially as you transition to the bench. In fact, the more places you’ve been and positions you’ve had, the more knowledge you bring to the court. Justice Laurie McKinnon is no stranger to this in her professional journey. Justice Laurie McKinnon is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and began practicing in 1987 as a prosecutor in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. She later moved to Montana as a Deputy Glacier and Teton County Attorney and, in 2012, was elected to the Montana Supreme Court. Join her in this episode as she shares with MC Sungaila her inspiring story—from clerkship to the bench to the Supreme Court—where she provides great wisdom and advice on being elected, writing opinions and briefs, doing oral arguments, and more!

Justice Elena J. Duarte is an Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, in Sacramento. She shares her journey from the U.S. Attorney's office to two separate trial court appointments in Los Angeles and Sacramento, and then to the Court of Appeal. She also provides tips on oral arguments, brief writing, and applying to the bench.

In this episode, Justice Carol D. Codrington, the first African American justice on California's Fourth District Court of Appeal, shares her unique career trajectory, starting with being a litigator and a lawyer and moving up to her current position. She takes us deep behind the scenes of what goes into being a judge, sharing challenges and advice for students and lawyers on the process of opinion and brief writing as well as oral arguments.

Host MC Sungaila trades insights with Barbara J. Dawson, a litigation partner and the incoming Chair of Snell & Wilmer, about recognizing leadership opportunities, authenticity, how to become highly engaged with and navigate your law firm, and the importance of having a sense of community.

Erin Levine is the founder of Hello Divorce, an online divorce platform that provides software to complete legal forms and connects users to lawyers (if they want legal advice). Erin leveraged her legal experience running her own law firm focused on family law and her own experience as a litigant in the legal system to create Hello Divorce's user-centric platform. Erin's company is at the intersection of legal tech and access to justice and is at the center of efforts to revamp laws governing the practice of law. Listen in to hear Erin's entrepreneurial journey and cutting edge issues in legaltech.

For the first time, the podcast features a trailblazing guest who, despite having had a major impact on law and policy globally, does not have a law degree. Join your host MC Sungaila as she dives deep into a conversation with Deborah R. Hensler, Ph.D., the Judge John W. Ford Professor of Dispute Resolution at Stanford Law School, and former inaugural chair of the RAND Institute for Civil Justice. Professor Hensler discusses her pathbreaking research and policy work on asbestos litigation and class actions, and describes her unique approach top identifying and addressing emerging issues and global trends in the law.

Erin Wilson, General Counsel of CU Direct, joins MC Sungaila to discuss the interpretive role played by general counsel, the importance of facilitating communication between various stakeholders in the business, and how her prior work in aerospace, advertising, and even the music business inform her work today. Learn what it takes to work as part of an in-house legal team, and a C-suite leader.

Entrepreneurship isn't a word you often associate with lawyers, but Erin F. Giglia, the co-founder and owner of the Montage Legal Group, is a standout entrepreneur. She and her business partner, Laurie Rowen, founded the company to give law firms and legal departments access to a platform of independent contractor freelance attorneys. Erin shares insights about her journey from lawyer to entrepreneur and Montage's groundbreaking business model.

Ann Kappler, Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Prudential Financial, sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her career journey from a law clerk at the U.S. Supreme Court to BigLaw and a key member of the executive leadership team at a Fortune 100 company.

Listen to Chief Justice Rogers as she shares her journey from the trial bench to appellate advocacy. Chase T. Rogers was Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court and chair of the firm's Appellate Practice group. Learn from her experiences as a trial judge and how they helped her as an advocate. She was able to hear what the holes are from both perspectives. Also, discover why building the right team is important. You need to be able to be around people who have different perspectives from yours. Diversity in your bench matters. If you want to make your way into the bench or as an advocate, listen to this episode now!

The Joseph Project connects human trafficking survivors with attorneys who represent them pro bono to help them with various legal issues arising from their trafficking experience. M.C. Sungaila sits down with Amanda Paletz, the project’s Legal Director, who describes the Project's holistic approach to helping survivors get back on their feet. The project’s legal team works hard to build a network of providers for counseling, medical, and dental services. When the survivors cannot cover the costs, they set aside a fund to cover that. Join in the conversation to discover the power an empathetic approach to the law has in creating a positive impact in society.

Today’s guest uses what she learned as a student-athlete to build an inclusive team at her law firm. Amy M. Stewart is the founding partner of Stewart Law Group, the only minority and women-owned law firm based in the Dallas Fort Worth area representing companies in business, employment, and personal injury disputes. Prior to going to law school, Amy was an NCAA Division I collegiate student-athlete and coach. She uses her experiences in sports to build inclusive teams based on the concept of servant leadership, winning the right way, and relying on a strong work ethic to get things done for her firm’s clients. Tune in and learn more about her professional and entrepreneurial journey and her unique contribution to the legal industry.

Molly Dwyer is the Clerk of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to serving as the Clerk of Court, she served as deputy clerk and as a staff attorney with the Court. Prior to law school, she attended the London School of Economics and was an assistant to the author Doris Lessing. Molly reveals that fateful day she got off the bus across the street from the beautiful James R. Browning courthouse in San Francisco, and applied for a staff attorney position she saw posted on a bulletin board inside. She also provides insight into the role of both staff attorneys and the Clerk's office, and how they help lawyers and judges provide access to justice. Discover Molly's story, and gain insight into the Ninth Circuit, in today's episode of The Portia Project.

In this episode, M.C. Sungaila takes a look at the fine art of mediation with Sasha M. Cummings, a mediator with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Prior to becoming an appellate mediator with the Court, Ms. Cummings worked as a litigator for over 15 years. She discusses her path in the law, and what it's like to mediate cases with the Court.

Ann K. Covington shares her trailblazing journey as the first woman on the Missouri Court of Appeals and Supreme Court, and ultimately as the first female Chief Justice in the state. She shares her journey to the bench and work in private practice both before and after her service on the bench, and her role as mentor to many women lawyers. Listen in to hear the wisdom this gracious and humble woman has to share.

Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Dana Kuehn, the first woman to serve on both of the state's high courts (the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals and Supreme Court), sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her career trajectory, including her path to the bench, and shares insights on effective advocacy, appellate briefwriting, and moving from the role of trial lawyer to service on both the trial court and appellate bench.

M.C. Sungaila welcomes Sonia Escobio O'Donnell, Partner at Sonia Escobio O’Donnell P.A., and the former Chief of Appeals and Head Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Miami U.S. Attorneys' office at a time when few women held such roles. Sonia shares how she helped foster the hiring of more diverse attorneys in the U.S. Attorney's office, and how her judicial clerkship and relationship with the judge she worked for, as well as her work with other significant mentors, impacted her career. Join in the conversation to learn from Sonia’s experiences.

Judge Nancy Wieben Stock served for over two decades on the Superior Court of California in Orange County. After her lengthy career, she is now serving as a full-time mediator, private judge, and arbitrator for JAMS, Inc. In her chat with host MC Sungaila, Judge Stock shares her journey from the bench to her current role as a private neutral. Tune into their discussion to learn more about Judge Stock’s career.

Moujan Kazerani, one of the Founding Partners of Bryant Stibel (alongside Kobe Bryant), shares how their company helps the technology, media, and data companies they invest in grow and succeed. Moujan has carved out a unique role for herself, where she applies her legal knowledge as inhouse legal and strategic counsel for both Bryant Stibel and the companies in which they invest, while also operating on the business side of the operation. Tune in to hear some terrific insights from a woman who succeeds in both law and business.

Judge Rosemary Pooler was passionate about helping people, especially those we call the underdogs. Initially, she planned to make this happen through elected office. But then a friend suggested she consider running for judge because her name was now well known to many, since she had run for other types of elected office. From there, her judicial career started, and she was appointed and elected to different positions in the state and federal judicial systems. Listen to her story and her current role as a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.