Justice Joan K. Irion of the California Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One, shares how her seemingly unconventional background and experience in tax law led to her appointment to the bench. Justice Irion emphasizes the value of having mentors and sponsors to ask for guidance from as you figure out your niche in the profession. Tune in as she shares practical tips you can use in court and more advice on building a career in law.

Justice Debra H. Lehrmann is a senior Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court’s longest-serving woman justice in Texas history. She joins MC Sungaila to share her journey to the Supreme Court, and to provide some appellate advocacy tips and insights for those appearing before Texas' highest court.

As part of a Girls Inc. Of Orange County "Girls Meet the Workforce" job readiness and Externship program, 100 11th grade girls from Orange County gathered at Santa Ana College for a live recording of the Portia Project® podcast, which featured prominent female lawyers and judges from Southern California.

This live event featured previous podcast guests and was tailored for Girls Inc. of Orange County attendees. In addition to podcast host M.C. Sungaila, panelists included Justices Eileen Moore and Joanne Motoike of the California Court of Appeal; Judge Kimberly Knill of the Orange County Superior Court; Orange County Senior Assistant Public Defender Tracy LeSage; and Loyola Law School professor, Rebecca Delfino.

Girls Inc. of Orange County has been a respected member of the non-profit community since 1954. The mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. We put our mission into practice through the Girls Inc. experience that equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow into healthy, educated, and independent adults. Health, education, and independence are the three main areas that surround its program curricula.

Today’s guest is Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court, one of the cohosts of the Lady Justice podcast. She sits down with M.C. Sungaila to talk about how being Chief Justice has helped her impact the legal system. Chief Justice McCormack shares her work prior to the bench as a criminal defender, and as a law professor and dean of clinical education, including in innocence clinics seeking to exonerate the wrongly convicted. She also gives advice for law students on their careers, and for lawyers on advocacy, and describes one of the most rewarding parts of her role as Chief Justice- the opportunity to provide administrative oversight to the court system.

In today’s episode, California Fourth District Court of Appeal Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell shares her journey from the trial bench to administrative presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, and the difference she has made for women and girls and access to justice both before and after joining the bench, including as founder and president of the Lawyers Club of San Diego and the National Association of Women Judges.

Judge Nicole Bershon was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2013 by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as a court commissioner and even an inspector general just to name a few of her varied roles in law during her practice. In this episode, she chats with MC Sungaila to share the twists and turns of her journey to the bench, from commissioner to superior court judge, and the supportive community of mentors that helped her along the way. Learn more about her journey by tuning in.

MC Sungaila welcomes the Honorable Christine Byrd of the Los Angeles Superior Court, whose path to the family law bench included serving as a federal prosecutor and BigLaw partner. She offers valuable career advice -- including making sure you are paid commensurate with the value you bring to the law firm you work at -- and how women's career paths often involve multiple lateral moves in order to gain promotions and experience.

MC Sungaila is joined by the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby shares her journey as a Black woman lawyer and the advocacy and inspiration that spurred her towards a place on the bench. She describes the influence of her mother (now a retired judge), and that of her peers and mentors, and how she is in turn helping to inspire and train the next generation of lawyers.

Justice Lee Smalley Edmon is the Presiding Justice of the Second District, Division Three of the California Courts of Appeal. She previously served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2000 to 2015, and was that court's first female presiding judge from 2011 to 2012. Before joining the bench, she practiced civil litigation at Adams, Duque & Hazeltine and Dewey Ballentine, and served in leadership positions in numerous bar associations and legal nonprofit boards, including as President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Host M.C. Sungaila sits down with Jane Bland, a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Learn how Justice Bland got into law and moved from BigLaw practice to the bench. Discover what it takes to be elected to the bench, and serve the community in a myriad of ways. (And for you litigators, hear some tips on succeeding as an advocate in court.)

Arizona trial court Judge Danielle Viola joins M.C. Sungaila to discuss how her policy work with the Arizona state government and law practice at the venerable Phoenix-based firm Snell & Wilmer collectively inform her approach to problem solving and decision making on the bench. She also provides some solid advice for litigators in the trial court.

Therese M. Stewart, Associate Justice of the California First District Court of Appeal, Division Two, chats with MC Sungaila about moving from a high-profile advocacy career to the bench, efforts to diversify the courts, and collaborating with her judicial colleagues. She provides an in-depth exploration of her work prior to the bench in the area of LGBT rights, both in private practice and at the City Attorney's Office. Tune in for and enlightening and inspiring with valuable insights you can use in your practice.

Vice-Chief Justice of Arizona's Supreme Court, Ann Scott Timmer, shares her tips on brief writing and oral argument, and discusses her path to the bench and role on her state's supreme court.

Justice Adrienne Grover of the California Court of Appeal, Sixth District, discusses her path to the bench and her views on the justice system and gives sound advice for both advocates and lawyers aspiring to become judges.

Leah Ward Sears was the first African-American female chief justice of a state supreme court in the United States. When she was first appointed as a justice in 1992, she became the first woman and youngest person to sit on Georgia's Supreme Court. She is now in private practice at a major law firm. Justice Sears shares her path to the bench, and the importance of mentors in her career journey, as well as tips for newer lawyers and advocates.

Judge Joanne Motoike serves as the Presiding Judge of the Juvenile Court in Orange County, California. She discusses her time on the bench and her remarkable career prior to the bench serving as a senior deputy public defender at the Orange County Public Defender’s Office, and as a trial attorney in the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at the Hague.

Justice Eileen C. Moore of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, joins us today to provide a historical perspective on the challenges women faced in becoming lawyers in the 1970s, and how far both she and other women lawyers have come in their legal careers. She also discusses the long-lasting impact of her service in the Vietnam War, and her commitment to military veterans.

Lee H. Rosenthal is the Chief Judge of The Southern District of Texas. She discusses her distinguished career, special relationship with her law clerks, and role leading the Federal Rules Committee. She also provides tips for newer lawyers to grow and excel in their careers.

Join your host M.C. Sungaila as she talks to Justice Judith Ashmann-Gerst of the California Court of Appeal about her journey to the bench, from night law school to the trial court and then the court of appeal. She also shares some insights for advocates appearing before the court of appeal.

In this episode, MC Sungaila talks shop with Christine Mayle, Judge, Ohio Sixth District Court of Appeals. Judge Mayle discusses what drew her towards appellate law, and what drove her towards a position as a judge on the Court Of Appeals. Tune in to learn more of Judge Mayle’s journey and why appellate law is so important.