A career in the legal field is all about taking a life-long journey of learning and expanding your horizons. This episode's guest greatly knows this to be true, having been through various corners in the field, both in and outside the academic setting. MC Sungaila interviews Dean Nancy Staudt. She is the Frank and Marcia Carlucci Dean of the Pardee RAND Graduate School and Vice President of Innovation at the RAND Corporation. She is also a nationally recognized scholar in tax, tax policy, and empirical legal studies. Here, Dean Nancy Staudt takes us across her journey–from the formative clerkship experience to the challenges she faced in her deanship. She then offers some great advice on taking on a leadership role, highlighting the importance of taking care of oneself as well as having that willingness to learn as you figure out the next step in your career. So don't miss out on this conversation, and allow Dean Nancy Staudt's wisdom to guide you in this journey.

Pathbreaking Hawaii Supreme Court Justice Sabrina Shizue McKenna sits down with host M.C. Sungaila to discuss how perseverance, confidence in your skills, humility, and persistence can help you achieve new heights. Listen in as Justice McKenna discusses her journey from Japan to Hawaii, playing college athletics and getting a scholarship as a result of Title IX, and joining the bench after a distinguished law firm and inhouse counsel career.

Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit shares how the relationships she formed throughout her career paved the way for her to become the first woman trial judge of a court of record in Tennessee, followed by distinguished service on both the U.S. District Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is the recipient of the Devitt Award, the highest honor awarded to an Article III judge, for significant contributions to the administration of justice, the advancement of the rule of law, and improvement of society as a whole. Listen in as Judge Gibbons shares insights gained throughout her trailblazing career.

Recently retired Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor shares how she became the first woman to lead the state judiciary and her contribution to the judicial system. Maureen O'Connor is the tenth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio, a Cleveland-Marshall School of Law graduate, and a member of the Cleveland-Marshall Hall of Fame. She became the longest-serving statewide elected woman in Ohio history. She shares her journey to becoming the first woman to lead the state judicial branch of government and how she led significant reforms and improvements in the Ohio judicial system.

Host MC Sungaila sits down with retired Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Karen M. Ashby to discuss her trailblazing career as the first Black woman to be appointed to that court. Judge Ashby shares valuable insights from her experiences as a public defender, trial court judge, and appellate judge. She describes how her path has paved the way for others, and how judges' diverse experiences contribute to decision making.

Paloma Ahmadi, Associate General Counsel, Employment, at Brex, talks about her journey from in-house, to law firm practice, and back in-house. Paloma is a phenomenal client advisor, with an interesting mix of career experiences, who provides great insight into navigating a legal career.

Litigation is a complex arena of law. Trial lawyers often need a mentor to guide them on their way. In this episode, MC Sungaila talks about litigation and teaching future lawyers with Caryn Geraghty Jorgensen. She specializes in complex litigation matters and believes in the ability of people to frame paths to resolution when conflicts arise. We discuss trials, litigation, and mentoring the next generation. Tune in for more great insights from women in the corridors of the law.

Judge Jacqueline Nguyen talks with host M.C. Sungaila about her experience as a refugee during the Vietnam War and her journey to becoming a judge, from private law practice to serving as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office in the Central District of California. Before her confirmation to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Judge Nguyen was also the first Asian American woman to serve as a district judge on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.

The law is often seen as impartial but cold. One way that practitioners are bridging the gap between the law and people is through empathy and understanding. In this episode, MC Sungaila discusses human interaction and the law with Kim Hardeman. She is a Partner at Lederer Weston Craig PLC, and made her mark in civil litigation. She traces her career and helps us understand why the human touch is important in law and why women are assets on any legal team. Want to know more about women in the field of law? Then this episode is for you.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Justice Briana Zamora shares her journey from the trial court, the court of appeals, and then the New Mexico Supreme Court. She sheds light on different judicial selection processes, provides tips on briefwriting, and discusses the importance of mentorship and a collaborative environment.

Life is a journey, and our choices are a big part of it. Sometimes, we feel there’s something we want to do but just don’t know where to start. Listen to Justice Maria Stratton as she shares her journey in law, wanting to become a trial lawyer, and what made her decide it was a good path for her. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Justice Maria Stratton to be Presiding Justice. She emphasizes that it’s okay not to figure out everything about yourself immediately. You have a lifetime to discover what you want to be. For her, she realized that she wanted to make a difference.

Judge Kimberly "Kate" Anne Knill of the Orange County Superior Court came to the trial court with experience both as an appellate advocate and a research attorney for the Court of Appeal. In this episode, host M.C. Sungaila and Judge Knill take a look back at her path to the bench and her love affair with the law. Judge Knill describes her experience as an advocate and a judge and discusses what inspired her to seek a position on the bench. Tune in for some great insights from an inspiring woman in the law.

M.C. Sungaila sits down with Justice Rhonda K. Wood, an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court and co-host of the Lady Justice podcast, to hear her path to the bench in a state where judges are elected, and her legal career in the then-nascent specialty of privacy law in the medical context (HIPPA). She also provides some solid tips on appellate advocacy. For example, Justice Wood suggests that lawyers ask for exactly what kind of relief they want, and provide an alternative outcome in the event the Court cannot reach consensus to grant the primary form of relief you request.

Justice Sarah Beth Landau is the first public defender elected to the First Court of Appeals in Texas. With host M.C. Sungaila she shares insights from her journey, including becoming a judge through an elected process, appellate brief writing, and mentorship.

Diane P. Wood is a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. She joins MC Sungaila to share how she went from wanting to be a comparative literature scholar to sitting on the bench. Judge Wood also shares the importance and the value of pro bono work not only for those in need but for lawyers who want to learn while serving and giving back to the community. Tune in to their discussion as Judge Wood offers advice for aspiring law students and lawyers on mentorship, legal writing, and finding the right area of law to pursue.