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Dentons Bingham Greenebaum LLP
University of Cincinnati College of Law
Why did you decide to enter the legal profession?
I was drawn to law school because I have always enjoyed reading and writing, critical thinking and arguing. My decision to become a practicing attorney was motivated by my respect for my father, who is an attorney, and his pride in his chosen profession.
What does “diversity, equity and inclusion” mean to you?
First, it means looking around and seeing people who are different from you or different from the majority in a variety of ways. Second, it means having alternative entry points to the highest levels of success based on performance and merit, regardless of minority status. Third, it means having open, easy and seamless access to those entry points.
Why is DEI important to the legal profession?
Taking steps to ensure that the legal profession is a career path available to everyone is the right thing to do for lawyers, our clients and the community at large. Anything less than a commitment to DEI is unreasonable and should be rejected by the legal profession. Otherwise, we are failing in our commitment to justice and truth.
Why has DEI become so controversial?
Because it is hard. It is also deeply personal and finding the right balance between talk and action, responsibility and authority is a challenge.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve ever received was actually advice that I didn’t take. When I was a new mother trying to balance my career and family, a female colleague of mine who was also a mom said, “It’s okay if you miss some of your kids’ activities – they won’t know that you’re missing.” And while I know that what she meant was true in many ways, my response was “But I’ll know.” That moment was one where I realized that while being a mom is for my kids, it is for me, too, and that I owe it to them and to myself to be the mom that I want to be. I can be both a good lawyer and a good mom.
How do you spend your free time?
When I’m not working or cheering my kids on at their sporting events, I can be found reading, gardening, running around the tennis court, and playing Zelda with my boys.
What was your favorite – and least favorite – class in law school?
My favorite class was a law, literature, and gender course – we had a textbook I think, but also read novels like “Wuthering Heights,” exploring how the law historically impacted women and shaped women’s history.
My least favorite class was probably something like Secured Transactions, though on the whole, I really enjoyed law school and took it all in!
What advice would you give to young attorneys?
I always say, “You’ve worked too hard for too long to find yourself in a career that makes you unhappy.”
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