As CEO of an air carrier, this lawyer steers the company and flies the planes

Dec 1, 2023 1:20 AM CST

Former NSA and CIA general counsel has made it her mission to strengthen national security through civic education

Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker has spent decades dealing with national security. Today, Parker’s focus isn’t spies, surveillance or foreign governments. It’s education—specifically, inadequate civic education from elementary school to graduate school. When Americans don’t understand the foundations of their democracy, they are susceptible to misinformation and manipulation, she says. In her view, civic education is a national security imperative.

Oct 1, 2023 2:30 AM CDT

Septuagenarian lawyer can beat both his clients’ criminal charges and a drum set

There are generally two reasons why people go to see Dan Monnat: They’re facing criminal charges or they enjoy live music. Monnat, co-founder and president of Monnat & Spurrier Chartered, a five-lawyer firm in Wichita, Kansas, is both an accomplished criminal defense lawyer and a musician who sings and plays drums for an R&B group called The House Band. Across his 47-year career, Monnat has achieved courtroom victories in cases ranging from murder to money laundering. But initially, he was a musician.

Aug 1, 2023 1:40 AM CDT

Despite epic success and a legendary reputation, this BigLaw founder isn’t resting on his laurels

If John B. Quinn wasn’t a real person, Hollywood might have invented him. Quinn has been called a legal titan, and his firm, Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, has been labeled one of the most feared litigation firms in the world.

Jun 1, 2023 1:20 AM CDT

Lawyer-turned-playwright celebrates Broadway debut with powerful legal drama

Prima Facie is a new one-woman play on Broadway, centered on an ambitious lawyer who, after building her reputation representing men accused of rape, must navigate the same legal system to seek justice for herself after her sexual assault.

Apr 26, 2023 8:26 AM CDT

California lawyer blazes a new career path as a firefighter and EMT

Aha moments are often likened to lightning strikes. But California family lawyer Nicole “Nico” Smith’s life-changing decision to become a professional firefighter followed an actual lightning strike.

Apr 1, 2023 2:00 AM CDT

10 Questions: This Latina lawyer launched a makeup line inspired by her culture and community

Regina Merson didn’t feel represented—or respected—by the makeup brands she was buying. That realization eventually led the Dallas lawyer to launch her own cosmetics company called Reina Rebelde—Rebel Queen—in 2013, to celebrate the depth, diversity and beauty of the Latina culture and community.

Feb 1, 2023 1:30 AM CST

Former NBA lawyer is changing the game with holistic legal consulting for athletes

When she joined the Clippers in 2015, Nicole Duckett was the first Black woman to serve as a chief legal officer for any NBA team. In July, she founded Nikki Duckett Collective, a full-service legal consulting firm that provides holistic representation to ambitious elite athletes. It’s about global branding, savvy deal-making and long-term success—things Duckett already has spent decades achieving for her clients.

Dec 1, 2022 1:30 AM CST

This Boston lawyer has spent nearly 4 decades developing dual careers in law and advocacy

In 1986, Cooley partner Michael N. Sheetz was a freshly minted law school graduate heading to Boston to start his career in commercial litigation. But he knew he wouldn’t be satisfied focusing solely on his private practice. So he also began volunteering for the Anti-Defamation League. Fast forward more than 35 years, and Sheetz remains actively engaged as both a lawyer and an ADL volunteer, parallel pursuits he has likened to dual careers.

Oct 1, 2022 1:10 AM CDT

Just for Kicks: This New York City lawyer turned his sneaker obsession into a practice niche

This New York City-based lawyer not only rocks the latest kicks, he stands at the forefront of sneaker-related law, entrepreneurship and investment in both the physical world and the metaverse.

Aug 1, 2022 1:00 AM CDT

How to turn a career sabbatical into a permanent lifestyle

In 2018, San Francisco lawyer Roshida Dowe found herself at a crossroads. She decided to take a break. Four years later, she has yet to return to California—or to the practice of law. Dowe now runs her own business specializing in sabbatical planning for professional women.

Jun 1, 2022 1:10 AM CDT

Virtual Reality: From development to investment, this cryptocurrency lawyer is all in

The metaverse may be a virtual realm, but lawyer Amy Madison Luo is doing very real work there—and achieving very real success. As a new partner at DIGITAL, a billionaire-backed venture firm, she invests in metaverse-focused blockchain companies, from applications to infrastructure. But she’s been working full time in this space since 2018, when she left BigLaw to follow her passion for a new kind of currency.

Apr 1, 2022 1:30 AM CDT

Innovative nonprofit organization supports public defenders and their clients

A low-income defendant. An overworked public defender. An underresourced legal system and a cash-strapped local government. Most people wouldn’t look at this scenario and immediately think “opportunity,” but that’s what sets New York City lawyer Emily Galvin-Almanza apart—and explains her innovative approach to legal reform.

Feb 1, 2022 2:20 AM CST

Lawyer-chemist’s career path includes research into psychiatric uses for psychedelic mushrooms

Andrew Chadeayne, who holds a doctorate in chemistry, is also a patent lawyer. His experience includes intellectual property work for pharmaceutical companies and a major freight forwarder. But it was his work for the revolutionary cannabis research company Ebbu that ignited his interest in developing and commercializing the mind-altering properties of much-maligned plants.

Dec 1, 2021 2:10 AM CST

This New York City litigator advocates for transgender rights and is teaching other lawyers how to do it, too

“BigLaw requires a certain personality and way of doing things,” says Jillian Weiss. “I had always known I was transgender … and I just viewed it as something I had. I didn’t view it as bad, but I knew it was bad in the eyes of other people, so I had to hide it.”

Oct 1, 2021 1:40 AM CDT