My Path to Law

Jenner & Block’s Katya Jestin stresses relationship building when trying cases

Katya Jestin, a partner at Jenner & Block, willingly acknowledges the two women who influenced her decision to go into law: her mother, who was a practicing lawyer, and Nancy Drew.

Jul 1, 2026 12:45 AM CDT

Mental health law becomes this law prof and author’s focus after walking ‘Through the Fire’

The most dangerous moments of Fredrick Vars’ life guided his career path. Just days after he’d won his first jury trial representing a union member suing the union for retaliation, he experienced his first psychotic episode. Though he had dealt with depression much of his life, he’d later be diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Jun 17, 2026 3:01 PM CDT

Farming and lawyering have many similarities, BigLaw partner says

When I find myself in a particularly contentious discovery dispute or a rancorous hearing, it’s often not the skills I learned in law school or honed as a federal prosecutor that I rely on first. Instead, I draw on something older and more deeply ingrained: the lessons I learned growing up on my family’s organic farm in California.

Jun 1, 2026 9:31 AM CDT

Manual labor and college football shaped the trial lawyer he is today, litigator says

Before I ever stood in front of a jury, I stood on the turf at Georgia Tech as a college football player. I’ve also dug graves, worked on offshore oil rigs and branded cattle as a ranch hand. At first glance, none of these roles seem to have much in common with the world of high-stakes trial law that I’ve occupied for nearly 40 years. Yet each one instilled lessons and forged qualities that have been invaluable in the courtroom.

Apr 7, 2026 1:26 PM CDT

Authority figures don’t always give the best career advice, this appellate justice tells young people

Authority figures don’t always give the best career advice, this appellate justice tells young Even when his goals seemed impossible, Jesse G. Reyes, an Illinois Appellate Court justice, says he has kept following them. “I have always believed that if a door is closed to me, I am just going to find a way around it or over it or through it,” says Reyes, 72.

Oct 1, 2025 1:00 AM CDT

Idaho lawyer worked on potato farms before prosecuting Daybell murders

If you have any interest in true-crime stories, you are probably familiar with Lindsey Blake. The Idaho lawyer prosecuted and won convictions against Chad Daybell and his new wife, Lori Vallow Daybell, in a widely publicized case involving doomsday religious beliefs and the murders of family members, including Vallow Daybell’s two minor children.

Jun 1, 2025 1:10 AM CDT

Helping people feel safe is a primary goal of lawyer Chase Strangio

Chase Strangio, co-director of the LGBTQ & HIV Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, stresses the importance of remaining hopeful, even if the legal landscape for transgender rights seems bleaker right now than it has in years past. “I’m very committed to moving us out of a space of chaos, catastrophe and fear, and moving us to a place of possibility and grounded connection,” says Strangio.

Apr 1, 2025 1:30 AM CDT

Immigration judge says balance and gumption propelled her career

A good temperament is the cornerstone of a judge’s success, and Mimi Tsankov, an immigration judge, says she’s been working on that for some time.

Dec 1, 2024 1:10 AM CST

Lucy Lang, NY inspector general, has always wanted rules evenly applied

New York State Inspector General Lucy Lang thinks her decision to pursue a legal career has something to do with being interested in rules and how they were applied. “As the bossy older sister, I had this desire for an even application of the rules among all the kids,” says Lang.

Oct 1, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Lawyer with muscular dystrophy shoots for the stars

Megan Parker was born with Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy. She has a limited range of motion and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility. She also has a tracheostomy tube in her neck and breathes through a ventilator. Despite these challenges, Parker persevered through college and law school, graduating with both a JD and an LLM.

Aug 1, 2024 1:30 AM CDT

Federal Aviation Administration’s chief counsel has fought challenges with resolve

Marc Nichols describes his career and life’s trajectory not as a straight line leading him to the FAA but more of a wandering path in which he has fought against difficult circumstances and seized opportunities. The key, Nichols says, is to stay determined and embrace change. “Change can sometimes be your friend. It’s about mental attitude and perseverance.”

Jun 1, 2024 1:40 AM CDT

A love for canines influenced this lawyer’s work to outlaw greyhound racing

People often ask me how I came to become a lawyer for greyhounds. In fact, the dogs led me to law school.

Apr 1, 2024 1:00 AM CDT

A second child during China’s one-child policy becomes an immigration lawyer in the US

“I came into this world as the second child of my family during the stringent era of China’s one-child policy. To avoid governmental persecution, we took refuge in a secluded rural area where my mother was forced to give birth at home without any medical attention. As I grew older, my inquisitive nature drove me to question why my sister and I lived apart, and why I seemed to be the cause of additional paperwork at school.”

Dec 1, 2023 1:30 AM CST

Florida lawyer creates the role models he didn’t have through a children’s book

“It’s been my goal to try to change the imagery of what attorneys look like to kids,” says Okoye Morgan Jr., founder and general counsel of The Black Law Company in Tampa, Florida.

Oct 1, 2023 2:40 AM CDT

Protecting the citizens on the ground—both in Afghanistan and as a lawyer

“Ideas are destiny. Mine sent me to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, to platoon leadership in Afghanistan, to the intensive care unit—and, eventually, to law.”

Sep 21, 2023 10:36 AM CDT