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Profiles
Sep
17
Carla-Michelle’s Interview with Kimberly Miller
Filed Under Profiles, The Profession • Leave a Comment
Ms. Kimberly Miller is a 2000 graduate of the Florida State University College of Law. She has a Bachelors of Science in Criminology and is in the process of obtaining Masters in Political Management at the George Washington University. Social Justice is Ms. Miller’s passion and politics is her vehicle for change. Currently, Ms. Miller is working on the campaign to reform the financial services arena with Americans for Financial Reform. www.ourfinancialsecurity.org. It is a coalition of 200 consumer, labor and civil rights organizations who are pushing for the establishment of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency. This agency would serve as an advocate for the American people on financial matters like credit cards, mortgages, insurance products.
How did your education prepare you for your career?
My legal skills allow me to analytically look at any situation and be able to identify the positive and negative consequences without emotion. The law gives you a new set of eyes to look through. During Hurricane Katrina, I was working in insurance compliance for a national insurance carrier. Although my heart broke for the victims, I knew that many people had not read or did not understand their insurance policy. I understand that we as consumers sign and agree to contracts that we do not read.
What extracurricular activities did you participate in during your educational career that provided you with useful tools during your professional career?
I was always interested in social justice issues. I have an undergraduate degree in criminology. I was active in the Black Law Students Association, I worked in our school’s Child Advocacy Center and I tried to have fun in law school.
What initially attracted you to your chosen career path?
I tried a number of different traditional lawyer jobs, but I didn’t really like them. Shortly after law school, I responded to an ad for a temporary legal assistance. I didn’t know it at the time, I set up and managed the legal office for the Gore/Leiberman Recount committee. It was difficult work, but it was always interesting. From that experience, I knew that I would eventually find the work that I find interesting. Now I am working on a campaign to establish the Consumer Financial Products Agency. It is a place where my love of social justice and financial services come together to help people. I was prepared for this opportunity because I didn’t let my work in insurance keep me from social justice issues in my community.
After the initial attraction, and gaining employment in your field, what keeps you attracted to the work that you do?
I love it. I would do it for free. I once clerked a judge in West Palm Beach, FL, Judge Moses Baker… He said to find the thing that you love and the money will come. In the beginning, you don’t think the money will ever come, but once it arrives it limits the career risks that you will take. If you build your career (even if it is volunteer work) on something that you love, you will make the sacrifices to see it through.
Aug
12
Carla-Michelle’s Interview with Judge Pauline Drake
Filed Under Profiles, The Profession • 1 Comment
Judge Pauline Drake graduated from Tuskegee University in 1974, Secondary Education: Social Studies, English, University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) Master in Special Education, Graduated in December, 1984 University of Florida Law School. Judge Drake was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1986. She is currently a County Court Judge in Duval County. Judge Drake was appointed to the County bench in 1998 by the late Governor Lawton Chiles. This appointment was historical for this area because in doing so Judge Drake became the first African-American female judge appointed to the bench in the Fourth Judicial Circuit, which encompasses Duval, Clay and Nassau County. She has been up for election twice and has not been opposed. Judge Drake has served on several Supreme Court Committees and she is currently active in the Conference of County Court Judges. Judge Drake is the current Chair of the Small Claims Rules Committee and a past chair of the Florida Bar Small Claims Rule Committee. She is an active with the D.W. Perkins Bar Association in Jacksonville, Florida and participate in the Law Week Activities which includes participation with the local elementary, middle and high schools. Judge Drake is a part of the “Justice Teaching Program.” Judge Drake believes strongly that faith is God is essential and that our actions are a reflection of His love for us.”
How did your education prepare you for your career?
I had an excellent elementary and middle school education in Brooklyn, New York. I was in a special program for talented students from the fourth grade to the 9th grade and I was challenged to think and ask question. When my family moved to a small town in LaFayette, Alabama I was prepared but very surprised at the segregation and negative attitudes towards Black children. However, I was able to make the most of the education and attend Tuskegee University. Being at Tuskegee taught me how to appreciate struggle and the contribution of Black people to this country. I wanted to do more and to be a part of the legacy. Education is the highest form of self-improvement.
What extracurricular activities did you participate in during your educational career that provided you with useful tools during your professional career?
Extracurricular activities I participated in included Little Theatre, Drama, Writer for the Newspaper and Magazine, Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. and the Tuskegee Institute Concert Choir. I was also involved with my church. I believe that activities which involve you with people and give you the opportunity to present your before people affords you the ability to accept all people and it also gives you confidence in your abilities.
What assisted you in making the transition from being a student focused on your studies to being a young professional focused on starting your career?
Let me say that I didn’t go immediately to law school right out of undergraduate school. In fact, I got married and moved with my husband to Birmingham, Alabama. He was in Optometry School at that time and was hoping to get a job teaching as my major was Secondary Education. Turns out that the “quota” was filled and I was not hired. I started working as a lab assistant at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Undaunted, I got my Masters degree at night and worked during the day. Eventually, I became the Director of the Shelby County Day Treatment Center in Siluria, Alabama. I can honestly say that this job was a life changing experience for me. When you work with people who have so little you work harder and then you appreciate the blessings in your life. It gave me a mission, to do more. I was now determined to go to law school. After Law School I was hired on with the State Attorney’s Office after interning with the Department of Consumer Affairs. Whatever you decide to do always remember that people are watching your sincere efforts and will try to mentor you.
What initially attracted you to your chosen career path?
My desire to be an advocate for children.
After the initial attraction, and gaining employment in your field, what keeps you attracted to the work that you do?
I enjoy law. Our constitution is a formation of laws made by people who had no idea of the scope to which it would expand. I suppose that is my attraction that justice should be for all and that I have a responsibility every day to make sure that justice is applied fairly.
What are three characteristics and/or personality traits that you would identify as essential in order to be successful in your profession?
Integrity is to be valued above. Can you be trusted? Are you a person of your word? Does winning mean everything or can you still do justice even though it is not popular? Professionalism. Can you create an environment of respect or must you demean another individual in order to be heard? Diligence- How hard do you work when no one else is looking? Are you satisfied with “just getting by,” or do you strive to always do your best?
What personality traits or skill set do you have that make you exceptional at what you do?
I make it my business to care and ask questions. I see hundreds of defendants but I never get so busy that I am not willing to listen to all of the facts and investigate the possible options. I also try to encourage people to look at the “big picture.”
How do you enrich the profession that you are a part of?
I try to enrich my profession by being a participant in organizations which promote legal accountability as well as organizations that strive to be of service to the community. I am a part of Justice Teaching but even before this program began I was a frequent speaker at area schools. Children need to know that justice is also about them and FOR them. They need to see a positive role model who is interested in their success. I also participate in Florida Bar Activities and I recently taught Trial Practice at Florida Coastal School of Law.
What aspect of your employment is the most fulfilling?
Seeing people change, a woman have a baby that is not addicted to drugs, a young person who decides to go to school and get a GED or continue their education, mothers and daughters who can now talk to each other instead of fight and battered women who have the courage to face their abusers and change or a prostitute who gains lawful employment. As a judge I recognize that I must have the strength to recognize when punishment is needed and when there is a rehabilitative option that must be exercised.
What ethical considerations are you confronted with regularly in your career?
There is a definition of ethics that I like: The study of the general nature of morals and of the specific moral choices to be made by the individual in his relationship with others. WE all have choices. The worst use of power is the abuse of power. I don’t abuse the power that has been given to me. Even if someone is rude or attempts to make you react out of anger, my moral conscious tells me that I set the mood of the courtroom, and that the law should be applied fairly based on the nature of what is in front of me and not based on personalities or differences.
What is your personal mission within your chosen career path?
My personal mission: TO BE OF SERVICE.
What leadership roles have you taken on within your organization/company/firm?
I have been appointed to several Supreme Court Committees including Pro-Se Committee and the Florida Court Education Council. I am also actively involved in the Conference of County Court Judges. I Chair the Small Claims Committee in the Conference and have been the Chair of the Florida Bar Small Claims Committee for two years. I have served as Circuit Representative, First DCA Vice President of the Conference and have been a member of the Education Committee for several years. I have taught several classes at the conference also. Several years ago I began a program to educate consumers about what to expect in Small Claims Court. The result of this project is a video which I wrote and narrate about the Small Claims system. Once per month Legal Aid shows this video in connection with the Small Claims Workshop. I stop in to welcome and greet the participants. I find that this has been very effective.
What are some obstacles that you have faced during your career development?
I am a first generation lawyer. I think that this means that I didn’t grow up hearing about law at the dinner table so I had to study very hard. I had neither mentors nor other lawyers to assist me so I relied a lot on the other law students to assist me. I had some very good study groups who consisted of students who were acquainted with the law and this helped me a lot. Also, my racial status was somewhat of a challenge at times. People seemed “surprised” that I was smart and I could tell at times that being a woman and being outspoken presented a problem for some. As a woman on a personal level it is always difficult to find balance in your career but it can be done. It is a challenge when you have young children and you have to try a case or pick a jury on Monday. I tried to create balance by involving my children in my career. When I had my private practice I showed them where I worked and even had them “help” sometimes. No career is worth the sacrifice if you end up alone and unhappy.
What has been your greatest success in your career?
My greatest career success has yet to be achieved however; I must say that being appointed a judge was a great achievement for me as well as this community. The sense of pride was overwhelming.
What was your greatest disappointment during the development of your career?
You know sometimes your greatest disappointment can be the very thing that propels you forward. I remember interviewing for a job as a Magistrate and thinking that perhaps I had gotten the job. I was faxed a denial. I was disappointed because I thought it was a good interview. However, turns out it was at that interview that inspired me on to apply for a position as a county judge.
What is the professional accomplishment that you are most proud of?
Oh my there are so many. The D. W. Perkins Bar Association during law Week sponsors a Mock Trial for Elementary School Students. Each year I preside over the trial, answer questions and encourage the children to write letters. I love those letters. I guess the best compliment I could ever receive is when a young child writes,” I want to do my best and when I grow up be a judge just like you.” I cherish these letters and believe it or not I answer all of them individually based on the letter written. So you see it all gets back to one word-SERVICE. I am also proud when I mentor young lawyers, who also write and say, how I helped them make a decision about the law and that something I did or said helped them out. I still hear from some of them and that makes me very proud.
By Carla-Michelle Adams
Jan
9
I Am Not The Enemy
Filed Under Profiles, Social Engineer • 1 Comment
Felicia Nu’Man, a Louisville, Kentucky prosecutor, wrote a powerful piece for Newsweek Magazine. Below is an excerpt from I Am Not The Enemy.
I battle crime every day, and i defend myself every day, too. I’m a black prosecutor in Louisville, Ky. I have presented cases before juries, but from my first day on the job I have felt that I have been on trial in the court of public opinion. Even my maternal grandmother once asked if I was a Republican (I’m not), while others just asked the ultimate question: how can you put our black men in jail?
Depending on my mood, the answer can be a three-part speech on the decay of moral values, educational-attainment levels and teenage motherhood. Other times I simply tell them the defendants put themselves in the penitentiary and I facilitated their exodus from the community. Or better yet, my favorite answer: I didn’t put the crack in their pocket and a gun in the other.
Thoughts?
Jan
7
The 111th Congress (Part III)
Filed Under Congressional Black Caucus, Profiles, Something Else • 1 Comment
The 111th Congress convenes this week and OBABL will mark the occasion with profiles of Congressional Black Caucus members who also happen to be attorneys. We think membership in the U.S. Congress is a fine career alternative. True, you’re up against some stiff competition for a job that stands to pay you little more than that of a junior associate, but if you can resist the urge to hide store money in your freezer or assault security guards remove your official lapel pin, you’re all but guaranteed job security.
The Honorable Sheila Jackson-Lee
Representing the 18th District of Texas
Yale University
University of Virginia Law School
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994
Congresswoman Jackson-Lee is a feisty legislator who doesn’t mind going against general consensus. She advocated for Elian Gonzalez’s father during the international custody battle and believes the U.S. should have better relations with Venezuela. She is not one to back down—good news if you’re a Darfur refugee, not so much if you work in her office. During her first term, her office had a 180 percent turnover rate.
Mrs. Jackson-Lee has been criticized for being a self-promoter, jack of all trades and poor manager. OBABL finds it hard to criticize her since we’re never sure what it is she’s trying to say. We fear she suffers from a severe case of malapropism.
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
Representing the 14th District of Michigan
Wayne State University
Wayne State University Law School
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1964
Born a few months before the 1929 stock market crash, Congressman Conyers is one of the oldest members of Congress. Call him a geezer if you must, but he’s blogging on The Huffington Post, chairing the House Judiciary Committee and keeping up with a spouse nearly half his age. The elder statesman’s wife, Monica, is President of the Detroit City Council and has, shall we say, a reputation. Reportedly, she has threatened to shoot a city aide and beat up a council member. We’re not sure if this is the same council member she referred to as Shrek. Her website photo gallery has her posing confidently with everyone from Rosa Parks to the rapper, The Game. Mrs. Conyers loses her composure entirely when an 8th grader admonishes her behavior.
Jan
7
The 111th Congress (Part II)
Filed Under Congressional Black Caucus, Profiles, Something Else • Leave a Comment
The 111th Congress convenes this week and OBABL will mark the occasion with profiles of Congressional Black Caucus members who also happen to be attorneys. We think membership in the U.S. Congress is a fine career alternative. True, you’re up against some stiff competition for a job that stands to pay you little more than that of a junior associate, but if you can resist the urge to hide store money in your freezer or assault security guards remove your official lapel pin, you’re all but guaranteed job security.
The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton
Representing the District of Columbia
Antioch College (Ohio)
Yale Law School
Georgetown University Law Center (Professor)
First elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1990
It says something about Congress that one of its most distinguished and competent members does not have a real vote there. In her nearly twenty year battle for DC Statehood voting rights, Congresswoman Norton has led with class rather than crass. Every U.S. citizen should be lucky enough to have such a representative. From her bio:
Named by President Jimmy Carter as the first woman to chair the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, she came to Congress as a national figure who had been a civil rights and feminist leader, tenured law professor of law, and board member of three Fortune 500 companies. Ms. Norton also had been named one of the 100 most important American women in one survey and one of the most powerful women in Washington in another.
Look at her rocking that big ‘ole fro back in the day.
Shirley Chisholm, Coretta Scott King and Norton
Congressmen struggle with expletives, incontinence and keeping it in Vegas after the jump. Read more
Jan
5
The 111th Congress (Part 1)
Filed Under Congressional Black Caucus, Profiles, Something Else • 1 Comment
The 111th Congress convenes this week and OBABL will mark the occasion with profiles of Congressional Black Caucus members who also happen to be attorneys. We think membership in the U.S. Congress is a fine career alternative. True, you’re up against some stiff competition for a job that stands to pay you little more than that of a junior associate, but if you can resist the urge to hide store money in your freezer or assault security guards remove your official lapel pin, you’re all but guaranteed job security.
The Honorable Elijah E. Cummings
Representing the 7th Congressional District of Maryland
Howard University (Phi Beta Kappa)
University of Maryland School of Law (Honors)
First elected to Congress in 1996
Elijah Cummings was born in Manning, S.C. This son of sharecroppers excelled in school, ran a successful solo practice and won his first elected position, taking a seat in the Maryland House of Delegates, in 1982. Way to come up! The Congressman has been robbed at gun-point and been the victim of a home burglary and multiple car jackings breakins. Ahhh… the price of representing Mob Town Baltimore. He also knows a “chump” when he sees one.
The Honorable Keith Ellison
Representing the 5th Congressional District of Minnesota
Wayne State University
University of Minnesota Law School
First elected to Congress in 2006
Ellison is not only the first African American from Minnesota to serve in the U.S. Congress, but he is also the first Muslim to do so. Raised a Roman Catholic, Ellison converted while in college. So committed is he to his faith that while Congress was in an emergency session working on that “urgent” bailout package, Ellison was on a pilgrimage to Mecca. (We wonder if God told him that bailout wasn’t getting done any time soon). Hats off to the citizens of Minnesota for being open minded about Ellison’s religion as well as his unpaid taxes and parking tickets. StarTribune
The Honorable Al Green
Representing the 9th Congressional District of Houston, Texas
Florida A&M University
Tuskegee Institute of Technology
Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law
First elected to Congress in 2006
Is it possible to hear the name Al Green without humming, “Let’s Stay Together?” The Congressman has no relation to the hot-grits assaulted singer of the same name. After graduating from law school, Green co-founded and co-managed the law firm of Green, Wilson, Dewberry and Fitch. He was elected Justice of the Peace for a Texas precinct and served 26 years as a trial judge before retiring to run for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Recently, Green demonstrated why he’s not a man to be trifled with. When a former employee claimed sexual harassment, Green struck back with a publicist, lawyer and blackmail countersuit. Both sides dropped their suits late last year. We sure hope he can get his Federal Living Wage legislation passed as expediently as he handled his personal business.
The Honorable G.K. Butterfield
Representing the 1st District of (Eastern) North Carolina
North Carolina Central University
North Carolina Central University School of Law
First elected to Congress in 2004
We find it pretentious to substitute an initial for one’s first name unless of course the initial happens to be the actual name, which seems likely in the case of G.K. At the very least, the moniker was forced on him by G.K. Sr., a dentist who became the first black elected official from Eastern North Carolina.
The Congressman (who has that Thurgood Marshall look about him) attended NCCU School of Law with Big Willie, who was no doubt pleased with G.K’s “No” vote on limiting attorney’s fees in class action lawsuits.
According to his bio:
Congressman Butterfield’s law practice was devoted to representing poor people with extraordinary legal problems. He was considered the “People’s Lawyer” in his hometown – a title that earned him great respect and admiration in the community. He is best known for successfully handling several Voting Rights lawsuits in eastern North Carolina counties resulting in the Court-ordered implementation of district elections for local officials.
Before running for Congress, G.K. was a judge on the North Carolina Supreme Court. It’s a good thing the law worked out; otherwise, G.K. might still be a ticket agent at the Raleigh-Durham airport. We are impressed with the initiative he took in setting up a facebook page but wonder if a FB page exists but is never updated, is the Congressman really “aware of the internet?”
There is really so much more we could have said about these public servants. If you’d like to learn more about their backgrounds and voting records, see the links below.
The Washington Times Candidate Profiles
The Washington Post Voting Record
Dec
28
Attorneys At The Top
Filed Under Profiles • Leave a Comment
The Network Journal’s December cover story is “Attorneys at the Top.” It features:
Kirk G. Forrest, Esq., Vice President, General Counsel Chief Compliance Officer & Secretary Minerals Technologies Inc., New York City
Denise M. Grant, Esq., Partner, Shearman & Sterling L.L.P., New York City
Phillip Isom, Esq., Partner, O’Melveny & Myers L.L.P., New York City
Ackneil M. Muldrow III, Esq., Partner, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld L.L.P., New York City
Alphonso E. Tindall Jr., Esq., Partner, Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge L.L.P., New York City
