Exploring careers of women in law

A diverse group of women from a variety of law-related careers showed students that all avenues are open to women and minority groups, even if there are some hurdles along the way.

Michelle Deutchman '02, Brietta Clark '99, Negin Mirmirani '00, Diana Iketani '97, Diane Gross '93

“I think it’s important to find mentors wherever you are,” said Michelle Deutchman '02, western states counsel for the Anti-Defamation League, who worked as an associate in a firm for one year before deciding that she was better suited for public service work.

The only panelist who currently is an associate at a law firm, Diana Iketani '97, said it took several years before she obtained the litigation-focused job she loves at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, where she helps run the summer associate program.

“You do have to use your intuition,” Iketani advised. “Being in a big law firm is not for everybody. There’s a lot of work, a lot of hours. … If you already know that a big law firm is not a good fit, take the time to seek out what is for you – a smaller firm, private practice, or getting out of law practice entirely.”

Brietta Clark '99, who is in her sixth year as a professor at Loyola Law School and is a member of the appointments committee there, noted that she sees a lack of mentoring in many up-and-coming law professors. She suggested students actively seek out a professor they respect and admire.

One advantage to working in academia, particularly for women, is that it is more flexible and family-friendly than other law-related careers, she said. Teaching may appeal to women who, like Deutchman and Clark, are seeking a bit more compassion than litigation has to offer.

“If you feel that you do want some nurturing component to what you do, academia is a nice place to find that,” Clark said, adding that it still will take hard work to be successful. “If you really like to think deliberately, out-of-the-box, you want to ask others ‘What do you think about that?’ and engage in dialogue – academia is a place to be immersed in that.”

Rounding out the panel were Diane Arkow Gross '93, an administrative judge at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission; and Negin Mirmirani '00, an attorney in Warner Bros.’ studio facilities division.

A judicial clerkship may be a great place for any law school graduate to get their feet wet, Gross said. She clerked for two years for U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. in Houston before joining Richards, Watson & Gershon in L.A. She has been with the EEOC since 1999.

“After my clerkship, I had a big picture of what the whole litigation process was like,” Gross said. “You really understand and appreciate the entire process, and it gives you extra footing over your fellow graduates when you get to a law firm.”

Mirmirani is relatively new to her position at Warner Bros., a job she found through her Trojan Family connections when she decided it was time for a change after five years with a firm.

“I’m here to tell you that you should be nice to your classmates while you’re here and keep in touch when you leave, because I ended up with the job that I have now through connections,” said Mirmirani, who formerly worked for Loeb & Loeb. “You may feel you don’t have connections yet, but you guys are each other’s connections.”

First-year student Elizabeth Gonzalez, who plans to practice public interest law, said she was glad to learn from the panel some different career paths taken by women and how to pursue public interest work.

“I really liked that the panel emphasized that there are options other than big firms straight out of law school because I was starting to wonder about my chances of doing public interest law right out of school,” Gonzalez said.

In organizing the event, the Women’s Law Association sought alumni from different backgrounds who could demonstrate a broad range of career options.

“What I thought was especially fantastic about the speakers was that they had each transitioned from one area to the other -- from a large firm to academia or public interest or from a small firm to a larger one,” said 2L Sirena Castillo, who organized the event with 2L Shiri Klima. “They each took different paths to get to where they are in their career today, and I think the fact that there is a positive fluidity in the profession is something worth noting.”