Why did you go to law school? My father is a lawyer, and I was always interested in what he did. I enjoyed school, and thought law school would be a great challenge. It was indeed a challenge, and also one of the best times of my life!
What type of law did you practice prior to taking a hiatus to raise your children?
I didn’t actually practice—I had my first baby during my third year of law school (I don’t really recommend that) which changed my thoughts about a career. My husband was a year behind me at J. Reuben Clark Law School, so to get him through I worked as a law clerk at Kirton, McConkie in Salt Lake City. We moved to California, took the California Bar together, and then he went to work in a law firm and I went to work as a full time mom.
How many children do you have? I have five children and two grandchildren (with 2 more currently on the way!).
What made you desire to return to practicing? I had always hoped to practice, but felt pretty inundated with motherhood for many years (20+!). With my youngest child entering middle school, I suddenly had a large block of time during the day to dream about being a real lawyer. The downturn in the economy helped me to actively pursue returning to the workforce.
What type of law are you now practicing? I work on a part time basis doing estate planning, asset protection and business law.
What have been some expected and unexpected obstacles in returning to practice? I had a very long time without any legal thoughts running through my brain—it was difficult to reboot. At first I wasn’t at all sure where to even start. It really was a process of taking a step at a time into the dark before I figured out what I wanted to do. Luckily, I was able to find a situation that was perfect for me, both with my desire to balance work with family life, and also my areas of interest. One unexpected obstacle was that I discovered that I had gotten “mature” (old!) somewhere along the way, and that I didn’t really fit in as a late 40 something newbie. People certainly expected that I knew a lot more than I did. I was also surprised that the age of technology had left me in the dust—I completely missed the fax age while I was at home—came and went! Online legal research was something I had not been exposed to as LexisNexis and Westlaw were just becoming widely used when I left law school. I still sort of miss those dusty old case books!
What suggestions would you give in returning to practice? I would have had a much easier transition back if I had stayed abreast of the law through my decades at home. I felt like I couldn’t do both motherhood and be a lawyer, but I certainly could have done more than I did. It wouldn’t have been such a huge learning curve when I went to work. I thought the day would never come when I wasn’t buried in children, but it did—and faster than I would ever have imagined.
What are the things you enjoy most about practicing? I enjoy the people I meet, the chance to be part of the legal community (especially the JRCLS!!), and feeling like I’m stretching as a person and as a lawyer all the time.
Anything else you'd like to add and then share a little bit about your family/personal life. I feel really blessed to have been able to have the education I did, and now to be able to put it to good use; for assisting others and also for the sustaining of my family. I always recommend law school to young women I meet because it has opened so many doors in my life, both when I was a stay at home mom, and now that I am working.
(We want to regularly use this blog to highlight you: women of faith who have been trained in the law. You are doing great things--in the courtroom, in your community and in your home. Getting to know each other better will strengthen each of us individually as well as strengthen us as a whole. If you know anyone you think we should highlight, please let us know at nanbarker@gmail.com.)
Thank you for sharing your story. It is so helpful and inspiring to hear about women in similar situations as my own, who have succeeded in life and law!
ReplyDeleteI was five months pregnant when I graduated from law school (just over seven months pregnant when I took the bar) so I can definitely relate to your story! I really appreciate the advice you gave --- with my oldest getting ready to start kindergarten, I am starting to realize just how quickly the time passes!
Thanks again for sharing.