Law Students

Small Town Players Can Make a Big Difference

By AndreaKWelker

The stories of women attorneys in top jobs are inspiring to those of us just beginning our careers.  Reading the Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women List, reading about women who become managing partners of global law firms, and seeing another woman appointed to the Supreme Court... it shows the great potential for women in the legal profession.  

However, while those stories are really inspiring, they don't really speak to me personally.  I think it's pretty unlikely anyone will nominate me as a Supreme Court Justice, Skadden never called me for an interview (how rude), and I doubt Forbes will ever know I exist.  But that's okay.  I like my small pond.  

The stories that do speak to me, however, are those from ordinary attorneys who do extraordinary things.  Angela Ford, a Lexington, Kentucky attorney, went to undergrad at University of Louisville and graduated law school from Chase (Northern Kentucky University).  She previously worked in state government, and for a mid-size insurance defense firm.  (A resume to which I can relate!)  Ms. Ford, now a solo practitioner, took a huge gamble pursuing a risky case against three other attorneys who stole millions from their clients in the Fen-Phen class action settlement.  Two of those attorneys now sit in jail; the third was acquitted (his defense was "too drunk to know I was stealing").

Here is an excerpt from the Courier-Journal article on Ms. Ford:

read more

Full post as published by Ms. JD on September 08, 2009 (boomark / email).