Women Criminal Defense Attorneys: Why Women’s Initiatives Matter
This week I received an email from Paula Henderson, an attorney and a fellow NACDL board member and I wanted to share it with you. She does a wonderful job of identifying the very specific challenges that we face as female criminal defense attorneys – and she reminds us of why it’s so important for us to continue to get together, build relationships, and form networks with fellow women criminal attorneys. I hope you find it as moving as I did!
I was in a boutique last week and a piece of costume jewelry caught my attention. Imprinted on a piece of decorative metal attached to a leather bracelet were the following words: STRONG WOMEN, May We Know Them, May We Raise Them, May We Be Them. These words struck many chords with me. My daughter’s face immediately came to me. She, with all her nine-year-old enthusiasm, charm, and wit, looked at me as I measured myself against the standard embodied on that piece of costume jewelry.
Then, my thoughts turned to the strong women I have known. Some of the strongest women I know are relatively new to my life, having met them through NACDL over the last couple of years. They are some of the finest legal strategists and litigators in the profession of criminal defense law. Female criminal defense lawyers are a different breed. And in our individual towns and communities, we are also a very rare breed. The field of criminal defense is predominantly male and finding female colleagues with whom to commiserate in this particular arena proved challenging, UNTIL I began participating in NACDL.
Women like Ellen Brotman – a skilled listener and analyst, Susan Bozorgi – a fighter who knows why she fights, Elizabeth Kelley – organized, thorough, and fiercely focused, Melinda Sarafa – deadly in diplomacy in a courtroom or boardroom, and Lisa Wayne – the sword and shield personified with the ability to command and captivate an audience. These women, and so many more like them, fill the working ranks of NACDL. And I am honored to serve alongside them. I have learned from them, been encouraged by them, and most importantly, I have been inspired by them.
The women of NACDL hail from different backgrounds. We have different religious beliefs and different political beliefs. Some of us are parents. Some of us are not. We live in big cities and small towns. We do not boast. We are not arrogant. We are resolute in our belief that we have been entrusted with protecting our clients. We listen to their stories. We absorb their fear, desperation, and anger. We hold their hands, hug their necks, talk to their families, and earn their trust. Our clients’ struggles become our own. We go as far and as long into their battles as the battlefield before us allows. And we do it day in and day out usually in heels. Sometimes, we struggle to meet the demands of the oaths we swore while meeting the other demands that life places upon us. We get fatigued, frustrated, and burdened, but one thing rings true of these strong female criminal defense lawyers - We will rise.
Strong female criminal defense lawyers refuse to be victims of a system, a society, or a negative mind set. We summon our strength, skills, and intellect and carry on. The motions will be argued, the pleadings will be drafted, the research will get completed, and the cases will get tried. Beyond that, we are grateful to receive a heartfelt “thank you” or a “nice job” by a colleague. Then, it’s on to the next client, the next pleading, the next hearing, and the next trial. That may sound like drudgery to some, but to us, it is a life fueled by high ideals like freedom, forgiveness, hope, and human compassion. And every once in awhile, we may get an unexpected but much appreciated boost of encouragement like the one I received when I overheard someone telling my daughter how her mom saved a man’s life today.
So, here’s to all those strong women who are criminal defense lawyers. May you always be strong and may each of you experience the privilege of saving someone’s life. Thank you for your legacy.