The Portia Project

Want to take your client service to the next level? Our in-house counsel guests share their golden rules for outside counsel, including active listening, concise communication, and strategic partnership. These tips will help you build stronger relationships and deliver exceptional value to your corporate clients. Listen now and subscribe to The Portia Project for more inspiring stories from women...

In this episode, we explore the transformative experience of law school clinics and their pivotal role in shaping the careers of aspiring lawyers. Today, we have the privilege of hearing from three exceptional graduates of Loyola Law School of Los Angeles' Ninth Circuit Clinic:  Tina Kuang ,  Sydney Wong , and  Molly Okamura . Under the guidance of our host, M.C. Sungaila, these tal...

This compilation episode features some of our guests who focus on Space Law - in academia, private practice, and government. Michelle Hanlon, Caryn Schenewerk, Franceska Schroeder, Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, and Bailey Reichelt share their paths to the law and the growing field of Space Law specifically.

In this reprise episode, M.C. Sungaila interviews an esteemed panel of female legal tech founders:  Nicole Clark  of Trellis Research, Inc.,  Dorna Moini  of Gavel (formerly Documate), and  Jacqueline Schafer  of Clearbrief. They discuss their respective businesses and the pain points that pushed them to move from law into the legal tech space...

In this special episode of The Portia Project podcast, we shine a light on the journeys of our nonprofit leader guests and how they transitioned from law school to leadership roles. Tune in and be empowered to forge your own path and succeed.

In this compilation episode, we feature the journey and advice of some of our guests who are thriving in BigLaw -- leading firms, practices, offices, and trial and deal teams. Hear from Barb Dawson, Hillary Holmes, Paula Hinton, Cindy Chang, Robin Crowther, and Anne-Marie Seibel.

This summer, we focus on legal careers, and the wisdom our guests have shared about their own professional paths. We start with the in-house counsel role. Ever wondered what drives successful in-house counsel? This episode dives into the journeys of prominent general counsels, revealing their motivations, challenges, and the secrets to their success. Learn what it takes to navigate the unique land...

Law student and Founder of the American Space Law Foundation, Elizabeth Sanchez Chang , joins podcast host M.C. Sungaila from the sidelines of the Foundation's first national space law moot court competition in Washington, D.C., to talk about growing the next generation of space lawyers, the future of American space law, and being a social entrepreneur. The Portia Project was a proud sponsor of th...

In this reprise episode, Judge Julia Smith Gibbons of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit shares how the relationships she formed throughout her career paved the way for her to become the first woman trial judge of a court of record in Tennessee, followed by distinguished service on both the U.S. District Court and the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. She is the recipient of the Devitt...

Laurie Earl , Administrative Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Third District, joins the podcast in a reprise episode to share her career journey from the public defender and district attorney's offices to Presiding Judge of the Sacramento Superior Court and now Presiding Justice of the Court of Appeal. She describes how mentors nudged her along the way and provides insights int...

In 2024, women served as presiding judges in 5 Southern California counties and as presiding justices on several California Courts of Appeal. The Portia Project was invited to highlight many of these dynamic women presiding judges – including then Justices Kathleen O'Leary, Lee Smalley Edmon, and Maria Stratton, and LA Superior Court Presiding Judge Samantha Jessner– in a live panel at the Califor...

In celebration of the successful Artemis II mission, we reprise our episode with Nicole Stott , a NASA engineer and astronaut who journeyed into space twice and was a crewmember of the International Space Station, shares her career journey. As a former crew member of the International Space Station (ISS), Nicole brings a unique perspective to today’s episode, shedding light on her extraordinary ca...

In this compilation episode, we feature marketing and presentation tips from cross-disciplinary guests Angela Meyer, Rachel Cossar, and Carol Carpenter. If you want to level up your client development and client presentation game (particularly on remote video calls), this is your episode.

In this episode,   Justice Carol D. Codrington , the first African American justice on California's Fourth District Court of Appeal, shares her unique career trajectory, starting with being a litigator and a lawyer and moving up to her current position. She takes us deep behind the scenes of what goes into being a judge, sharing challenges and advice for students and lawyers on the proce...

Utah Supreme Court Justice Diana Hagen sits down with M.C. Sungaila to share her career journey from clerking for a federal judge to serving in the appellate division of the U.S. Attorney's Office and now on the appellate bench. She shares how her acting training helped her gain confidence early in her career, the importance of mentors, and the role a flexible work arrangement played in her remain...

On the heels of the inaugural American Space Law Foundation national moot court competition, we reprise this compilation episode featuring some of our guests who focus on Space Law - in academia, private practice, and government. Michelle Hanlon, Caryn Schenewerk, Franceska Schroeder, Ruth Pritchard-Kelly, and Bailey Reichelt share their paths to the law and the growing field of Space Law specific...

We reprise one of our most popular episodes in our continuing series on Space with   Aarti Holla-Maini , the Director of the  United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs  (UNOOSA) who joins the podcast to share her journey from solicitor training to attending business school and entering the aerospace industry, growing and leading the Global Satellite Industry Association, and now...

In this reprise episode, Newport Beach, California City Council Member and now Mayor Lauren Kleiman talks with host M.C. Sungaila about her path to practicing law and the unexpected road to elected office. She also draws the ugly and amazing side of elections and politics in general. Council Member Lauren Kleiman encourages people in Newport Beach to get involved in different areas of what their c...

Continuing our space leader series, Dr. Ulpia-Elena Botezatu , Space Policy Officer at the Romanian Space Agency , joins us from the sidelines of the recent UNOOSA Commercial Lunar Activities and Space Law Conference at the United Nations in Vienna. Dr. Botezatu leads two major international bodies related to space activities: the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committ...

Get ready for our annual episode of The Portia Project Podcast compiling and highlighting the personal mottos of many of our guests - extraordinary women in the legal field - sharing the wisdom that shaped their careers. From judges to law professors, hear their guiding principles, life lessons, and how they’ve overcome challenges. Whether you’re aspiring to the bench, the bar, or beyond, this epi...

In this episode, we get to hear some of the most impactful and profound personal and professional mottos that The Portia Project guests have shared on the show. Whether we can articulate it or not, we each have our own motto that we live by, and women in law are no different. You’d be amazed at just how many of these mottos you will resonate with. Most probably all of them. Tune in to find out and...

Many of the judicial guests on the podcast have shared their top tips for briefwriting. This episode compiles many of these tips for those who want to learn. Whether you are preparing for your first appellate argument or seeking to refine your existing skills, this episode offers a treasure trove of practical advice to elevate your brief-writing prowess and become a more effective advocate in the...

In a reprise episode coinciding with a season of gratitude and the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., nonprofit leader and resilient spirit Michelle Wulfestieg joins the podcast to share her personal and career journey, as well as provide some guidance on finding your own life purpose. Michelle, the executive director of the SoCal Hospice Foundation, came back from a near-death experience to create...

In one of our most downloaded episodes of all time, Rachel Barchie  shares her journey from BigLaw attorney to nonprofit and family foundation leader. She offers tips for those interested in transitioning from the practice of law to other arenas, and how legal skills add value to other leadership roles.

Theresa Harris , the Program Director of the  AAAS  Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program, sits down with host M.C. Sungaila to discuss her organization's role in connecting scientists with human rights concerns, and her career path from more traditional human rights law leadership to her current role, where she manages projects that include a volunteer referral service...