The Portia Project

Justice Elizabeth T. Clement , the new Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her wide-ranging legal career, from family law to Chief Legal Counsel in the state's Executive Branch and her current role as an elected member of the state's highest court and leader of the state's court system as Chief Justice. 

Justice Elissa F. Cadish, a member of the first-ever female majority on the Nevada Supreme Court, shares her path to the bench, including a federal judicial clerkship that brought her to the state, private practice, appointment to the state trial court bench, and a nomination to the federal district court bench. 

A live Women's History Month podcast panel with the Product Liability Advisory Council (PLAC) Women's Forum held at Hyundai Motor America Headquarters features Orange County Superior Court Presiding Judge Maria Hernandez, Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, Jennifer Keller of Keller Anderle, General Counsel of Origence Erin Wilson, and Trellis Legal Research Co-Founder Nicole Clark. Moderated...

Heidi Zuckerman , a globally recognized leader in contemporary art, is the CEO and Director of OCMA/The Orange County Museum of Art, the creator and host of the podcast Conversations About Art, and the author of numerous books, including the Conversations with Artists book series.   Heidi sits down with host M.C. Sungaila to discuss her career path and share tips that will help women lawyers...

Orange County, California Superior Court Judge Adrianne Marshack joins host MC Sungaila to discuss her career trajectory from teaching to BigLaw to the bench, and explain how she handles her current assignment in family law by expanding her legal expertise and making sure that those going through turbulent family law proceedings are treated with dignity and respect. She also explains the importanc...

Caryn Schenewerk works at the cutting edge of space law and policy -- from the highest levels of the federal government to the early days of SpaceX and now as an adjunct law professor, co-author of a leading space law handbook, and the leader of Relativity Space ’s regulatory efforts and policy engagement with all branches and levels of government. In this episode, she sits down with MC Sungaila t...

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 that...

Tennessee Supreme Court Justice Holly Kirby sits down with host MC Sungaila to share her path to the bench, including, prior to the state supreme court, becoming the first woman in Tennessee history to serve on the Tennessee Court of Appeals. 

Former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Anne M. Burke sits down with M.C. Sungaila for a wide-ranging discussion on her path to the bench, her role as a founder of the Special Olympics, and the importance of teaching critical thinking and civics education to the future of the judicial system. She also shares tips on brief writing and presenting a powerful oral argument, and why cursive writing...

Michigan Supreme Court Justice Megan Cavanagh sits down with host M.C. Sungaila to discuss her career as an appellate lawyer and now as a Supreme Court justice of the state in which she grew up.

Justice Elena J. Duarte is an Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District, in Sacramento. She shares her journey from the U.S. Attorney's office to two separate trial court appointments in Los Angeles and Sacramento, and then to the Court of Appeal. She also provides tips on oral arguments, brief writing, and applying to the bench. 

Lawyer-turned-author Amy Impellizzeri shares how her sabbatical leave from law practice motivated her to embrace her passion for writing. Amy explains how her fellow lawyers can also unleash their creative side, how she keeps a deep love for the law while being a writer, as well as what she does to keep her creative mind in constant growth.

In this bonus episode host MC Sungaila is joined for a crossover show with the co-hosts of the Texas Appellate Law Podcast , D. Todd Smith and Jody Sanders . They discuss the Portia Project’s recent milestone of the 100th episode, share insights from their appellate judge guests and conclude with some great tips on launching a successful legal podcast of your own. Don’t miss out on this special ep...

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 process of...

Join MC Sungaila as she talks to Justice Dawn H. Beam about her journey to the Mississippi Supreme Court. Beam is the fourth woman to serve on the state’s highest court, and the first woman appointed from the Southern District. Find out what she learned in her journey, her tips for up-and-coming lawyers, and how she is making a difference when it comes to child protection, mental health, trauma, a...

Joining your host MC Sungaila on today’s episode is Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of North Carolina , Anita Earls . She has had an abundant career before the bench, doing significant civil rights work in different arenas, both for the federal government and nonprofits. Today, she shares her journey to the bench and important lessons she gained along the way. Judge Earls also gives insight...

The Founder of Free to Thrive , Jamie Beck advocates for and represents human-trafficking survivors so they can start living their lives. Aside from being the Founder, President, and Managing Attorney of Free to Thrive, she is also an Adjunct Lecturer in Law at USC Gould School of Law and teaches a course on “Trauma-Informed Legal Skills,” creating the next generation of trauma-informed lawyers. T...

Mentors are invaluable. This special joint episode highlights individual mentoring relationships. This episode features Judge Dorothy W. Nelson , Senior Circuit Judge on the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and her former law clerk Lisa Kloppenberg , a University of Santa Clara Law Professor, former law school Dean and Interim Provost of Santa Clara University. Host M.C. Sungaila also counts Ju...

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit Judge Consuelo Maria "Connie" Callahan joins MC Sungaila to describe her journey from lawyer to judge and her commitment to the rule of law. She also provides advocacy tips for both appellate brief writers and oral advocates. Listen in for valuable insights and practical tips.

Today’s guest is Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice Noma D. Gurich . Justice Gurich joins MC Sungaila to share her journey from law school to the bench. Not being an Oklahoma native presented its challenges. Her mindset of always being prepared and open to opportunities became key to her career path. She sheds light on what it’s like working in the Supreme Court and shares the challenges the court fac...

Camilla Lopez , co-founder of access to justice legal tech company People Clerk , joins host MC Sungaila to share her journey to becoming a lawyer-entrepreneur who helps individuals navigate small claims court. She discusses what's involved in running a successful start-up, from funding the company's growth (People Clerk is a Techstars alum backed by Google's Latino Founders Fund) to finding the r...

Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Skjerven Gildea discusses the important role played by state courts and the surprising turns her own career has taken. She explains how the Court pivoted in order to continue to provide access to justice during the pandemic, the role of the Chief Justice and Supreme Court in administering the state's court system, and important tips on briefwriting and o...

Host MC Sungaila talks with Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Elspeth Cypher who shares her journey to the bench, from civil practice to chief of the appellate division in the district attorney's office. Listen in as she shares both valuable tips you can use in court and inspiring wisdom for aspiring women lawyers and law students. 

Joining MC Sungaila today is Jessica Aronoff , CEO of Cayton Children's Museum . Jessica entered law school with no intention of becoming a lawyer. Her goal? Doing impactful work in a nonprofit. As it turns out, having a law degree was indeed a valuable tool and asset for her work in the field. In this episode, Jessica shares her evolution in the nonprofit space, from Executive Director of teen da...

Justice Melissa Hart of the Colorado Supreme Court shares her journey from U.S. Supreme Court clerk to U.S. Department of Justice trial attorney, law professor, and now member of her state's highest court. With host MC Sungaila, she explains her intuitive approach to career decisions, the long-term impact of mentoring on her career trajectory, and best practices in appellate advocacy.