Ashley Herd believes conducting in-depth performance conversations is the best way to nurture and improve manager-employee relationships. Therefore, she made it her mission to provide efficient training and scalable tools to build healthy workplaces through her company, Manager Method. Ashley joins MC Sungaila to share how she uses her background in employment law and experience in corporate sales to help grow relationships within a business. She also talks about utilizing her strong online presence in TikTok to provide practical legal advice to her followers, guiding others on upholding the law while doing all things with empathy.

You can never have too much experience in this field, especially as you transition to the bench. In fact, the more places you’ve been and positions you’ve had, the more knowledge you bring to the court. Justice Laurie McKinnon is no stranger to this in her professional journey. Justice Laurie McKinnon is a graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law and began practicing in 1987 as a prosecutor in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office. She later moved to Montana as a Deputy Glacier and Teton County Attorney and, in 2012, was elected to the Montana Supreme Court. Join her in this episode as she shares with MC Sungaila her inspiring story—from clerkship to the bench to the Supreme Court—where she provides great wisdom and advice on being elected, writing opinions and briefs, doing oral arguments, and more!

Former Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, now private judge at Judicate West, Laurie D. Zelon shares her journey in the law, including the significant role that mentorship played in her development. She shares how she became a leader in advocating for access to justice and pro bono work long before joining the bench, and the important role that both play in our justice system. This is a tremendous opportunity to hear from a longtime bar and community leader who embodies public service.

Trailblazing Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice B. Donald has had a multifaceted judicial career. She sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her time on the federal appellate bench, and, before that, as a federal district judge and bankruptcy judge. She shares her work in the area of implicit bias, mentoring and encouraging women of color to consider the bench, and provides some insights into effective brief-writing and oral argument.

Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters shares her path to the bench with host MC Sungaila, including founding her own women-owned law firm that was involved with some of the most high profile and pathbreaking civil rights cases of the time. Chief Justice Walters discusses the importance of continuing to make sure that the justice system is accessible to, and a helpful forum for, members of the public and their disputes.

Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis shares her trailblazing journey to the highest court of her state. In conversation with host MC Sungaila, she shares her experience serving as a tribal court judge for three different tribes (the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, the Nooksack Indian Tribe, and the Lummi Nation), as well as on the Washington Superior Court bench. Her time as a tribal judge taught her to stand up for the rule of law (even if it cost her personally, in the form of expulsion from her own tribal home) and how cultural understanding and empathy play an important role in judicial systems and decision-making. This is an extraordinary and inspiring episode. One you do not want to miss.

With host MC Sungaila, Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud discusses campaigning for judicial election, and how her experience as a public defender and appellate lawyer prepared her for a career on the bench. Justice McCloud also shares appellate brief-writing and oral argument tips.

Justice Susan M. Carney of the Alaska Supreme Court sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her road to Alaska, and to the bench. A post-law school clerkship with Alaska Supreme Court Justice Justice Jay Rabinowitz brought Justice Carney to Alaska, where she stayed, working as a public defender and for the Alaska Office of Public Advocacy before joining the court for which she clerked. Justice Carney shares how her athletic experience impacted her career, and the role that mentors and supporters played in her journey to the bench.

Alison R. Nelson is the Director of DEI Strategies & Inclusion for Ford Motor Company. She fearlessly advocates for DEI in law and in corporate America. Listen to her journey and what she had to experience going into law as a woman of color. The opportunities just weren't the same. Black lawyers had to create their own law firms while white lawyers had the old boy network or legacy work. Times are definitely changing for the better and law firms are starting to see the importance of DEI. Join MC Sungaila as she talks to Alison R. Nelson about why representation matters and why people shouldn't stop fighting for diversity. Also, learn more about the Ford Law Career Academy and how Alison is fighting for a broader approach to law school. Listen to her story today!

Melody Stewart was elected in November 2018 to a full term as the 161st Justice, and the first African-American woman, to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. Justice Melody Stewart had a different path which led her to the Supreme Court. She believes that in electing judges, there shouldn't be any political affiliations with it because the more we politicize it, the weaker the judiciary is. Furthermore, Justice Stewart urges young people to explore their paths, get on the bench and get other work experience. Learn the profound reason she implores these young ones to explore by tuning in to this episode now.

Kathleen E. O'Leary is the Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, and the former Presiding Justice of the Orange County Superior Court-- and the first woman to hold both positions. Justice O’Leary has also served on the Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the California courts. Prior to joining the bench, she served as a public defender and worked in private practice. With host M.C. Sungaila she shares her path to the bench, the importance of access to justice, as well as brief-writing and oral argument tips.

Justice G. Helen Whitener of the Washington Supreme Court is a trailblazer: the first Black woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court, the fourth immigrant-born Justice, and the first Black LGBT judge in the State of Washington. But even though she is the first, she doesn’t want to be the last. So she focuses on teaching and mentoring others to pursue a legal career and apply to the bench. With host M.C. Sungaila, she discusses the importance of mentoring to her own legal career and treating everyone with respect and humanity.

Legal design is the application of human-centered design to law, making legal systems and services more accessible, usable, and satisfying. Today, we are joined by fantastic legal design leaders Tessa Manuello, Astrid Kohlmeier, and Sarah Ouis.

Tessa Manuello is the Founder and CEO of Legal Creatives, an online educational platform empowering legal professionals from 50+ countries to think more creatively about the law, build better brands, and win new customers. Astrid Kohlmeier is a lawyer and internationally recognized pioneer in legal design. For more than 15 years, she has combined law and design in senior positions in the insurance, litigation finance and service design industries. Sarah Ouis is an experienced legal design consultant and visual legal design coach. She is also a successful legal content creator coach, reaching millions of views on social media and followed by some of the most highly regarded legal industry leaders.

Tune in as they share the importance of legal design and the possibility of having a legal design career that those in law school might have in the future. They also share how they got into legal design and how their training impacted their work and interest in the space. Finally, they reveal a key takeaway many should consider in making their practice more creative.

Illinois Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis joins host MC Sungaila to talk about the impact of the pandemic on the judicial system and the use of technology and the need to enhance access to the court system. She also explains how to write effective appellate briefs and present oral argument that is helpful to the justices in deciding cases.

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 Women's Forum held at Hyundai Motor America Headquarters, featuring 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.

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 thrive in their careers as well. She also shares leadership lessons and shares thoughts on team building and creating a community. 

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 importance of being flexible, listening to your intuition, and getting advice from trustworthy mentors in navigating your career.

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 to share the lessons she learned from her evolving career, and the developing opportunities in the space industry. This episode is the second episode to feature women leaders in space law, and the first one featuring a guest who bridges academia and space law practice.