From Felonies to the Courtroom: How This Lawyer Beat the Odds with Stephanie Rodriguez-Ruiz

Stephanie Rodriguez-Ruiz isn't just a personal injury lawyer — she's a former high school dropout with a felony record who went on to become a civil rights attorney, nonprofit leader, and fierce advocate for teens and marginalized communities.

In this episode of That One Lawyer™ Podcast, Neal Goldstein sits down with Stephanie to unpack her unbelievable journey to the courtroom, how 12 years as a paralegal shaped her client-first approach, and what it really takes to build a legal career that matters.

If you're a young or entrepreneurial lawyer wondering whether you belong — this is your episode.

Watch the video on YouTube HERE

What You'll Learn:

• How Stephanie rewrote her story after early mistakes and legal trouble
  
  

• Why law school doesn't define you — but grit does
  
  

• The power of lived experience in building client trust
  
  

• What most law firms get wrong about "serving the community"
  
  

• Why mentorship is more than a buzzword — and how she's doing it in real life
  
  

• How being authentic builds a reputation better than any resume
  
  

Guest: Stephanie Rodriguez Ruiz
Stephanie is a personal injury and civil rights attorney in Boston. She co-founded the nonprofit Leading Ladies of Boston, serves on the board of the Boston Arts Academy (which once expelled her), and is a passionate advocate for record sealing, educational equity, and mentoring teens.

Host: Neal Goldstein
Author of Who's In The Waiting Room? and founder of That One Lawyer™ Podcast, Neal brings real talk and practical wisdom to lawyers building meaningful careers.