Sticky Lawyers

We've met many intriguing Sticky Lawyers who turned positive life experiences into meaningful and rewarding legal careers. But that's not always the case. Sometimes, a negative or even traumatic experience can be the impetus, which speaks volumes about the character and strength of the individual 

Samantha McCoy was a young college student when a law enforcement officer sexually assaulted her. Despite facing numerous indig...

Immigrants seeking visas to start U.S. companies need experienced counsel to navigate the process for themselves, their workers, and their families. Today's guest, Tahmina Watson, is just the attorney who can help them realize their dreams. She is a U.K.-trained attorney and immigrant of Bangladeshi descent who opened a successful immigration firm in Seattle in 2009. But her deep impact on the immigrant community doesn't ...

An HIV-positive diagnosis can thankfully now be managed with antiretroviral drugs that keep infection levels nearly undetectable. However, the widespread fear and panic that accompanied the AIDS crisis in the 1980s created rampant panic and discrimination against HIV-positive people, especially gay men. And unfortunately, that discrimination still exists. Our guest today, Scott Schoettes, is an attorney and advocate for HIV-positiv...

Jennifer Wagner’s legal path always included a desire to advance equality and civil rights. But her anthropology passion (and eventual Ph.D.) laser beamed her legal focus to the cellular level: genetics and the human genome. 

As an assistant professor of Law, Policy, and Engineering and Anthropology at Penn State University, this sticky lawyer has created a legal career that links our most basic human rights and the most basic build...

Growing up in North Carolina with parents in the home construction business, Forrest Merithew cut his teeth on construction sites, played in the dirt, and developed an early passion for outdoor adventures. Always game for new challenges, he pursued a law career and discovered how his deep experience in construction and his outdoor recreation pursuits could shape his law practice. And a sticky lawyer was born.

After successfully repr...

Alysen Bayles launched her legal career with an early interest in dispute resolution. Then after several years as in-house counsel and a law firm litigator, she found a mediation mentor and increasingly used alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and mediation in her private practice. 

Appreciative of how ADR gives both sides a voice, Alysen is now director of a federal court-connected ADR program where she oversees civil cases, serve...

Chris Jennison is a government attorney with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He’s an American Bar Association Officer and Young Lawyer Member-At-Large. He’s also a volunteer Emergency Medical Technician and board president with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad. Oh, and he’s also a father of two young children. Aside from sleep, this sticky lawyer devotes his time and attention to endeavors that prepare him to do his...

Haydée Dijkstal grew up in Wyoming, but frequent travel to visit the families of her Puerto Rican mother and Dutch father piqued her interest in international relations at a young age. In fact, it led her all the way to The Hague and a career in international criminal law and human rights law.

In this episode, Haydée shares her path to international legal practice, and how she became a barrister in the U.K. She also gives us a prime...

Swimming by the time he learned to walk, Adam Grant soon ran faster than the other kids in school and biked when others drove cars. His interest in triathlons and ultra-marathons was a natural path for him. But creating a data privacy legal practice during the advent of the iPhone? Turns out, this sticky lawyer manifests his best ideas when he’s in a state of flow.

With incredible focus, curiosity, and a penchant for research, Adam ...

Most attorneys hope to impact their clients’ lives and livelihoods by providing expert representation. As chief pro bono counsel at Arnold & Palmer’s New York office, Lucy McMillan’s legal career is keenly focused on making positive change for those who often can’t afford good legal representation.

Lucy forges deep relationships with non-profits and legal services organizations to create opportunities for her firm to ...

Raised on an Indiana farm by an engineer dad who farmed after work, attorney John Schwarz has never been a stranger to long days and manual labor. He knows firsthand the struggles farmers face dealing with the USDA Farm Service Agency, grain contracts, solar leases, and all the farm-related legal issues in between. As a row crop farmer, he’s deep in the dirt with them.

This sticky farm lawyer describes his mission to help other farm...

Cielomar Puccio grew up dancing in Puerto Rico. And although she didn't pursue it professionally, her passion for ballet led her to a unique niche law practice. Based in Miami, Cielo's practice focuses on helping dancers, choreographers, and others in the arts with immigration and intellectual property matters.  

With a background in advertising and PR, Cielo has grown her practice through continued participation in the lo...

Frank Bibeau’s life as a member of the Anishinaabe or Ojibwe people in northern Minnesota has largely been governed by his reservation’s tribal laws and customs. And manoomin—or wild rice—plays a central role in his culture as a primary food that requires protection. But what happens when the tribe’s right to manoomin is threatened by state and federal laws or industry? Another sticky lawyer is born.

After years as a state employee ...

Hira Jaleel is Pakistan’s first accredited Animal Law attorney, who has fought a lion's share of legal battles around animal welfare and animal rights, helping to shape federal and provincial legislation around animals in Pakistan. She vividly recounts troubling issues around live animal markets and the exotic animal trade that needs government oversight in her native country. 

Now an Animal Law teaching fellow and adjunct prof...

What do you get when you combine a computer scientist, an attorney specializing in Intellectual Property law, and a comic book aficionado? A very interesting sticky lawyer. 

James Daily pursued a master’s degree in computer science while earning his law degree at Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. Now he represents clients in intellectual property matters while working for his alma mater’s Center for Empirical Researc...

Jasmine Moy did not always love the practice of law, but she has always loved food and the fine dining experience. As a young attorney in New York, she fueled her passion for the foodie world by treating herself to wonderful high-end restaurant experiences and writing articles about them as a hobby. She eventually pivoted from litigation to restaurant and hospitality law, and another sticky lawyer was born. 

Jasmine used her restaur...

Erik Weber is an attorney, a champion runner and running coach, an author, and a motivational video creator and speaker. Oh, and he is also autistic. His own special education experiences, and his unique ability to understand and advocate for special needs students, have helped countless families navigate the IEP process in California.

A passion for helping the disabled community has fueled Erik’s greatest accomplishments to date. A...

While nearly a quarter of the U.S. population lives in rural America, only 2% of attorneys practice there. Phil Garland has spent 50 years as a general practice lawyer in Garner, Iowa — population 3,000. He has been his town's one-stop shop for legal representation and created a thriving practice through his relationships with residents, local businesses, and other lawyers in his county.

But finding young lawyers to c...

A deep-dive into the horrors of food-borne illnesses may not seem like an appetizing path for a young attorney forging a legal career. But for Washington based-attorney Bill Marler, handling plaintiff cases after the 1993 Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak gave him unique expertise and led to a niche practice that specializes in representing those affected by food-borne illnesses. He is now one of the nation’s leading food safety exp...