Aoifinn Devitt: I’m Aoifinn Devitt, and I’m Patrick Devitt.
Fiftyfaces Focus: In case you were wondering, he’s my dad, and he’s the co-host on this series. We are both trained as lawyers, and law was one of my first loves. The 50 Faces podcast, my original series, focused on showcasing diverse faces in the investment world. And given that the legal world contains equally diverse and fascinating figures, but has some of the same challenges as the investment industry. It seemed a natural place to develop a spin-off.
Aoifinn Devitt: In this collection, we speak with 7 fascinating lawyers, including a former Michigan Supreme Court judge, a lawyer focused on accountability for atrocity crimes, and the first transgender person elected to be a trial judge in the United States.
Fiftyfaces Focus: We speak with a pensions lawyer with a lifelong passion for the arts, international finance lawyers who spend time in Russia and Romania, and a former lawyer who is now a university chancellor.
Aoifinn Devitt: We speak to them about what it is they love about the law.
Speaker C: For some of us, the practice of law is a calling. For me, the first calling was to join the Michigan Supreme Court because it had been 20 years since the last person of color got appointed.
Aoifinn Devitt: And about the pace of change in terms of diversity.
Speaker D: There is progress, there is movement, but.
Speaker C: It’S just.
Speaker D: You. —place.
Fiftyfaces Focus: We speak about the high points of their careers.
Speaker E: Now you see affected communities talking about the need for senior leaders to be held accountable.
Fiftyfaces Focus: About their life journeys.
Speaker F: Being honest about who you are, I find to be a lot less emotionally draining than trying to hide it. People treated me better if they did not come into interacting with me thinking this person is trans.
Fiftyfaces Focus: And about the ways of thinking that have shaped them.
Speaker G: I would have to go back to a book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and there was a quote from there. It was something like, you never understand another person until you see things from their viewpoint, until you walk it, get into their skin and walk around in it. And it influences me in negotiations, even something as mundane as negotiating a contract.
Aoifinn Devitt: We examine what it takes to be successful in building a legal practice.
Speaker E: In most cases, the issue is not the talent or the skill set. It is the opportunity. I once had one of my senior partners told me when I first started my practice that 80% of the lawyers can do the work, but only 10% of lawyers can attract the work.
Aoifinn Devitt: I look at wisdom they wish they had known sooner.
Speaker D: Well, certainly what I’d say to my younger self is about believing in yourself. This is a bit of a cliché, but I think women are particularly bad at self-belief. They’re always— and I know I did this— always beating themselves up for not being good enough.
Fiftyfaces Focus: And we’d speak to them about what they are doing now in order to give back.
Speaker C: I pull myself up the ladder or whatever with my left hand. That’s my weakest hand. I use my right hand or right arm to reach behind me and to pull and slingshot ahead of me everybody that I can to cause them to have a better life than me, etc.
Fiftyfaces Focus: So from next week, we will be releasing one podcast from the series every Friday. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe, leave us a comment, and spread the word. We are also on Twitter @50FacesPod. Thank you to Charles Law PLLC for supporting production costs of this series.
Aoifinn Devitt: I’m Aoifinn Devitt, and I’m Patrick Devitt.
Fiftyfaces Focus: In case you were wondering, he’s my dad, and he’s the co-host on this series. We are both trained as lawyers, and law was one of my first loves. The 50 Faces podcast, my original series, focused on showcasing diverse faces in the investment world. And given that the legal world contains equally diverse and fascinating figures, but has some of the same challenges as the investment industry. It seemed a natural place to develop a spin-off.
Aoifinn Devitt: In this collection, we speak with 7 fascinating lawyers, including a former Michigan Supreme Court judge, a lawyer focused on accountability for atrocity crimes, and the first transgender person elected to be a trial judge in the United States.
Fiftyfaces Focus: We speak with a pensions lawyer with a lifelong passion for the arts, international finance lawyers who spend time in Russia and Romania, and a former lawyer who is now a university chancellor.
Aoifinn Devitt: We speak to them about what it is they love about the law.
Speaker C: For some of us, the practice of law is a calling. For me, the first calling was to join the Michigan Supreme Court because it had been 20 years since the last person of color got appointed.
Aoifinn Devitt: And about the pace of change in terms of diversity.
Speaker D: There is progress, there is movement, but.
Speaker C: It’S just.
Speaker D: You. —place.
Fiftyfaces Focus: We speak about the high points of their careers.
Speaker E: Now you see affected communities talking about the need for senior leaders to be held accountable.
Fiftyfaces Focus: About their life journeys.
Speaker F: Being honest about who you are, I find to be a lot less emotionally draining than trying to hide it. People treated me better if they did not come into interacting with me thinking this person is trans.
Fiftyfaces Focus: And about the ways of thinking that have shaped them.
Speaker G: I would have to go back to a book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and there was a quote from there. It was something like, you never understand another person until you see things from their viewpoint, until you walk it, get into their skin and walk around in it. And it influences me in negotiations, even something as mundane as negotiating a contract.
Aoifinn Devitt: We examine what it takes to be successful in building a legal practice.
Speaker E: In most cases, the issue is not the talent or the skill set. It is the opportunity. I once had one of my senior partners told me when I first started my practice that 80% of the lawyers can do the work, but only 10% of lawyers can attract the work.
Aoifinn Devitt: I look at wisdom they wish they had known sooner.
Speaker D: Well, certainly what I’d say to my younger self is about believing in yourself. This is a bit of a cliché, but I think women are particularly bad at self-belief. They’re always— and I know I did this— always beating themselves up for not being good enough.
Fiftyfaces Focus: And we’d speak to them about what they are doing now in order to give back.
Speaker C: I pull myself up the ladder or whatever with my left hand. That’s my weakest hand. I use my right hand or right arm to reach behind me and to pull and slingshot ahead of me everybody that I can to cause them to have a better life than me, etc.
Fiftyfaces Focus: So from next week, we will be releasing one podcast from the series every Friday. Follow us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Please subscribe, leave us a comment, and spread the word. We are also on Twitter @50FacesPod. Thank you to Charles Law PLLC for supporting production costs of this series.
