I'm an attorney and a mother. Not in that order. I love fashion but lament the fact that all of the chicest (is that a word?) looks on runways and blogs could never be worn at a law firm. Three law school friends and I started an Instagram account to highlight working women's fashion.
Check us out:
@attorneysonfleek
Business casual creativity! And funny captions, too. ("Legalize tweed." Is that not genius? Full credit to my hilarious friend on that one.)
I have a one-year-old daughter. Every single human being on this earth grew in a woman's womb, so you'd think birth would be the most ordinary and pedestrian thing we could experience. But it's not -- it's probably the singular most amazing and miraculous part of humanity. That said, working moms (and non-working moms!) need the chance to honor the birth experience, and recover from it, and spend time with their newborns. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for a mother who birthed you! Can we give a little love to the concept of extended, paid maternity leave? The United States is woefully behind in this regard.
I suffered a loss this month -- a miscarriage at 10 weeks' pregnant. It made me even more grateful for my precious daughter. Many women don't talk openly about miscarriage because early pregnancies are often kept secret. Let's change this. You'd understand if I said my aunt died. I wish we could all speak freely about this type of loss, too.
I went to the OBGYN for post-miscarriage care and she asked me what I did for a living. I told her I work in civil and criminal defense at a BigLaw firm in Manhattan. She asked me if I represented people like OJ. No, I said. No murderers. Just fraudsters. But everyone needs a lawyer.
With gratitude,
Noodle
(I've always been known as Noodle.)
[email protected]
Denville, NJ / New York, NY
PS - I'm working on a startup with a friend. Think big data + legal analytics + real-time updates = meaningful insight for investors and stockholders of companies embroiled in litigation. My husband works at a startup, too, and he is the shit. So although I already have great advice from the love of my life, I'd appreciate any tips you folks want to send my way, too. We need help getting it off the ground.