https://www.lawyersclubsandiego.com/
We are no longer accepting submissions, however, Blog Archives can be accessed below. The opinions expressed in entries in the LC Blog are those of the author, not of Lawyers Club of San Diego.
During three grueling years of law school and about $160,000 in student loans later, no one taught the art of salary negotiations or even mentioned that it would be a skill essential to my career. So as a second-year associate in a large San Diego law firm, I had no idea that I could, or more importantly, should, ask for a raise. In fact, a few of my female colleagues told me that asking for a raise was not worth it.
The news this week has been dominated by Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the team competition in the “2020” Tokyo Olympics. I admit, my initial reaction was one of disappointment. After all, she is the GOAT, and I was excited to see her compete and win a gold medal for our country.
After I had time to reflect, however, I realized that the pressure placed on Biles as a single member of an incredibly talented team was untenable, unfair, and in fact diminished the talent and contributions of the rest of the team. The entire country—if not the entire world—looked to Biles, and Biles alone, to secure the gold medal. In doing so, we bought into the paradigm that team USA could not win without Biles. But that was not the reality. As Biles courageously made the decision to withdraw to protect both her mental and physical health, Biles’ teammate, Sunisa Lee, won gold in the individual all-around competition.
During the early morning hours of June 28, 1968, New York City police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in Greenwich Village in New York City. Officers forced customers and workers into police vehicles. Rather than dispersing the crowd as had occurred during past raids, those remaining starting cheering and the crowd mushroomed. According to several accounts, a clubgoer shouted at onlookers, “Why don’t you guys do something!” And they did. The Stonewall Riots, also called the Stonewall Uprising, sparked six days of protests and clashes with police officers. Leaders among this crowd included prominent trans women such as Marsha P. Johnson and Sylvia Rivera. The Stonewall Riots served as a catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and around the world.
As I embark on the biggest leadership role of my career, I have been reflecting upon how I got here. Largely, I listened and followed the advice and counsel of numerous people who encouraged me along the way. Their advice included to join Lawyers Club of San Diego in order to gain leadership skills, volunteer my time to a mission about which I was passionate, and step outside my comfort zone. Those people—whether they know it or not—are my mentors, and I am grateful for their advice and encouragement.
As your president, I have been deeply honored and humbled for the privilege to share messages with you since July 1, 2020 in a year like no other for each of us and for Lawyers Club. Together we have lived through a global pandemic and also witnessed an increase in awareness of the inequities for women and people of color to heights not seen for decades. And we saw women continue to shatter glass ceilings when the first woman—a woman of color became Vice President of the United States.
Wealth management for female lawyers will have specific challenges in 2021. With the help of a financial planner, understand the impact that the coronavirus pandemic had on finances in 2020.
In recent years we have heard “DEI”, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion”, “allyship” “ally” etc., by a growing number of organizations including courts and law firms. And while we have seen this growing awareness, progress continues to be slow both for women and people of color, and at times just lip service.
As we celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander history this month, let’s celebrate the first female Asian American who became a lawyer in the United States in June of 1937: Elizabeth Kuma Ohi. A Japanese American and Chicago native, Ohi was born on February 9, 1911. She graduated valedictorian from Pullman Free School of Manual Training and attended local universities in Chicago. She earned her law degree from John Marshall Law School, where she graduated first out of a class of 41 students.
It’s April - a great time to spend a little time taking care of you and your financial health. This is the perfect time to make sure you are on track with investing for the year. Here are some guideposts to help you chart your course for the year:
