Do I want kids? Yes. Should I have kids? I am still not sure. I have been struggling with this question for several years, and it is not just me—more women are either delaying having children or deciding not to have children at all. A 2016 study shows that the average age of first-time mothers in big cities and on the coast has increased; in San Francisco, the average age of first-time mothers is about 32 years old. There are many ways to raise children; there is no one right way. These are just some considerations that I know are important to me in deciding whether or not to have children.  

As we celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage this month, let’s remember to celebrate our own AAPI members, who have paved the path by shattering glass ceilings.

“[W]omen are leaving law firms at what should be the height of their careers,” and “[T]he gender breakdown of summer associates and associates is almost equal, but then changes dramatically at the partner level.” These extraordinary statements in Ian Pisarcik’s “Women Outnumber Men in Law School Classrooms for The Third Year in a Row, but Statistics Don’t Tell the Full Story” invited me on a journey behind the fabled wizard’s curtain. What might be the micro-variables that are contributing to this now well-documented phenomenon?

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.

Our longest serving executive director, Elaine Lawrence, retires tomorrow, April 30, 2021. Elaine has been our “servant leader”, her preferred title, since 2011.  We are deeply grateful for Elaine, who has been the rock of our organization for the last decade. I count it among my blessings that I’ve had the  opportunity to work with her and benefit from the tremendous asset of her leadership during my presidency of Lawyers Club. 

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:

United States Senator Gaylord Nelson created Earth Day on April 22, 1970, when twenty million Americans demonstrated in different U.S. cities to fight for environmental protection. Since 1970, Earth Day has been celebrated to honor our planet and the fight for a clean environment for all. 

During our childhood years we learn about history and may find ourselves wondering what it must have been like to live through the history we have learned, how we may have behaved, and the choices we would have made. While we cannot travel back in time to find the answers, we can be present now and be part of the history that is our shared lived experiences. Our participation is dependent on our choice to engage in the history that future generations will read about. 

Let us reflect on our own freedom to be or not to be a women’s rights activist.

Yesterday, we held our annual Speed Mentoring event virtually once again with a pivot to the Remo platform, instead of via Zoom and phone calls like we did last year. Hard to believe that a year ago Lawyers Club pivoted to a virtual format six days after the State’s COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, without realizing then that we would come back full circle and do it again for a second year. Yet, the difference between last year and this year could not be more clear – this  year, we truly can see the light at the end of the tunnel whereas last year – we were in shock, disbelief, worried, and uncertain.