FBA CLE: What a Way to Make a Living
There are many ways to make a living with a law degree. As a result, the best career advice can’t be one size fits all. “Careers are a jungle gym, not a ladder,” Sheryl Sandberg wrote in Lean In. And Dolly Parton once famously said, “Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.”
These tips are true for all lawyers, but especially for women who more often balance practice with caregiving, career pivots, and other everyday plot twists. Three generations of attorneys will share ways, at every age and stage, to climb this jungle gym—from the long hours of building a practice and your reputation, to the mid-career stretch of proving yourself, to the perspective that comes with finally being the boss. At each stop, our panelists share practical, real-world strategies for checking in with yourself, adjusting course, and getting ready for whatever's next — planned or not. Whether you're just clocking in or you've been climbing for decades, this session offers honest, stage-specific guidance for building a legal career you’re proud of. And can live with.
Panel 1: “Pour Myself a Cup of Ambition”: Setting the Foundation & Climbing (30 min.)
Moderator: Sascha Leidecker, Tulane Law School (3L)
Monette Davis; Stone Pigman (Associate)
Eliza Gottfried; Promise of Justice Initiative (Senior Attorney)
Carly McCleskey, Loyola University College of Law (Westerfield Fellow)
Rachel Naquin, JJC Law (Attorney)
Panel 2: “Blood Starts Pumpin’”: Rising to the Top & Branching Out (30 min.)
Moderator: Chloé Chetta; Barrasso Usdin (Member)
Camille Bryant; Ochsner Health (Assistant General Counsel)
Stephanie Graf Gamble; Sessions Fishman (Partner)
Kathryn Munson; Stanley Reuter Alford Owen Munson & Paul (Managing Partner)
Kathlyn Perez; Perez Law (Founding Member)
Panel 3: “Service & Devotion”: View from the Top & Still Growing (30 min.)
Moderator: Hon. Janis van Meerveld; Chief Magistrate Judge, Eastern District of Louisiana
Judy Y. Barrasso, Barrasso Usdin (Founding Member)
Charline Gipson, City of New Orleans (City Attorney)
Alanah Odoms, ACLU of Louisiana (Executive Director)
Co-sponsored by: New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Association for Women Attorneys (New Orleans), Martinet Society, Tulane Women in Law, and Loyola Women in Law Student Association.
CLE, including 1 hour of Professionalism, has been approved in Louisiana
This CLE is offered at no charge, but advance registration is required.
This CLE is offered in person or by Zoom.
