Judge Nancy Wieben Stock served for over two decades on the Superior Court of California in Orange County. After her lengthy career, she is now serving as a full-time mediator, private judge, and arbitrator for JAMS, Inc. In her chat with host MC Sungaila, Judge Stock shares her journey from the bench to her current role as a private neutral. Tune into their discussion to learn more about Judge Stock’s career.

Judge Rosemary Pooler was passionate about helping people, especially those we call the underdogs. Initially, she planned to make this happen through elected office. But then a friend suggested she consider running for judge because her name was now well known to many, since she had run for other types of elected office. From there, her judicial career started, and she was appointed and elected to different positions in the state and federal judicial systems. Listen to her story and her current role as a Senior United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Justice Briana Zamora shares her journey from the trial court, the court of appeals, and then the New Mexico Supreme Court. She sheds light on different judicial selection processes, provides tips on briefwriting, and discusses the importance of mentorship and a collaborative environment.

Life is a journey, and our choices are a big part of it. Sometimes, we feel there’s something we want to do but just don’t know where to start. Listen to Justice Maria Stratton as she shares her journey in law, wanting to become a trial lawyer, and what made her decide it was a good path for her. In 2022, Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Justice Maria Stratton to be Presiding Justice. She emphasizes that it’s okay not to figure out everything about yourself immediately. You have a lifetime to discover what you want to be. For her, she realized that she wanted to make a difference.

Judge Kimberly "Kate" Anne Knill of the Orange County Superior Court came to the trial court with experience both as an appellate advocate and a research attorney for the Court of Appeal. In this episode, host M.C. Sungaila and Judge Knill take a look back at her path to the bench and her love affair with the law. Judge Knill describes her experience as an advocate and a judge and discusses what inspired her to seek a position on the bench. Tune in for some great insights from an inspiring woman in the law.

M.C. Sungaila sits down with Justice Rhonda K. Wood, an Associate Justice on the Arkansas Supreme Court and co-host of the Lady Justice podcast, to hear her path to the bench in a state where judges are elected, and her legal career in the then-nascent specialty of privacy law in the medical context (HIPPA). She also provides some solid tips on appellate advocacy. For example, Justice Wood suggests that lawyers ask for exactly what kind of relief they want, and provide an alternative outcome in the event the Court cannot reach consensus to grant the primary form of relief you request.

Justice Sarah Beth Landau is the first public defender elected to the First Court of Appeals in Texas. With host M.C. Sungaila she shares insights from her journey, including becoming a judge through an elected process, appellate brief writing, and mentorship.

Diane P. Wood is a Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School. She joins MC Sungaila to share how she went from wanting to be a comparative literature scholar to sitting on the bench. Judge Wood also shares the importance and the value of pro bono work not only for those in need but for lawyers who want to learn while serving and giving back to the community. Tune in to their discussion as Judge Wood offers advice for aspiring law students and lawyers on mentorship, legal writing, and finding the right area of law to pursue.

Justice Joan K. Irion of the California Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One, shares how her seemingly unconventional background and experience in tax law led to her appointment to the bench. Justice Irion emphasizes the value of having mentors and sponsors to ask for guidance from as you figure out your niche in the profession. Tune in as she shares practical tips you can use in court and more advice on building a career in law.

Justice Debra H. Lehrmann is a senior Justice on the Supreme Court of Texas and the Court’s longest-serving woman justice in Texas history. She joins MC Sungaila to share her journey to the Supreme Court, and to provide some appellate advocacy tips and insights for those appearing before Texas' highest court.

As part of a Girls Inc. Of Orange County "Girls Meet the Workforce" job readiness and Externship program, 100 11th grade girls from Orange County gathered at Santa Ana College for a live recording of the Portia Project® podcast, which featured prominent female lawyers and judges from Southern California.

This live event featured previous podcast guests and was tailored for Girls Inc. of Orange County attendees. In addition to podcast host M.C. Sungaila, panelists included Justices Eileen Moore and Joanne Motoike of the California Court of Appeal; Judge Kimberly Knill of the Orange County Superior Court; Orange County Senior Assistant Public Defender Tracy LeSage; and Loyola Law School professor, Rebecca Delfino.

Girls Inc. of Orange County has been a respected member of the non-profit community since 1954. The mission of Girls Inc. is to inspire all girls to be strong, smart, and bold. We put our mission into practice through the Girls Inc. experience that equips girls to navigate gender, economic, and social barriers and grow into healthy, educated, and independent adults. Health, education, and independence are the three main areas that surround its program curricula.

Today’s guest is Chief Justice Bridget Mary McCormack of the Michigan Supreme Court, one of the cohosts of the Lady Justice podcast. She sits down with M.C. Sungaila to talk about how being Chief Justice has helped her impact the legal system. Chief Justice McCormack shares her work prior to the bench as a criminal defender, and as a law professor and dean of clinical education, including in innocence clinics seeking to exonerate the wrongly convicted. She also gives advice for law students on their careers, and for lawyers on advocacy, and describes one of the most rewarding parts of her role as Chief Justice- the opportunity to provide administrative oversight to the court system.

In today’s episode, California Fourth District Court of Appeal Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell shares her journey from the trial bench to administrative presiding justice of the Court of Appeal, and the difference she has made for women and girls and access to justice both before and after joining the bench, including as founder and president of the Lawyers Club of San Diego and the National Association of Women Judges.

Judge Nicole Bershon was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2013 by Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. Prior to becoming a judge, she served as a court commissioner and even an inspector general just to name a few of her varied roles in law during her practice. In this episode, she chats with MC Sungaila to share the twists and turns of her journey to the bench, from commissioner to superior court judge, and the supportive community of mentors that helped her along the way. Learn more about her journey by tuning in.

MC Sungaila welcomes the Honorable Christine Byrd of the Los Angeles Superior Court, whose path to the family law bench included serving as a federal prosecutor and BigLaw partner. She offers valuable career advice -- including making sure you are paid commensurate with the value you bring to the law firm you work at -- and how women's career paths often involve multiple lateral moves in order to gain promotions and experience.

MC Sungaila is joined by the Honorable Anna Blackburne-Rigsby, Chief Judge of the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Chief Judge Blackburne-Rigsby shares her journey as a Black woman lawyer and the advocacy and inspiration that spurred her towards a place on the bench. She describes the influence of her mother (now a retired judge), and that of her peers and mentors, and how she is in turn helping to inspire and train the next generation of lawyers.

Justice Lee Smalley Edmon is the Presiding Justice of the Second District, Division Three of the California Courts of Appeal. She previously served as a judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court from 2000 to 2015, and was that court's first female presiding judge from 2011 to 2012. Before joining the bench, she practiced civil litigation at Adams, Duque & Hazeltine and Dewey Ballentine, and served in leadership positions in numerous bar associations and legal nonprofit boards, including as President of the Los Angeles County Bar Association.

Host M.C. Sungaila sits down with Jane Bland, a Justice on the Texas Supreme Court. Learn how Justice Bland got into law and moved from BigLaw practice to the bench. Discover what it takes to be elected to the bench, and serve the community in a myriad of ways. (And for you litigators, hear some tips on succeeding as an advocate in court.)

Arizona trial court Judge Danielle Viola joins M.C. Sungaila to discuss how her policy work with the Arizona state government and law practice at the venerable Phoenix-based firm Snell & Wilmer collectively inform her approach to problem solving and decision making on the bench. She also provides some solid advice for litigators in the trial court.

Therese M. Stewart, Associate Justice of the California First District Court of Appeal, Division Two, chats with MC Sungaila about moving from a high-profile advocacy career to the bench, efforts to diversify the courts, and collaborating with her judicial colleagues. She provides an in-depth exploration of her work prior to the bench in the area of LGBT rights, both in private practice and at the City Attorney's Office. Tune in for and enlightening and inspiring with valuable insights you can use in your practice.