ISBA Stories
Iowa law school students from the University of Iowa College of Law conducted interviews with Iowa State Bar Association members. Below is an archive of the interviews.
| A judicial resume Interviewee: Justice David May Interviewer: Sam Reynoldson For lawyers—especially those who wish to serve in the judiciary—Justice David May offers two points of career advice: “reverse engineering” and “eating the elephant slowly." |
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| Never stop learning, never stop making connections Interviewee: Hon. Anita Shodeen Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Despite now having much experience in bankruptcy law, Judge Anita Shodeen was eventually asked to speak on the subject at a Continuing Legal Education course. |
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| Finding opportunities in a law degree Interviewee: Anjela Shutts Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Anjela Shutts reflects on mentorship during law school and all the opportunities lawyers have the privilege to take advantage of. |
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| Combatting sexism in the legal field Interviewee: Hon. Constance Cohen Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Judge Constance Cohen met a sexist remark with humor to diffuse the discomfort. |
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| The first woman to serve as 5th Judicial District Court Judge in Iowa reflects on the hurdles in her career Interviewee: Hon. Donna Paulsen Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa At a time when most women were nurses, teachers, and waitresses, Judge Donna Paulsen was determined to break into the male-dominated legal field and make history. |
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| Be uncomfortable Interviewee: Hon. Elisabeth Reynoldson Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Judge Elisabeth Reynoldson notes that law students and lawyers tend to be risk-averse, but she wishes someone would have told her to take the twists and turns and not fear the unknown. |
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| Landing a dream job doesn't need to be planned while in law school Interviewee: Hon. Eliza Ovrom Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa With only two female judges to look up to in the state of Iowa, Judge Eliza Ovrom decided to pursue her position on the bench, anyway. |
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| Reputation is everything Interviewee: Emily Chafa Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa After a jury trial success, Judge Emily Chafa developed a lasting relationship with the trial's judge and was awarded a promotion within her office. |
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| You can't plan things out Interviewee: Past Chief Justice Marsha Ternus Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Chief Justice Marsha Ternus' path to the bench teaches us to be flexible and not feel the need to stick to a rigid plan. |
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| Don't shut any doors Interviewee: Hon. Karen Romano Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa From labor lawyer to the bench, Judge Karen Romano emphasizes the importance of seizing opportunities that come your way and having a mentor. |
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| Do it your way and do it with grace Interviewee: Lorraine May Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Throughout her career, Lorraine May had professional relationships that took her from one position to another and supported her when her life got crazy. |
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| I'm not a secretary, I'm a lawyer Interviewee: Roxanne Conlin Interviewer: Isabella Siragusa Roxanne Conlin recalls sexism in the courtroom and makes it clear that there is still discrimination against female lawyers despite the increase in the number of female lawyers. |
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| Free LGBTQ+ law clinic Interviewee: Breanna Young Interviewer: Chloe Mayfield Breanna Young discusses how she utilized her skills as a lawyer to help LGBTQ+, mostly trans and non-binary people, and how rewarding the experience was. |
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| Unexpected careers Interviewee: Chris Moon Interviewer: Amal Eltayib Chris Moon shares her unforeseen career switch from law to teaching, detailing the scary steps she took along the way. |
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| The 2nd Black female judge in Iowa reflects on her journey to the bench Interviewee: Hon. Ashley Stewart Interviewer: Amal Eltayib In the struggle of becoming a black judge, Judge Ashley Stewart looked towards Judge Romonda Belcher as a mentor. |
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| No, the baby didn’t become a lawyer…I know you were wondering. Interviewee: Hon. Monica Ackley Interviewer: Lizzie Carrell Thirty years ago, Judge Monica Ackley did something that no other attorney at her law firm had ever done before: give birth. There was no policy on maternity leave, so she birthed that too. |
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| An erosion in respect for the rule of law Interviewee: Hon. Sean McPartland Interviewer: Hannah Wenger Senior Judge Sean McPartland shares his thoughts on changes he's seen in judicial administration through his time on the bench. |
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| Adversarial, not ugly Interviewee: Paul Morf Interviewer: Lizzie Carrell Paul Morf is proud to be a second generation Iowa attorney. |
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| Never stop dreaming Interviewee: Melvin O. Shaw Interviewer: Amal Eltayib Stemming from the support of his mother, Melvin O. Shaw never stopped dreaming in his law career. |
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| Trusting her gut Interviewee: Melissa Norman Interviewer: Hannah Wenger Balancing the advice of senior lawyers can be difficult when their advice pushes a new lawyer down wildly different directions; however, by trusting her gut, Melissa Norman got the best result for her client and her career. |
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| My first class at Iowa Law School Interviewee: Pat Bauer Interviewer: Hannah Wenger First-time professors might not have all the answers to student questions--luckily, Pat Bauer had a mentor, Professor Callahan, who helped him guide his students to the right answers. |
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| Baby Moses Bill and motion sickness Interviewee: Tré Critelli Interviewer: Chloe Mayfield Tré Critelli discusses how he gained interest in Iowa policy related to the Baby Moses bill after experiencing motion sickness. |
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| A different type of theatre Interviewee: Vaneza Taylor-Vazquez Interviewer: Chloe Mayfield Vaneza Taylor-Vazquez discusses her realization of the connection between her love of theatre and being a lawyer, explaining how exactly she decided becoming a lawyer was her passion. |
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| Lawyering authentically Interviewee: AJ Skogerson Interviewer: Bryce Trainer AJ Skogerson who is has been practicing law for 21 years, shares why she wishes someone had told her it’s okay to practice authentically. |
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