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The Portia Project - Podcast

The Portia Project

The Portia Project™ Podcast seeks to inspire the next generation of women lawyers and law students by sharing the stories of high achieving women in the law – their paths to the bench, the bar, and beyond. Their personal histories, spanning the 1960’s to today, chronicle women’s progress in the legal profession and business world, and serve as powerful reminders that there are many individual paths to success.

As master storyteller Bobette Buster puts it: “Stories, told well and acted upon by one generation, ignite the next generation to greatness; because they have heard with their own ears, and seen with their own eyes, what courage can achieve.”

Guests stepping into the spotlight to share their career stories include federal judges, state supreme court justices, and state trial judges from across the country, as well as leading trial lawyers, general counsel, law professors, business and nonprofit executives, and founders. They provide tips on effective lawyering and reveal the array of meaningful careers possible with a law degree, in a format that is a far cry from formal judicial or lawyer profiles in traditional legal publications – one that brings out the interviewees’ human side and lets their personality shine through.


By listening to the lives of these lawyers and judges, you will gain a clearer idea of how they built their careers and may be inspired to follow in their footsteps. Who knows, maybe the next woman to revolutionize law, business, or the judiciary will be you!


Hosting the podcast is M.C. Sungaila, a practicing lawyer for more than 30 years, who has consistently been named one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California by the legal newspaper The Daily Journal. She focuses on civil appeals, writs, and related trial strategy and consulting. M.C. received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her combined professional achievements in humanitarian and pro bono work. She shares this recognition with seven U.S. Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, artists, and industry leaders who made a significant contribution to humanity.


M.C. invites amazing judges and lawyers to the podcast to share their valuable, inspiring legal advice. With each guest, you receive the best of both worlds: tips to improve your law practice and insights to enhance your career trajectory.


Join M.C. Sungaila in this meaningful journey to elevate your legal career and forge the path to becoming the lawyer of your dreams.


Listen to The Portia Project™ Podcast today at theportiaprojectpodcast.com

Business Education Self-Improvement Careers Documentary Society & Culture
Update frequency
every 7 days
Average duration
53 minutes
Episodes
237
Years Active
2022 - 2025
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E36 | Judith McConnell

E36 | Judith McConnell

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 Cou…

00:56:34  |   Mon 25 Jul 2022
Leigh Ferrin

Leigh Ferrin

Many people lack access to, or funds for, a lawyer. This makes public interest work an essential part of our legal system. M.C. Sungaila delves into the public interest space with Leigh Ferrin, the D…

00:35:50  |   Thu 21 Jul 2022
Nicole Bershon

Nicole Bershon

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 genera…

00:52:23  |   Mon 18 Jul 2022
Nicole Clark, Dorna Moini, Jacqui Schafer

Nicole Clark, Dorna Moini, Jacqui Schafer

In this episode, M.C. Sungaila interviews an esteemed panel of female legal tech founders: Nicole Clark of Trellis Research, Inc., Dorna Moini of Documate, and Jacqueline Schafer of Clearbrief. They …

01:19:58  |   Thu 14 Jul 2022
Christine Byrd

Christine Byrd

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 valuabl…

00:51:30  |   Mon 11 Jul 2022
Anna Blackburne-Rigsby

Anna Blackburne-Rigsby

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 t…

00:59:48  |   Thu 07 Jul 2022
Jennifer Friend

Jennifer Friend

M.C. Sungaila sits down with former law firm partner and litigator Jennifer Friend, now CEO of Project Hope Alliance. Jennifer shares her experience of homelessness and how that led her to law school…

01:20:40  |   Mon 04 Jul 2022
Lee Smalley Edmon

Lee Smalley Edmon

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…

00:55:51  |   Thu 30 Jun 2022
Tracy LeSage

Tracy LeSage

Senior Assistant Orange County Public Defender, Tracy LeSage, talks to M.C. Sungaila about her experience defending those accused of crimes, from misdemeanors to serious felonies. She provides insigh…

00:43:04  |   Mon 27 Jun 2022
Rebecca A. Delfino

Rebecca A. Delfino

We’re in for a treat as MC Sungaila dabbles a little bit more into legal academia as a career option for lawyers and law students. Joining her is Professor Rebecca A. Delfino of the Loyola Law School

00:58:41  |   Thu 23 Jun 2022
Jane Bland

Jane Bland

Our guest today is 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 benc…

00:56:02  |   Mon 20 Jun 2022
Lyrissa Lidsky

Lyrissa Lidsky

Host M.C. Sungaila sits down with Lyrissa Lidsky, Dean of the University of Missouri School of Law. Lyrissa discusses her passion for teaching and her career journey from a small town in Texas to lea…

01:05:14  |   Thu 16 Jun 2022
Harmeet K. Dhillon

Harmeet K. Dhillon

Harmeet Dhillon, the founder of Dhillon Law Group and the Center for American Liberty, is a nationally recognized lawyer, trusted boardroom advisor, and passionate advocate for individual, corporate …

01:05:39  |   Mon 13 Jun 2022
Danielle J. Viola

Danielle J. Viola

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 colle…

00:54:11  |   Thu 09 Jun 2022
Sheila Murphy

Sheila Murphy

 M.C. Sungaila discusses the ins and outs of improving and developing your business development skills with Sheila Murphy, a former Senior Legal Officer for a Fortune 50 company and current President…

01:00:33  |   Mon 06 Jun 2022
Katrina Foley

Katrina Foley

Join MC Sungaila as she talks to attorney and member of the Orange County, California Board of Supervisors Katrina Foley about becoming a community leader. Prior to her election to the Board of Super…

00:54:30  |   Thu 02 Jun 2022
Lisa K. Lang

Lisa K. Lang

Lisa Lang describes her journey from serving in the military as a paralegal to becoming general counsel at Kentucky State University, a public historically black land-grant university. She also descr…

00:42:51  |   Mon 30 May 2022
Antoinette Naddour

Antoinette Naddour

Antoinette Balta, Executive Director and Co-Founder of the legal nonprofit Veterans Legal Institute®, discusses her nonprofit career, how her military experience and her immigrant family impacted the…

00:42:18  |   Mon 23 May 2022
Michelle Hanlon

Michelle Hanlon

Michelle Hanlon is a maven of all things involving space law. She is Co-Director of the Center for Air and Space Law at Ole Miss and an instructor of aviation and space law. She is also a co-founder …

00:41:31  |   Mon 16 May 2022
Patricia Hunt Holmes

Patricia Hunt Holmes

Legal thriller author Patricia Hunt Holmes spent 30 years as a public finance attorney with a large international law firm specializing in nonprofit healthcare finance and rural electric cooperative …

00:57:29  |   Mon 09 May 2022
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