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
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 53 minutes
- Episodes
- 237
- Years Active
- 2022 - 2025
Bailey Reichelt
Our Space series featuring the leading ladies of Space Law and Space Exploration continues, with Bailey Reichelt, Co-Founder of startup law firm Aegis Space Law and former in-house counsel. Bailey an…
Stacy Horth-Neubert
Today's guest is one of LA Business Journal's Most Influential Women Lawyers for her pro bono work. Stacy Horth-Neubert, former journalist and BigLaw attorney, shares her pro bono journey and her new…
Anna Manasco
Alabama federal district judge Anna Manasco shares her journey from debate champion to appellate litigator and federal judge, and offers tips for young lawyers to grow their skills and gain opportuni…
Rachel Barchie
Rachel Barchie shares her journey from BigLaw attorney to nonprofit and family foundation leader. She offers tips for those interested in transitioning from the practice of law to other arenas, and h…
Monica Palko
Monica Palko, Chief Legal and Administrative Officer of "NewSpace" company York Systems, shares her journey to the top of the space industry. She offers useful advice for corporate lawyers on how to…
Judith Haller
Former California Court of Appeal Justice Judith Haller shares some of her impactful work on statewide commissions on access to justice and judicial ethics. She also talks about her career journey fr…
Cindy Thyer
Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Cindy Thyer shares her path to the law and the bench (through two different trial court appointments by Republican and Democratic governors alike, followed by uncontes…
Maria Moskver
Today's guest is Maria Moskver, the CEO of Cloudvirga. Her experience as a tech GC and CEO demonstrates the many places a law degree and business savvy can take you. In this conversation, she explain…
Rita Gruber
Arkansas Court of Appeals Judge Rita Gruber describes her career on both the trial court and appellate bench and her unexpected path to judicial service. Along the way, she shares some life wisdom an…
Nicole Stott
Nicole Stott, a NASA engineer and astronaut who journeyed into space twice and was a crewmember of the International Space Station, shares her career journey. As a former crew member of the Internati…
Timiebi Aganaba
Timiebi Aganaba is a space lawyer and assistant professor at ASU's School for the Future of Innovation in Society. Her career has taken her around the world, including a stint at Nigeria's brand-new …
Shelli Brunswick
As part of our series on space law and the space ecosystem, this episode features Shelli Brunswick, a former U.S. Air Force officer and former COO of the nonprofit Space Foundation, now CEO and Found…
Anne Marie Seibel
Anne Marie Seibel, Chair of the ABA Section of Litigation and litigation partner at Bradley, shares her path to leadership within the legal sphere. Hosted by MC Sungaila, this episode dives into the …
Judith Clark
Judith Clark is the Presiding Judge of the Riverside Superior Court, one of California's busy and growing trial courts. With host M.C. Sungaila, she shares her path to the bench, offers advice for th…
Best Of The Portia Project: Guest Mottos
In this episode, we get to hear some of the most impactful and profound personal and professional mottos that The Portia Project guests have shared on the show. Whether we can articulate it or not, w…
Best Of The Portia Project: Judges' Top Tips For Oral Argument
Welcome to the best of The Portia Project. This is the second of three episodes that have been curated and focused on particular topics that lawyers might be interested in. In particular, in improvin…
Best Of The Portia Project: Judges' Top Tips On Briefwriting
Many of the judicial guests on the podcast have shared their top tips for briefwriting. This episode compiles many of these tips for those who want to learn. Whether you are preparing for your first …
Kimberly Merrifield
Presiding Judge Kimberly Merrifield of the Butte County Superior Court in California, and a former member of the California Judicial Council and leader of the Trial Court Presiding Judges Association…
Lauren Kleiman
Newport Beach, California City Council Member Lauren Kleiman talks with host M.C. Sungaila about her path to practicing law and the unexpected road to elected office. She also draws the ugly and amaz…
Cheri Pham
Cheri T. Pham, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Orange County Superior Court in California, shares her family's immigrant journey to the United States, her experience as a trial lawyer in both the pu…