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
Patricia Millett
Renowned Supreme Court and appellate advocate Patricia Millett, now Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, joins MC Sungaila to share her journey to the ben…
Jeanniey Walden
Women lawyers can learn from high-achieving women in a range of industries. Today, Jeanniey Walden, former CMO of DailyPay, and now CEO of LiftOff Enterprises and host of the national daytime TV show…
Cheryl Tobin
As the first General Counsel of M Financial Group, Cheryl Tobin oversees all legal, corporate compliance and corporate governance matters for the company. She is also responsible for strengthening M’…
Amy Lyn Blake
Massachusetts Appeals Court Justice Amy Lyn Blake shares her journey from law practice to the trial and appellate bench. With host MC Sungaila, Justice Blake has a lively discussion about what it tak…
Ashley Herd
Ashley Herd has had a deep and wide legal career, including in-house counsel at leading companies like Yum! Brands (including Taco Bell) around the world to founding her own company Manager Method, w…
Laurie McKinnon
Montana Supreme Court Justice Laurie McKinnon shares her journey from prosecutor in Baltimore, Maryland, to Deputy County Attorney in Glacier and Teton Counties in Montana, and to her election to the…
Laurie D. Zelon
Laurie D. Zelon, former Associate Justice on the California Court of Appeal, now at Judicate West, shares her journey in the law, including the significant role that mentorship played in her developm…
Bernice B. Donald
Trailblazing Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Bernice B. Donald has had a multifaceted judicial career. She sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her time on the federal appellate bench, and…
Martha L. Walters
Oregon Supreme Court Chief Justice Martha Lee Walters shares her path to the bench with host MC Sungaila, including founding her own women-owned law firm that was involved with some of the most high …
Raquel Montoya-Lewis
Washington Supreme Court Justice Raquel Montoya-Lewis shares her trailblazing journey to the highest court of her state. In conversation with host MC Sungaila, she shares her experience serving as a …
Sheryl Gordon McCloud
With host MC Sungaila, Washington Supreme Court Justice Sheryl Gordon McCloud discusses campaigning for judicial election, and how her experience as a public defender and appellate lawyer prepared he…
Susan M. Carney
Justice Susan M. Carney of the Alaska Supreme Court sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her road to Alaska, and to the bench. A post-law school clerkship with Alaska Supreme Court Justice Just…
Alison R. Nelson
Alison R. Nelson served as inhouse counsel at Ford Motor Company and most recently as the company's inaugural Director of DEI Strategies & Inclusion. She discusses with host MC Sungaila the importanc…
Melody J. Stewart
Justice Melody Stewart is the first Black woman elected to serve on the Ohio Supreme Court. She shares her varied work experience (including academia) and her path to the bench, as well as some advic…
Kathleen E. O'Leary
Justice Kathleen E. O'Leary is the first female Presiding Justice of the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three. Prior to her appointment to the Court of Appeal, she al…
Helen Whitener
Justice G. Helen Whitener of the Washington Supreme Court is a trailblazer: the first Black woman to serve on the Washington Supreme Court, the fourth immigrant-born Justice, and the first Black LGBT…
Legal Design: Tessa Manuello, Astrid Kohlmeier, Sarah Ouis
Legal design is the application of human-centered design to law, making legal systems and services more accessible, usable, and satisfying. Today, we are joined by fantastic legal design leaders Tess…
Mary Jane Theis
Illinois Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis joins host MC Sungaila to talk about the impact of the pandemic on the judicial system and the use of technology and the need to enhance access to the court sys…
Elizabeth T. Clement
Justice Elizabeth T. Clement, the new Chief Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, sits down with host MC Sungaila to discuss her wide-ranging legal career, from family law to Chief Legal Counsel in …
Elissa F. Cadish
Justice Elissa F. Cadish, a member of the first-ever female majority on the Nevada Supreme Court, shares her path to the bench, including a federal judicial clerkship that brought her to the state, p…