This article was originally published in the July/Aug 2021 issue of San Diego Lawyer Magazine.
By Vaani Chawla
As I watched the 2021 State of the Union Address, I marveled at the sight of not one, but two women seated behind President Biden. “Madame Speaker” and “Madame Vice President,” he announced. Conscious of the historic moment, a tingle ran down my spine. While Kamala Harris’ ascent to the vice presidency spurred renewed hope in women leaders at the national level, San Diego women (1) have also been breaking new ground and taking charge of government and private organizations.
At the municipal level, Mara Elliot leads the City Attorney’s office. Elliot started by representing schools, the transit district, the County, and the City. She ran for City Attorney in 2016, spending months meeting with people from every corner of San Diego, answering questions, and earning their trust. Despite her popularity, her own political party endorsed her male opponents. Steadfast and resolute, Elliot persisted. She won and became the first Latina and woman City Attorney.
At the county level, Summer Stephan leads the District Attorney’s office. After working at the DA’s office for decades, she was chosen to lead as District Attorney. In a San Diego Magazine article, (2) Stephan described compassion as her motivation for often difficult work.She said she spent years “looking in the eyes of pain, looking at people who have lost so much.” Stephan expressed a deep sense of empathy and a desire to support victims.
Presiding Judge Lorna Alksne gave birth to two children while pursuing her law degree. After practicing law for a few years, she took time to juggle child care with volunteering as a judge pro tem. Judge Alksne became Court Commissioner and was later appointed to the Superior Court bench. Recognized for her expertise in a broad variety of trials, Judge Alksne’s peers elected her to serve as Presiding Judge. In a San Diego Union-Tribune article, Judge Alskne said she hoped that one day, “having a woman presiding judge will no longer be news.”(3)
The private sector has its own stars. This year, Klinedinst PC selected Heather Rosing as the firm’s CEO and President. Rosing developed her reputation as a legal malpractice defense expert, and she became a well-recognized leader in the legal community. In an SDCBA podcast, Rosing advised budding women lawyers to build a client base through genuine relationships. She said, “Combine that relationship with competency and skill … and you will have a big book of business at the end of the day.”(4)
Women like Janice Brown find their path through entrepreneurship. After a federal judge encouraged her to explore different avenues for professional growth, she created her own law firm, Brown Law Group. (5) Brown also created a business development system, called “Beyond Law,” modeled on the methods she used to grow her own practice. In a San Diego Business Journal article, (6) Brown stressed that the key to business development is authenticity. It becomes “magnetic,” she said, “because you’re comfortable in your own skin.”
San Diego women are also leading legislators. Dr. Shirley Weber, the daughter of Arkansas sharecroppers, is the first Black woman to serve as California Secretary of State. Tony Atkins, the daughter of a seamstress and a miner, is the first woman and openly LGBTQ person to lead the California State Senate.
Of course, the triumphs of today’s women would not have been possible without those who blazed the trail. Decades ago, Justice Judith McConnell, (7) Congresswoman Lynn Schenk, (8) and others took the first steps. These women destroyed institutional barriers and in 1972 founded Lawyers Club of San Diego. They opened doors so women could practice law the way we do today, each in our own unique and authentic way.
Watching the State of the Union, I noticed that the Vice President and Speaker of the House were both women from California. Like them, San Diego women have not been idle. They have been busy smashing one glass ceiling after another. I would not be surprised if someday, one of our own becomes the third woman on the television screen standing at the podium, delivering the State of the Union. When that day comes, I will be there to cheer her on.
Footnotes
(1) There are many more successful San Diego women lawyers and legislators whose achievements are deserving of attention. This article discusses just a few examples.
(2) Glenny, Erin Meanley. “Summer Stephan on Justice, Motherhood, and Not Taking Shortcuts.” San Diego Magazine, 10 Jan. 2020, www.sandiegomagazine.com/people/summer-stephan-on-justice-motherhood-and-not-taking-shortcuts/article_08307fde-a914-52f8-9b0f-607f3ce1e615.html.
(3) Repard, Pauline. “Presiding Judge of San Diego Superior Court in 2020 Eyes Challenges in New Tech, Laws.” The San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Dec. 2019, www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2019-12-27/presiding-judge-of-san-diego-court-eyes-challenges-in-new-tech-laws.
(4) Linares, Adriana. “Time to Meet & Confer! (E4) Women Leading in San Diego Law from SDCBA’s Meet and Confer: Podcast Episode on Podbay.” Podbay, 22 Nov. 2019, podbay.fm/p/sdcbas-meet-and-confer/e/1574412960.
(5) Brown Law Group merged with Meyers Nave in October 2020.
(6) Rocha, Natallie. “Encouragement Changes Lives.” San Diego Business Journal, 31 Jan. 2021, www.sdbj.com/news/2021/jan/31/encouragement-changes-lives.
(7) Justice McConnell is currently Administrative Presiding Justice of the 4th District Court of Appeals. She is a founding mother of Lawyers Club of San Diego, and she was the first woman to serve as Presiding Judge of the Superior Court of San Diego.
(8) Congresswoman Lynn Schenk served in the 103rd Congress. She is a founding mother of Lawyers Club of San Diego, and she was the first woman Secretary of the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency.