Women lawyers share their experiences at YSU

February 10, 2017 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

A patent attorney stresses to college students the importance of having people skills.

Christa Brown-Sanford, a partner in the Dallas-based Baker Botts LLP law firm, agreed that law-school students should make learning how to deliver sound arguments and studying for the bar exam top priorities. But having solid interpersonal skills also are used to judge the level of success they will have in the field, she said.

“I can tell immediately if you will be successful at my firm,” said Brown-Sanford, referring to one’s ability to articulate effectively, be personable and possess a positive attitude during an interview.

Brown-Sanford was one of three female lawyers who shared their diverse experiences in the field with about 120 students, staff and others who attended the Sisters in Law panel discussion Thursday afternoon in Youngstown State University’s Kilcawley Center.

Sponsoring the 90-minute gathering, which was a celebration of Black History Month, was YSU’s Africana Studies program. Moderating was Dr. Tiffany Anderson, the program’s director, who also is Brown-Sanford’s sister.

The other panelists were Carla Baldwin, a Mahoning County Juvenile Court magistrate and former county prosecutor; and Dayna R. Terrell of Youngstown, who runs her own online law firm.

The main topics the three women addressed were ways to ensure success in law school, what led them to select their careers, information regarding the hiring process, how their race has impacted them as lawyers and general advice related to the field.

Brown-Sanford recalled having learned the IRAC (issue, rule, application and conclusion) method for reading and reciting cases to her professors, something that also provided a blueprint for delivering oral arguments in a cogent, effective manner. Becoming adept at the technique will allow students “to kill those exams,” she added.

She also cited the Socratic method, which helped her “think like a lawyer,” Brown-Sanford continued. The concept fosters critical thinking by encouraging people to ask and answer questions as a means by which to draw out ideas and underlying presumptions.

Studying in increments and having professors grill her on cases were helpful, said Baldwin, who graduated in 2008 from the Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Mich. To that end, Baldwin said, she cited Hawkins v. McGee, also known as the “Hairy Hand” case, in which a doctor was sued in the 1920s for having performed a botched skin-graft operation on a boy’s hand, causing his palm to grow hair, after the youngster had burned the palm by mishandling an electrical wire.

Terrell added she derived great benefit from study groups, which helped the participants better understand a professor’s teaching style and outlined specific areas of study on which to focus.

When considering a law school and looking for a job, one’s first-year grades often are examined, and it’s vital to take into account a school’s pedigree, meaning that a Harvard Law School graduate likely will face less stiff competition than one who graduates from a less prestigious institution, the panelists explained.

During her early days at Baker Botts, Brown-Sanford struggled with some aspects of her race and gender and worried if she would be accepted. Nevertheless, she learned to cultivate relationships and brought “my authentic self” into the fold, she said.

Terrell recalled a client who didn’t want her to represent him because of her race. She still fought on his behalf, however, and won, which broke down a significant barrier, said Terrell, who specializes mainly in consumer-rights and bankruptcy law.

Passing the bar exam may be tedious, strenuous and highly difficult for most, but budding lawyers would do well to also master certain everyday interactions with others, Baldwin explained.

“Ask for help,” she advised. “Nothing worth obtaining is easy. I’m learning something new every day.”