In honor of Women’s History Month, Archer proposed a series of questions related to the month’s significance to the firm’s female attorneys. The following responses represent the experiences and inspiration of career-driven women in fields of law. Join Archer as we celebrate the words and achievements of past and present female attorneys.
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Do you have an experience in your life that was not career-related but that made you a better or more successful attorney?
Kerri Chewning: “The achievement of which I am most proud came when I was serving as the president of my children’s school PTA. They attended a parochial school, and we were charged with raising $250,000 in six weeks or facing the closure of the school. We raised $275,000 saving the school, for now, hundreds of students and preserving jobs. Although I was able to use my skills as a lawyer to lead that effort, I also learned A LOT in those six weeks about leadership, decisiveness, delegation, diplomacy, humility, and motivation. The lessons I learned during that experience have only helped to improve my work as an attorney.”
Ashley Rotchford: “Working in retail—nothing better prepares you for dealing with clients and opposing counsel quite like working in retail or the service industry.”
Kate Sherlock: “Parenting two children during a pandemic has made me a more effective attorney. Navigating school closures, brokering peace deals between siblings, and managing all the household responsibilities that come along with raising children have improved my time management skills, my negotiation strategies, and my ability to step back and see the big picture. I am more efficient now than I was before having a family.”
Maureen Coghlan: “Becoming a mom made me a better attorney. I am more efficient because I have many important obligations competing for my time. I learned how to break down big goals into incremental achievements. I work harder because I better understand what it means when someone is truly depending on me. I am very lucky to have a job I enjoy and luckier still to go home to a family I love.”
Tara Hanna: “My parents encouraged my siblings and I to participate in community service at all ages. Not only did it help me learn to socialize with new people, but those experiences taught me so much empathy, an invaluable trait as an attorney.”