Sonya Palmer:
At LawHer, I ask guests to get vulnerable every week, so it is only right that I do the same. I am Sonya Palmer, host and COO at Rankings.io. Together, we help you secure your rightful place at the top.
This spring, I gave my first ever talk on a stage to a roomful of powerhouse women attorneys in Punta Mita, Mexico. I was nervous. I practiced more times than I would care to admit. But I did it anyway. And let me tell you, I’m so glad that I did. It was an honor to speak at the Women in Trial Travel Summit and even more powerful to reflect on what we’ve learned from the guests on LawHer. So today I would like to share that talk with you. Welcome to the Season 3 finale, a reflection of the lessons, voices, and power that have shaped this very season. And maybe a little reminder that stepping into something new, even nervously, is worth it. But don’t worry, we’re not going anywhere. LawHer is just shifting to summer hours. We’ll be back every other week with more conversations that move, inspire, and ignite something in you. So subscribe wherever you’re listening so you never miss an episode. And if you have a story that you think belongs in Season 4, please come find us on social media. We would love to hear from you.
Hi, good morning. So I would like to start with two numbers, 56% and 28%. Fifty-six percent is the number of law students who are women and 28% of law firm partners are women. And then remember, only 5% of associates will ever make partner. So to visualize that differently, let’s imagine that there are a hundred associates in this room. If nothing changes, five associates will make partner, but just one of them will be a woman. I have practiced this a dozen times. That stat still makes me angry. Because don’t tell me the pipeline is broken. The pipeline is full. Let’s be honest, the legal profession isn’t struggling to attract women. It’s struggling to elevate them. And that gap between 56 and 28 is no accident. It is a byproduct of a system that for decades has followed structures designed by and for men. But as we enter a new era, one being shaped by a formidable wave of women, we need an approach that’s more than reactionary.
We need something deliberate. So let’s talk about that gap. Historically, the legal profession was structured around a very specific and very narrow idea of what a successful lawyer looks like. Make late-night dinners, weekend golf outings, 60-plus hour work weeks, and somebody else at home thinking about family responsibilities. Fast-forward and you can see how that system naturally excludes many women and honestly anyone who doesn’t fit that archetype. So what are some things contributing to this? Billable hour premiums, that relentless chase for hours that disproportionately impacts those with caregiving responsibilities, who are still largely women. Informal power networks. So many partnership decisions are made over steak dinners or on the golf course. If you’re not in, you’re out. And linear career timelines. Firms often tie partnership potential to a period overlapping prime childbearing years, penalizing those who step away for maternity leave or part-time schedules. And we’re all familiar with this, but that data tells a more complete story.
Remember when I said one in 100? And I’m not calling out malicious intent. I’m really not. These structures evolved organically, but if they no longer serve the majority of the talent pool, maybe it’s time to rethink and redesign them. And that’s exactly what the women I’ve interviewed on LawHer have been doing very intentionally, very deliberately. Over the past three seasons of the LawHer podcast, we have reached over 60,000 downloads, and I have had the privilege of interviewing some of the boldest and brightest women attorneys in the field. I’m also the COO at Rankings, where I get a front row seat at the hyper growth in the legal industry. And LawHer was created to shine a light on the women at the front of that. But this podcast is for anyone who believes that the future of law should look radically different than its past. And that’s why I’m here to share the concept of deliberate justice.
As Elise and I prepared for this, it was really important to me that I would share what I’ve learned from these women. So what you’ll hear today isn’t some theoretical game plan I concocted in a vacuum. It’s a blueprint forged by their, your, very real world experience, advice from women who have faced the barriers, broken them, and built something better in its place. Deliberate justice is four strategic pathways. Across the dozens of stories, experiences, and powerful aha moments, four recurring pathways emerge that accelerate leadership and create lasting change. Number one, deliberate network building, two, deliberate brand development, three, deliberate business development, and four, deliberate leadership.
Deliberate Network Building – Strategic network building for women lawyers—how to forge powerful communities and find mentors who match your ambition.
Sonya Palmer:
Let’s start with network building. Traditional advice says get out there and make those connections. Love to connect on LinkedIn. But the high-achieving women I’ve interviewed don’t just collect random business cards. They’re engineering networks to meet specific goals. Carson Bayer Gillespie and Melissa Moore started The League after noticing a lack of spaces where women in the legal industry could meaningfully connect. They didn’t wait for an existing circle to welcome them. They built a new one. Diandra Debrosse Zimmerman forged relationships with mentors who opened doors to complex litigation. She didn’t wait for an invitation. She sought out the people whose expertise matched her ambitions. And Amy Griggs praises the Women Trial Lawyers Network that she relies on for sharing resources, strategy and moral support. They’re not about superficial networking events. They’re about actual empowerment. Ask which relationships matter for your next steps. Strategic networking means identifying the people, community or organizations that can genuinely move you forward, and be unafraid to create new spaces if they don’t already exist.
Deliberate Brand Development – Building a powerful personal brand as a woman in law to claim authority, visibility, and influence in your practice area.
Sonya Palmer:
Brand development. Your brand is either actively crafted or passively assigned. Pick one. And the women I’ve interviewed understood this implicitly. Jen Gore tells aspiring attorneys to voice what they want unapologetically. I want that promotion. I want to lead this team. I want to build a PI practice. By declaring those ambitions, she shapes her brand rather than letting others define it. Shermin Lakha zeroed in on communities whose legal needs matched her expertise in trademark law. Her narrow focus amplifies as her influence. Meanwhile, Paige Sparks demystifies legal processes in her videos, both cultivating an authentic voice that resonates with her audience and turning followers into clients. Own your own narrative. Decide how you want to be perceived and align your online presence, your public speaking, and even your day-to-day interactions with that vision. And if you would like to know more about developing your personal brand, there is a panel discussion a little bit later that you could maybe come to.
Deliberate Business Development – Business development strategies for women-led law firms that scale impact through systems, values, and financial clarity.
Sonya Palmer:
Business development. I’m passionate about business development. Less than 1% of women-owned businesses will ever do more than a million dollars in revenue and I would like to see that changed. And we’ve heard it so many times that law school does not teach you how to run a business, but the women featured on LawHer who built successful firms saw business development as a strategic multifaceted endeavor. Brooke Lively introduced the Profit Finder tool based on the rule of thirds, splitting resources among people, overhead, and owner compensation. It’s a deliberate formula that keeps her business healthy and scalable. Vanessa Vasquez de Lara breaks her firm’s core values into everything, from hiring and branding to client intake, so she attracts exactly the client and team members aligned with her mission. And Dawn Smith realized that she was the bottleneck in her own firm. By hiring specialists for each department, she creates a more efficient practice and more time for the tasks that she does best. Treat your practice as an interconnected system. Marketing, finances, culture and team structure should reinforce one another to fuel sustainable intentional growth.
Deliberate Leadership – Practicing deliberate leadership in law—how vision and systems can elevate your team, clients, and community.
Sonya Palmer:
Finally, leadership. Leadership isn’t just about who’s named managing partner, it is about stepping up with purpose, clarity, and vision regardless of your official title. Abigail Molina created a ten-year growth plan, complete with targets for team size, revenue, and core mission. Her entire firm rallies behind those milestones every single day. Angela Reddock-Wright warns leaders not to let mission and values become hollow words on a website. They should inform policies, hiring, promotions, even daily conversations. And Ashley Herd highlights the need to define great for your team. You can’t hold people accountable for standards that they don’t know. Clear expectations, real autonomy equals high-performing teams. Leadership is a deliberate practice, not an innate trait. Define your vision, build the systems that support it, and elevate the people around you. That’s how you move from manager to leader.
The women I’ve highlighted aren’t just making it despite the system. They’re actively transforming it. One woman partner paves the way for more women partners. One female-led firm becomes a haven for mothers returning from maternity leave. And one new network can connect dozens, even hundreds, of women attorneys seeking collaboration. And that’s exactly what we’re spotlighting in Season 3 of LawHer, how women in law can own power faster and keep it longer. Each guest shares the deliberate actions, mindset shifts, and structural changes that not only advance them, but also uplift everyone who comes after. So I invite you to listen to these women firsthand.
I was a reluctant podcast host, but I have learned something from every single one of these interviews, and some of these women have become my lifelong friends. Our keynote speaker, Sarah Williams, was our first guest, and Lauren was our second. Those are perfect examples of the types of stories that you’ll hear. Connect with them. Is that not why we’re all here? I believe that collaboration is the spark that will ignite the systemic change that we so desperately need right now. And ask yourself, which piece of this do you need to implement next? Pick one strategy, maybe brand building, maybe a new mentorship approach, and commit to it.
The legal profession is built on precedent, but the boldest women I’ve met aren’t content with old precedents. They’re forging new ones. They’re not asking for a seat at the table. They’re redesigning the table itself and ensuring it has room for a diversity of voices and life experiences. So I leave you with this. What deliberate move will you make today, this week, this month, or this year, to rewrite the rules in your corner of the legal world? Because when you change the rules for yourself, you inevitably open a path for those behind you. Thank you. Let’s define the future of law together and let’s do it deliberately.
… and you would like to add your story to our growing library, please come find me so that we can get you on the show.
The future of law belongs to the women who build it deliberately. And standing on that stage, giving my first talk, reminded me just how important it is to show up, even when you’re not entirely sure you’re ready. Because when you do, you’re not just stepping into power, you’re making space for someone else to do the same.
We will be back in two weeks with more. Until then, please subscribe and share this episode with someone who needs to hear it. And if you would like to be a part of Season 4, you know where to find us. Let’s define the future of law together.
