Her Story
About Chantel
I knew from first grade that I wanted to be an attorney. A lawyer came to our classroom for parent-teacher day, and I was captivated by everything about him - his sharp dress, his briefcase, his presentation about making a good living and the exciting work. I remember being about six years old and asking just one question: can women do it? When he said yes, that was it for me. I've worked toward that goal ever since. During my undergraduate years at University of Baltimore studying pre-law and jurisprudence, I interned for the General Assembly and the 45th Legislative District, where I helped present a bill and got to see how laws are made in Annapolis. I went on to Florida Coastal School of Law in Jacksonville on a 50% scholarship, graduated in 2013, and was sworn in to the bar in 2014. During law school, I spent a semester studying in Clermont-Ferrand, France, which was an incredible experience that broadened my perspective on how law impacts people's lives across different jurisdictions. Now, I'm in court almost every day representing the state and advocating for public safety. I spend my time preparing for trial, negotiating with opposing counsel, and most importantly, listening to victims and their families. I believe that actively listening and having a demeanor that makes people feel comfortable talking to you is the greatest skill in this profession. When it's about somebody's freedom or liberty, what's an extra 30 minutes of conversation? It's always worth the time to talk and engage in good faith negotiations.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Chantel
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Law school is rigorous and hard - harder than they even say it is. You definitely need support and you need to be focused. Your mental health and emotional health has to be sturdy, because all those tests don't even compare to the rigor of practice. Your diet, your health, and your overall life practices need to be cohesive and support you through that journey. They make it intentionally difficult to weed out people who don't really want to do it, because you're going to be playing with people's lives afterwards - you have to be there 100%. But I will tell anybody that it is 100% worth it. If it's what you want to do, you're going to work over others. It's worth every penny. I never looked back and thought these years were wasted. The most important skill you can develop is actively listening. Being able to have a demeanor that people feel comfortable talking to you, that they feel like you will be receptive, opens the door. If it's about somebody's freedom or liberty, what's an extra 30 minutes of talking? It's always worth the time to engage in good faith negotiations.
02What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The most challenging aspect of my work is taking on people's emotional loads. As an advocate, you're standing in the place of somebody else, and you're taking on their problems - whether that's in criminal law, business law, or family law. When you hear from victims about how they can't work anymore, can't walk anymore, how they don't want to drive down certain streets or go to certain stores after what happened to them, and you hear that every two days for years, you have to check yourself. You don't want to become desensitized. It's great when you can do something about it, but you have to balance justice with the dignity that the other human being still deserves. In the middle of that, you're siphoning energy and taking on other people's problems. When they call you counselor, that word is serious - you're not just a counselor of law, they're telling you all the problems that came from the incident and all the problems that came after. Managing that emotional load while maintaining your own family life, health, and work-life balance is the greatest challenge.
03What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Work-life balance is incredibly important to me. I make time to indulge in things that support my overall well-being outside of work. I exercise regularly - I'm a walker. I'm personally a Christian, so I attend Mass and have a faith background that serves as a common place for me. My family life is essential - I don't subtract from it. You have to actually schedule time for yourself, schedule a vacation and make sure you take it. It's easy not to take it and scale back from two weeks to just three days, but you actually need to take a full week every couple of months or take your full two weeks annually. You have to get away, take a trip, leave the area, take a short trip with your family. I do all those things as if it's work, because you have to schedule time to calm your nervous system. Litigation is a mental fight, so after you've finished a trial and you're in battle mode, the next day you might take a walk or drink some tea to get your energy back to normal. Taking care of yourself is not optional - it's necessary.
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