Corrin Phillip

I have been extremely lucky to meet amazing people along my career path who were happy to advocate for me. I also attribute my success to the practical, clinical training I received in law school at Temple, which gave me meaningful real-world experience early on. Building strong professional networks through Lawyers Club of San Diego, along with my willingness to pivot when circumstances changed and my ongoing commitment to helping people, has also been instrumental in my journey.

"Never let them set the agenda." I learned this from the brilliant Justice Baer, who I had the honor of clerking for in the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He would say it to mean, when you are advocating for something, don't start by rebutting the other side's argument. Start with why your position should be accepted. If you do that well enough, you might not even have to address their points. I think of this often when working on legal writing, but I think it also applies when thinking about how to dismantle the patriarchy :)

I would say get involved in some kind of organization outside of work. I have Lawyers Club, and I know in San Diego we're very lucky to have a feminist bar association, but I think finding something outside of work where you can find your group of people is so important. Being an attorney is stressful in general, but being a female attorney, there's all kinds of additional stressors we face. So finding people who you don't necessarily work with to vent about what it is to be an attorney, and just to have that support system is so important. It's so much easier to be candid about work-life balance and about what are people getting paid with people we don't work with, which is so important because as females, we're not trained in how to have those conversations and how to advocate for ourselves, that we all feel imposter syndrome, all of those things. For me, it wasn't until I found an outlet outside of my job where I felt I could speak freely that I started to realize, "Oh, this isn't just me, these are systemic issues that I'm up against."

I would also recommend reaching out to anyone you feel inspired by and just ask to talk. I am always happy to lend an ear to any attorney, law student, or college student who's interested in either my field or how I got here, how I pivoted. A lot of law students think they have to pick their path in their field and they're stuck with it forever, which can feel so overwhelming, and I've not found that to be true in my career. You'd be amazed at how many women would be open to having a conversation, even if that's all it is. It's not about "What can I get out of this." For me, it's more "I've been through it already and I want to help you." I have been lifted up by so many wonderful women and allies along my path, and I pay my debt of gratitude by helping those coming along after me.

One of the biggest challenges in my field is navigating California’s complex and constantly evolving employment laws, along with the highly litigious environment that exposes employers to significant risk, including frivolous claims. At the same time, there is a growing opportunity for preventive counseling to help organizations evolve into workplaces where employees feel appreciated and understood, in addition to helping companies stay compliant and minimize legal exposure. I truly believe that creating kind and compassionate work places is a win-win because it's the right thing to do AND it can prevent miscommunication and trust issues that often lead to legal issues.

The values most important to me in both my work and personal life are empathy and honesty. I also strongly believe in collaboration over competition, helping people succeed, and advancing gender equity in my profession and community.