Her Story
About Krisha
I've been in law for about 13 years now. I had always been intrigued by it when I was younger, though I did start off actually doing mortuary science. Then I had a child and changed directions. It was a need in my area, and I thought I can do a good job at this, so I just went headfirst into it. Throughout my career, I've done civil litigation, a lot of family law, and now I dabble in all of it because I work for a court. We do civil, up to capital murder cases, and family law - all of it. I've been working for the court for 6 years now. What I do today is ensure that our clients get attorneys if they need it. If their jail credit is wrong, I reach out to the appropriate people. I'm kind of a filter for what goes to the judge. I deal with a lot of issues that the judge really never sees because it would be inappropriate for her to see. I'm handling if things are appropriate to schedule, timelines, and ensuring that timelines are met so that she has her stuff on her end correctly for the OCA, which is the Office of Court Administration. I oversee every aspect of everything - any settings, any dockets that are scheduled, every single thing that goes on that we're going to have hearings on, I have a hand in first. For about 5 years, up until about 6 months ago, I was the indigent defense coordinator. That means anybody that's arrested in the state of Texas, or even out of the state, if it's in our area, I would be sent their information, and I had to provide it to whoever so that that person was able to obtain counsel, even before they've been booked in. They weren't just lost in the wind - they got all of their everything done together. One of my most proud accomplishments is that I am working for the first African-American judge ever in our area. She's amazing, and I couldn't ask to work for somebody better. She's taught me a lot. We worked together before she was a judge, so it's been a journey with her. It's just been awesome to see her grow her career, but then also bring me with her, and just be able to stick on a ride with her.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Krisha
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say do not let mistakes set you back to where you think, oh my gosh, I can't do this, because it is hard. There are a lot of strong personalities. I'd say every day, give yourself some grace. There are so many rules, there's so many personalities that you deal with on the daily. Give yourself grace and keep on going, because you can go very far. There's so many opportunities, and networking is one of the best ways, and that's even if you're in school, in college, your professors. That's how I got my first job, was a professor who got me into the law firm. So I'd say do your best, show interest, show up, and give yourself grace, because it's a lot.
02What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
With my current position, the most rewarding has been treating everyone that has come through that door as a normal person, not judging them, and giving them the space to feel like a normal person. Most times, I see them at their worst time. It goes back to being a paralegal - it was not a fun time, it was never something somebody wanted to be there, but at least giving them the space to feel like a normal person, not judged, and just working with them to make sure that they get the due process that they deserve. That's been one of the most rewarding things.
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