Lisaann R. London

I would start by saying my mom. My mom worked hard as a single parent, an immigrant coming to this country for a better life for her children. She was such a hard-working woman, and seeing how hard she poured into me and how much she wanted me to succeed, I can't claim my success without acknowledging her first. Beyond that, I attribute my success to everyone that poured into me, everyone that held the door open for me, everyone that gave me a resource when I needed it. I couldn't just call a family member who was a lawyer, but there are so many wonderful people I've met along the way, and I wouldn't have been able to be who I am or be as successful as I am without the people that poured into me. I also attribute it to my hard work and determination. I had this goal of becoming a lawyer for such a long time, and when I finally became one and walked into the courtroom for the first time and said 'I am the lawyer,' it was such a wow moment. All the tired nights, staying home and deciding to go to school full-time without working, that was such a sacrifice, and I just kept the faith that things would work out. I was able to finish in the top 25% of my class and show up in spaces that I didn't even see myself being. Being hardworking, being determined, but also being someone that was a sponge and willing to take in as much information as I can, I want to attribute that to me too. I am so thankful for all the people that helped me along the way, including all the judges that poured into me during internships and all my colleagues who answered those late night calls when I needed to vent. Success for me is all those things. It's not just me, it's the village. It definitely is the village.

I would say walk into every room and own it. Don't let the losses be losses, but let them be lessons. You don't have to wait until you feel ready. There are so many moments in life where I felt unqualified, uncertain, intimidated by the rooms that I was walking into, and if I had waited until I felt completely ready, I would have missed so many opportunities that helped shape my career. Confidence comes after the leap, not before the leap. So do the thing. The time is going to pass anyway. Just do the thing. Don't wait until you're ready. That moment may never come. You just have to do it.

Being a woman in the legal profession is already such a niche place to be. There aren't as many women as people may think, but there also aren't a lot of Black women. We make up less than 2% of the legal profession, and Black people in general make up less than 5%. Me coming in as a first-generation student and becoming a first-generation lawyer speaks volumes. Just navigating the space and the cultural differences is hard sometimes. It's hard for me to break open some of these spaces that weren't necessarily created for me, while making sure I'm able to show up and do my work very well and also hold the door behind me to make sure other people get in so we can raise that percentage. Beyond race and gender, being an attorney is harsh. Being a criminal defense attorney is even harder because if someone's meeting me, I'm meeting them at the lowest point of their life. Someone is accusing them of doing something that may or may not be true, and I'm tasked with protecting their liberty when they may be facing jail time or being removed from their household or losing their job. Being able to be strong and vulnerable but also keep a straight face and a poker face is difficult because I'm emotional and an empath, and sometimes these things just get to me. It's hard to turn it off in the courtroom. People don't talk about this enough, how you're supposed to show up in this professional capacity and really leave your emotions at the door. Lawyers have one of the most burnout professions because it's a really hard job. Being in a male-dominated profession, you can't really show what they would say is weakness. If you are too emotional, sometimes they may say you're weak and not cut out for this job. It's a very hard place for a woman to be in this space that's male-dominated, where you want to be emotional sometimes and you can't be. You can't let them see you're having a bad day or going through womanly things like cramps. You still have to push through whatever is happening and show up for not only yourself but for your client and everyone else in the courtroom.