Page 11 - January-February-CBA-Report

My go to piece of advice for the next generation of Black attorneys is to find a mentor and build relation- ships. Build relationships with those who look like and have similar life experiences as you to support your shared experience in the profession. Build relationships with those who are different from you to challenge your perspective – not necessarily to
change it – but to see life from the perspective of others. Build relationships with those far more advanced in their career to help you grow personally and professionally. Build relationships with those coming up behind you to help someone else as you undoubt- edly will be helped in your career by many people.
Judge Janaya Bratton Trotter, Hamilton County Municipal Court and CBA president-elect
I think one bit of advice I would offer to the next generation of Black attor- neys is to always reach back and help those behind you. I stand on the shoulders of older Black attorneys that helped make my path to success a bit easier than their own and it’s my obligation to help make the path of lawyers coming behind easier than my own. If the path to success for
younger attorneys is just as hard as it was for Black attorneys in my generation, then we have failed. My hope is that that sentiment is shared by the next generation of Black attorneys.
Reginald L. Staples, Jr., Partner, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
What is your
go-to piece of advice
for the next generation of Black attorneys?
During her confirmation hearing, Justice Brown Jackson recounted an occasion when she was away at college and became homesick. She wasn’t sure if she belonged. As she was walking along the Harvard Yard, another student passed and uttered one word of encouragement to her – persevere. For the next generation of Black attorneys, resilience, i.e., the
mindset to overcome challenges and remain focused, and perse- verance, i.e., the act of going until the goal is accomplished, are keys to success.
Tammy Bennett,
Partner | Chief Equity + Inclusion Officer, Dinsmore & Shohl LLP
My advice to the future generation of Black attorneys is to take pride in what makes you unique—leverage your authenticity. We are all different and our individual education—including both formal academics and informal life experiences—will provide you with the insight needed to develop creative and impactful legal analysis. As you lean into your individuality,
partner with a mentor who can expand your toolkit with wisdom and additional perspectives to round out your practice. Be the captain of your career, while enhancing your toolkit through solid mentorship.
Judge Stacey DeGraffenreid, Hamilton County Juvenile Court
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