Page 13 - November December CBA Report

Monica, Harrison, Alan, and Mitchell
enjoy family time at the
passing experience, just like motherhood.
This was not in any way the same as
working and going to graduate school.
It was an entirely different beast. I would
not have been successful trying to do all of
this on my own, and thanks to my parents
I didn’t have to.
I feel like my journey as a parent and a
“law as a second career” student was phys-
ically, mentally, and emotionally difficult
to say the least. There were times I felt
selfish, because I was pursuing this goal
without really considering how hard it
would be for my daughter. Long term this
was an excellent decision, but short term
she was directly suffering from my lack of
physical and emotional presence. Once I
started my second year of law school and
she started middle school, it was like we
were in the middle of an unimaginable
storm. It felt like a challenge we would
never make it through. Sacrifices had to
be made, either her homework was getting
done or mine was, but not both. Despite
the immense support I had from my
community, there were still responsibili-
ties that I couldn’t tag someone else in to
handle. Some days I felt like I failed as a
mom, and some days I felt like I failed as a
law student. And then, some days I felt like
I failed at both. Of course, there were days
when I did succeed at both, too.
There were several occasions where
I could bring her to campus with me.
Those moments helped both of us to be
able to see the bigger picture, when the
picture in front of us felt so daunting. It
was important to me for her to see me
in action, so I tried to make her a part
of what I was doing whenever I could. I
was the president of the Women in Law
and Leadership student organization, and
one of the last events we hosted before
graduation was a panel of female attor-
neys and judges that came to discuss
their experiences as women in the legal
field. This event was such a success and
is the proudest moment of my law school
career. We packed the room with the
most guests we’d ever had at one of our
events, and it was a moment where my law
school journey and my parenting journey
coincided.
In July 2024, I sat for the Ohio Bar
exam. While I didn’t meet the score
requirement for Ohio, I did for Indiana.
Thankfully because of the Uniform Bar
Exam (UBE), I was able to waive into
another jurisdiction, and I was sworn into
the Indiana State Bar on January 10, 2025.
The UBE was first introduced in
2019. This restructuring of the bar
exam is probably one of the most cele-
brated adjustments to the practice of law.
Forty-one states administer the UBE, and
depending on your score you can prac-
tice in any one of them without having
to sit for another exam. This was such a
relief, for me especially, as a non-tradi-
tional student, graduate, and full-time
parent to an almost teenager involved in
every extracurricular activity available.
The UBE allowed me to get my license and
begin my career without the emotional,
mental, and financial chaos that comes
with sitting for the exam a second time. It
would finally allow my daughter and I to
see the other side of the turbulent storm
that was law school.
I was fortunate to be offered a posi-
tion shortly after graduation, a firm that
coincidentally practices in Ohio, Indiana
and Kentucky, making the transition from
law clerk to associate quite seamless. I
was sworn in on a Friday afternoon, and
Monday morning I appeared as plaintiff’s
counsel for a show cause hearing in St.
Joseph Circuit Court, Indiana.
My day to day is spent attending hear-
ings, negotiating settlements, or reviewing
complaints, amongst other things. I have a
mediation coming up, and depending on
the outcome, a possible trial in December.
I am lucky to have found such a great firm
to start my career. I wake up every day
looking forward to my workday. Outside
of work, my life as a mother remains
equally eventful. Evenings and week-
ends are spent carpooling to and from
cheer practice or band practice. The last
eight months have been incredible, and
despite how hard it was in the moment,
I couldn’t imagine not being where I am
now. To quote from Stephen King’s “Holly
Gibney” series, “I believe you hear a click,
not in your head but in your soul, when
you find the place where you belong. You
can ignore it, but really, why would you?”
Cincinnati Museum Center.
Cincinnati Bar
YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION
Bar
Bash
Thursday,
November 20
5:30 -7:30 p.m.
Igby’s
122 E 6th St, Cincinnati
rsvp @ cincybar.org
Raise your glass to
celebrate our newly
admitted attorneys!
Sponsored by
Kayla Lloyd is a graduate of the University of Dayton
School of Law and first year associate at Slovin
and Council Co., L.P.A., a creditor’s rights firm in
Cincinnati representing consumer and commercial
creditors in Indiana.
THE REPORT | November/December 2025 | CincyBar.org 13