Celebrating Women in the Law | Kiralyn Locke

Have you faced any gender-related challenges in your career, and how have you navigated them?

I had my first child while I was in law school, and my second child 8 weeks before I took the bar exam. As a second-time parent, I knew I would not be able to sit for the bar exam without extra time to allow me to pump milk for my daughter. Unfortunately, when I requested an accommodation for extra time, I was not met with support or compassion. I spent a great deal of time fighting to have my accommodations granted, when I could have been using that time to study for the bar exam or to bond with my newborn baby. Thankfully, I enlisted the help of MothersEsquire, a non-profit geared at gender equity in the legal field. Together, we were able to get my accommodations approved.

This process taught me that there are still many barriers to joining the legal profession, including barriers for parents, women, people of color, the LGBTQIA+ community, people of varying socioeconomic classes, and more. This process also taught me that I did not have to address those barriers on my own. If you are an aspiring lawyer facing barriers in joining the legal profession, there is a world of people ready to provide you with support and advocacy (myself included). Don’t be afraid to look for and utilize those resources.

March 2024