Jennifer Cona, is the Founder and Managing Partner of Cona Elder Law, an award-winning elder law and estate planning firm located in Melville, New York. Celebrating 25 years in business, Cona Elder Law has been consistently ranked the number one elder law and trust in-estate firm on Long Island. Jennifer has won many awards, including the New York Law Journal Award for Top Women in Law. She and her firm are committed to corporate social responsibility, and she has held roles on the board of trustees of the Long Island Alzheimer's and Dementia Center, the United Way of Long Island, and the exec ..read more

Lauren Baptiste, a burnout expert and founder of Acheloa Wellness, and I delve into the all-too-common issue of burnout in the legal profession, exploring both preventative measures and recovery strategies in this episode of, The Lawyer’s Edge. Learn the importance of recognizing the signs of burnout, the need for self-awareness, and the differences between coaching and therapy. Lauren will also introduce you to Ayurveda, an ancient wellness system, and discuss how it can be used to understand our unique body-mind compositions and spot early burnout indicators. Listen in as Lauren offers pract ..read more

What do you think is one of the most powerful obstacles to business development success for lawyers? Despite their busy schedules, it isn’t a lack of time. It’s not about the lack of money, either. It’s not even that you don’t know how to do it, even though law school doesn’t teach each to us. Simply put: it’s your mindset. It’s the stories you tell yourself that stop you from taking (or fully committing to) the action you need. And it’s the biggest impediment I’ve come across again and again with lawyers I meet. So in this episode of The Lawyer’s Edge podcast, you’ll learn seven things that’l ..read more

Professional opportunities abound for women lawyers, yet many women hesitate to pursue their dream of starting and owning a law practice. Many of those who do take the leap still struggle with building their business into a saleable asset that supports their lifestyle (both now and in retirement). Before my guest, Davina Frederick, started her law firm in 2007, she worked in professional services marketing. Thanks to her familiarity with marketing and litigation and the struggle she saw other women law firm owners have with building sustainable practices, she rebranded in 2020 to serve them as ..read more

Those first travelers making their way West did so without a roadmap. But in taking the opportunity, they paved the way for the nation’s expansion. That spirit of the West is very much rooted in Tara Stingley and the Nebraska law firm of which she is a partner. As the first woman to serve on Cline Williams’ executive committee, she challenged other members to think about how they defined issues and the impact of their decisions. She also established her niche as an employment law expert within the legal community. Laying down that foundation has paid dividends in affording her opportunities, a ..read more

Are you up late at night, pulling all-nighters, and burning out from the fast-paced nature of your job as a lawyer?  As a former litigator, Charlène Gisèle loved all of it! She reveled in the things you’re not supposed to love. While she was thriving in her environment, though, she got a wake-up call that made her realize that she’d been neglecting something along the way.  All signs pointed to burnout that affected her health and marriage. She took a drastic turn and eventually changed her focus from litigation to burnout prevention and high performance. Now, she’s fueled with a mis ..read more

Gina Zapanta is the Co-founder and Partner of Z.A. Lawyers, a firm dedicated to protecting injured workers’ rights. She is also the CEO of AlderLaw and the Founder of Empowered with Gina, a platform for women to embrace empowerment. Passionate about helping others empower themselves through education, motivation, and community-building, Gina offers events and wellness retreats for women to embrace their power and live life on their terms. As an advocate for employees and injured people, she has experience in contracting, healthcare management, and personal injury strategic partnership developm ..read more

Kelly Rittenberry Culhane is the Founder and Managing Partner of Culhane Meadows, the largest full-service, women-owned law firm in the US. She is a member of the firm’s insurance and outsourcing practice groups, where she handles sourcing human resources, professional services, consultant functions, and risk management counseling. Kelly has over 20 years of experience advising clients on insurance and risk-management matters. Her authenticity makes her a trustworthy and reliable advisor to her clients. As a former trial attorney at one of the world’s largest firms, Kelly represented individua ..read more

Carolyn Blessing is a Partner at Locke Lord LLP, a premier full-service law firm. In her practice, she focuses on IP pharmaceutical matters and Hatch-Waxman litigation. With experience in the FDA regulatory, food and beverage, and pharmaceutical industries, Carolyn represents pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in all aspects of federal IP litigation, including pre-litigation, fact and expert discovery, claim construction, motion practice, pre- and post-trial, and appellate phases. Carolyn serves on Locke Lord’s women’s initiative committee and served as the hiring partner for the Chica ..read more

Audrey Miller is an Operational Excellence Consultant at Calibrate, an executive search and organizational consultancy helping law firms optimize their talent, processes, and performance. Calibrate offers executive search and talent management operations strategies like business assessments, analytics and implementation, and leadership advice to help law firms reach their fullest potential in revenue, operations, and growth. As a strategic advisor to law firm leaders, Audrey helps business services teams enhance efficiencies and collaboration, improve the alignment of structure, roles, and acc ..read more