B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes

Mark Goldstein, Labor & Employment partner at Reed Smith, shares his inspiring journey of overcoming mental health challenges while navigating the high-pressure world of BigLaw. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Mark opens up to Merle Vaughn about his battle with OCD, anxiety, and depression and how vulnerability and resilience have not only shaped his personal and professional life but also inspired his mental health advocacy in the legal profession.

Jesus Torres, senior trial attorney with Wilshire Law Firm, shares his journey from growing up in a farming community in Oxnard, California, to becoming a successful trial lawyer. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Jesus and Merle Vaughn talk about his transition from defense counsel to plaintiff’s counsel, his dedication to pro bono work, and his passion for helping the underrepresented.

While Sashi Brown pursued a career in law, he always held a deep love for sports. When he learned of a niche sports practice at WilmerHale, he discovered he could combine his passion for sports with his legal expertise. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Merle Vaughn chats with Sashi about his unique career in sports, his commitment to education, and the impact of the Rooney Rule in the NFL.

With a career that started in the legal field, including a stint at the White House, Adrian Miller pivoted to follow his passion for soul food—and has turned that into a celebrated career. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Merle Vaughn sits down with Adrian, a “soul food scholar,” James Beard award winner, and a voice for social justice, to “dish” on the importance of relationships, kindness, and the complex layers of Juneteenth.

John Iino's law firm journey took him across the globe to Japan, where he was excited to connect with his roots. This experience set the stage for a career that would see him rise to the heights of the legal profession, not just as a lawyer, but as a champion for diversity and inclusion. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, he chats with Merle Vaughn about diversity, identity, and leadership.

With dreams of becoming an NAACP lawyer, Richard Gray set his sights on law school at an early age. After interning with the legal defense fund, he changed directions to focus his law school experience on courses he found interesting—leading him to urban education courses that “spoke to him.” As a result, Richard has applied his legal training to education reform. In this episode, he and Merle Vaughn discuss the evolution of critical terms in our social vocabulary, the generational shifts that shape our worldviews and the potency of education as a tool for change.

Mindy Gulati, Texas-based Civil Rights and DEI activist, was raised in Utah by grandparents who taught her the importance of standing up for herself and the rights of others. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Mindy shares her unique family story and explores her commitment to feminism and social equity.

Paul Watford recently made the unusual decision to step down from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals bench to return to private practice as a partner with Wilson Sonsini. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Paul shares what motivated him to make that decision and many others he has made throughout his inspirational professional journey.

Sonya Passi’s fierce advocacy to raise awareness of gender-based violence began when she was a teenager in the UK. Thinking she wanted to become a human rights lawyer, she went to Berkeley Law where she started her first nonprofit. In this episode of BS: beyond Stereotypes, Sonya discusses her activist work and its evolution to today. She also shares her personal journey as a lesbian woman choosing love over the traditional cultural expectations of her parents.

Moving to the States from the Caribbean to go to college was an eye-opening experience for Michelle Silverthorn—she went from being a member of the majority to being “the only.” In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Michelle talks with Merle Vaughn about stereotypes, belonging, and inclusion and why she is committed to the work of change. They also explore how Michelle transitioned from practicing law to delivering a TEDx, making over 100 speeches per year, and founding her own diversity consulting firm.

People make assumptions about blonde-haired, blue-eyed Michael Rhodes, partner with Cooley LLP, and his perceived white privilege. But Mike has a long history with learning from experiences that push him out of his comfort zone and immerse him in different cultures. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Mike uses storytelling to demonstrate to Merle Vaughn why he believes diverse legal teams are imperative in Big Law.

Reinventing your legal career is possible—especially when you set your mind and intention toward your goals. Eric Burton had done everything right, but he had not followed his dream of becoming an entertainment lawyer. He found the courage to set audacious goals, which set him on a path to celebrating incremental victories. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Eric, who is openly gay, chats with Merle Vaughn about taking control of his career and why representation in the legal profession matters.

Going through life masking to fit in can be exhausting and lead to burn out. Learning to believe the way you are is the right way to be can unlock your power and potential. Courtney Munnings, Diversity Lab’s Mansfield Rule and Knowledge Sharing Specialist, successfully navigated law school and big law firm life prior to confirming she is autistic and dyslexic and has OCD. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Courtney shares her courageous journey with Merle Vaughn.

Inspired by her grandmother’s civil rights fame and the exposure her father gave her to cultural and economic differences growing up, Josie Duffy Rice solidified her desire to change the criminal justice system prior to attending Harvard Law School. She shares with Merle Vaughn why she decided not to practice law and to instead become a journalist. Her love for writing has led her to create content in all forms and to share marginalized people’s untold stories as she does in her latest podcast, Unreformed: The Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children.

Born in the UK, Claudius Sokenu was sent to boarding school in Nigeria, which shaped him in innumerable ways and prepared him to venture to the US alone to practice law. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Claudius and Merle Vaughn discuss why he chose to leave his big firm equity partnership to go in-house.

Darrell Miller, LA Office Managing Partner for Fox Rothschild, is a singer, dancer, musician and lawyer who credits faith and work ethic for his success. As the first in his family to attend college, he found support from his school counselor, family and community. The reasoning behind his decision to become a lawyer and the path he took to get there is inspirational. In this episode of BS: Beyond Stereotypes, Darrell shares with Merle Vaughn what it was like to be a working actor, his motivation for going to law school and how his new fame as the Hollywood meme #sendittodarrell explains his empathic style as an entertainment lawyer.

To the outside world, Jennifer Brewer, Chief Ethics & Compliance Officer for Activision Blizzard, appears to have led a life of privilege but, in reality, the road to fighting for equity and justice has been paved with obstacles that have required grit and resilience to overcome. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Jennifer shares with Merle Vaughn how she has handled adversity and why her current role allows her to be unapologetically herself.

Melique Jones, Chief People Officer for the Lincoln Center, grew up with her mother and grandmother in Harlem. From an early age, her family set the expectation that she would make a difference in the world. Despite falling in love with the arts and journalism during college, Melique chose to attend law school and has ultimately done more than she could have imagined with her JD. In this episode, Melique shares with Merle Vaughn her journey which started as a journalist, her DEI experience in big law, and how both prepared her for her current Lincoln Center position.

When Bob Major founded Major, Lindsey & Africa in 1982, he could not have envisioned what the organization would become and the impact it would have on the legal profession. In this episode of B.S.: Beyond Stereotypes, Bob shares his extraordinary 40-year journey as one of the predominate influencers in the legal recruiting industry and how he did it as a proud openly gay man.

For Mark Zemelman, Kaiser Foundation’s recently retired GC, joining the legal department was a full circle experience—his father was one of the first physicians in the Southern California Permanente Medical Group, which is the KP medical group in Southern California. Mark shares with Merle Vaughn his self-directed career journey and how his cultural background has informed his unwavering commitment to diversity and inclusion.