Women in Law - On The Record

Allison Stewart
Women in Law - On The Record Podcast

An interview-based podcast spotlighting women in the legal field. We will learn how they got to where they are, what lessons they have learned along the way, and what they are doing now to achieve their next goal.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Episode No. 92: Kelley Barnett, AmTrust Financial Services

    Today I’m talking with Kelley Barnett, Senior Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel at AmTrust Financial Services. Kelley is so many things to me…a friend, a long time listener and supporter of this podcast, an incredibly talented lawyer, and masterful advocate for women in the legal field. Kelley graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in economics, then attended Case Western University where she obtained her law degree. Early in her career, Kelley was a prosecutor for several years. In 2004, she was honored to become a member of the Major Trial Unit of the prosecutor's office, which is the elite trial unit of the county prosecutor’s office responsible for prosecuting the community's most serious offenders. Kelley then made the move to private practice at Frantz Ward where she would spend 12 years litigating and trying a wide variety of cases. Next, Kelley moved to AmTrust in 2019 where she focused on labor and employment issues. As you’ll hear, Kelley continuously raised her hand for new opportunities at AmTrust. And now she leads a team of lawyers responsible for overseeing employment, intellectual property, the negotiation and drafting of commercial and technology agreements, antitrust and related regulatory issues, data governance, and related litigation and other issues for AmTrust and some of AmTrust's domestic and international businesses. When Kelley isn’t practicing law, you may find her hanging out with her dogs or her family or she is promoting other women in the law. In fact, one of her most outstanding achievements was establishing Ladder Down Cleveland. You may recognize the name as I’ve featured the organization on the podcast about two years ago. You’ll recall it’s an organization for women lawyers to help them build their business development skills. Kelley and I have known each other for years now and it was a true pleasure to interview her for this podcast. Please enjoy.

    1h 20m
  2. 18 JUL

    Episode No. 89: Marlana Shoshtari, Counsel for Entertainment Networks (Scripted), NBC Universal

    Today I’m talking with Marlana Shoshtari, Counsel for Entertainment Networks (Scripted) at NBC Universal. Marlana is originally from a small town in Oklahoma but later moved and went to undergrad at the University of Virginia where she studied psychology. She and I bonded over our fascination with crime and psychology as both of us grew up during the peak CSI and Criminal Minds days. Marlana decided law school was the best path for her and attended Syracuse University where she got her JD and a Master’s Degree in Public Relations and Image Management. Marlana had her sights set on being an entertainment lawyer so she made her way to the west coast. As you’ll hear, Marlana did WHATEVER it took to achieve her goals. Initially, when she moved to the LA area, she was staying with a family friend, enduring an hour and half commute every day each way to work. She was grinding it out just to get the experience she needed, which she got from a company called New Form Entertainment where she worked closely with the general counsel and created innovative ways to improve their efficiencies. Marlana then broke into the streaming/network scene when she moved to Netflix where she focused on nonfiction series. Now at NBC Universal, Marlana drafts and negotiates contracts for scripted series, among having many other responsibilities. When she’s not practicing law, you can probably find Marlana reading a book. She is a big book lover and even started her own YouTube series reviewing the latest books she’s read. I hope you enjoy our discussion and find inspiration in Marlana’s story (I know I did).

    52 min
  3. 12 JUN

    Episode No. 87: Sara Kamal, Legal Counsel, Yum! Brands

    Today I’m talking with Sara Kamal, Legal Counsel at Yum! Brands. This was an especially fun interview for me because Sara is one of my closest friends. She and I met when she was actually a client of my firm and we were working together on an arbitration matter. It didn’t take long for us to become friends. She is someone I count on all the time to give me a work advice so I’m really excited for you all to hear her insight. But, before we dive into the interview, let me tell you about Sara’s background. She was born in Egypt and moved to the States with her family when she was just a baby. She attended the University of Texas where she majored in accounting. She later moved to Washington D.C. and after law school did a fellowship focused on public policy. After her stint in D.C., Sara moved back to Texas (the Dallas-Fort Worth area) and began working for a small firm. She cut her teeth for a couple years learning everything she could about the law, getting diverse experience in all different subject matters. Sara then moved in-house to Dickey’s Barbecue during the pandemic, where she wore many hats and handled various legal issues, including some especially complicated matters where she had no prior experience. Not surprising to anyone who knows Sara, she handled it like a champ. And that experience is, in part, what gave her the confidence to join Yum! Where she is crushing it y’all. She won’t say that, so I’ll say it for her. She’s GREAT at her job. She has a natural ability to gain the trust of her clients and you couldn’t ask for a better team player. I hope you enjoy this conversation with one of my dearest friends.

    1h 2m

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An interview-based podcast spotlighting women in the legal field. We will learn how they got to where they are, what lessons they have learned along the way, and what they are doing now to achieve their next goal.

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