Lawyer Monthly - Women In Law Special Edition

LAWYER MONTHLY WOMEN IN LAW EDITION 114 A JOURNEY INTO EMPLOYMENT LAW… As we will learn throughout this edition, reading the stories of women in law, we unveil an array of reasons to why their field drew them in; we learn what sparked their curiosity and started the fire that fuels them throughout challenging cases. In the below feature, we hear Silvia Stanciu’s story into employment law and the hard lessons she had learnt along the way. E Silvia C. Stanciu, Esq. - Philips & Associates veryattorneyhasaveryspecific journey into the law. Some are motivated by a “wrong” they want to make a “right.” Others simply recognise that they can become successful attorneys if they possess strong writing skills and critical thinking. My own path was dotted with professional and personal experiences that prepared me for the rewarding and demanding experience of practicing law. Growing up in Europe as the oldest daughter of two attorneys, I was certain to pick up some of my parents’ legal jargon and conviction. At the time, I believed that I would become an attorney because I could not identify any other profession that encouraged reading, writing, and defending one’s point of view on a regular basis. Dinners became opportunities for debates, and there was a certain charm to playing “receptionist” for my mother’s eccentric clients. I always assumed I would practice law in Romania. As a teenager, I moved to the United States, which completely changed the geographic trajectory of my career. After graduating high school, I was accepted to a college that allowed certain students to complete both their undergraduate and law degrees in six, rather than seven, years. I was thrilled to have a plan. Once in law school, I saw each class as an opportunity to consider, or rule out, potential fields of law. Ultimately, my career was shaped by my first summer internship for an Silvia C. Stanciu, Esq. Phillips & Associates 45 Broadway, Suite 620 New York, New York 10006 www.newyorkcitydiscriminationlawyer.com