Her Story: Lessons in Success from Lawyers Who Live It

Her Story: Lessons in Success from Lawyers Who Live It is a powerful and uplifting compilation of personal essays about achieving success while juggling career advancement and the curveballs of life, and doing so with strength and grace. Her Story tells real stories about real lawyers' lives with abject honesty as told by the lawyers themselves. Collectively, these stories provide true examples of how attorneys are managing the interplay between thriving careers and enjoyable, full lives. Individually, these stories take you on a journey through personal challenges and struggles, while at the same time offering a plethora of advice and guidance on all aspects of career development. These stories offer views of what really matters when we step back from day-to-day challenges and set our eyes on the big picture.

Her Story is designed to encourage further discussion on topics that we all face but seldom speak about. Each chapter ends with questions to facilitate discussion in a book club, roundtable, or meeting setting, or to reflect on personally. Enjoy the book from start to finish or by picking out a chapter or essay of interest. The book is divided into eight chapters with topics on career management, developing a plan for success, gaining momentum, keeping values straight, building endurance, professional goals, maintaining perspective, getting back up, and finally, going the distance.

Teresa M. Beck is Managing Shareholder for the Nevada and Arizona offices of Klinedinst Law. She is also active in diversity and inclusion efforts across the country. Ms. Beck's firm represents small and large businesses, governmental entities, and individuals in a variety of matters including employment-related matters (administrative and litigation, with emphasis on representation of employers), contracts (from leases to product sales, and many more), civil litigation of all types, general advice, business disputes, products liability, premises liability, insurance coverage analysis and representation in bad faith and declaratory relief actions, catastrophic personal injury, and more. The firm maintains offices servicing southern, central and northern California, the State of Nevada, the State of Arizona, and the States of Washington and Oregon. Ms. Beck is licensed to practice in California, Nevada, and Arizona.

Biography of TERESA M. BECK, Partner, Born Santa Ana, California. Admitted to California Bar (1990); U.S. District Court (Southern District of California) (1990); admitted to Arizona Bar (2005).

Preparatory Education: San Diego State University (B.S. 1986). Legal Education: University of San Diego (J.D. 1990, Magna Cum Laude).

Memberships: Vice President, Board of National Conference of Women’s Bar Associations; San Diego County Bar Association; Claims & Litigation Management Alliance, Construction and Retail, Restaurant, Hospitality Committees; American Bar Association (member of the Woman Advocate Committee), and co-chair of the Work/Life Management Sub-Committee of the Woman Advocate Committee); San Diego Defense Lawyers; Lawyers Club of San Diego (founder and former co-chair of the Professional Advancement Committee and former co-chair of the Balance Committee); California Women Lawyers (former chair of the Gender Equity Committee); Girl Scouts, San Diego-Imperial Council, Inc. (Former Board Member and Chair of the Professional Women Alumnae for Girl Scouts 100th Anniversary).

Legal Practice: Extern to Justice Howard B. Wiener, California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District (1990); Internship and Clerk for Office of the United States Attorney, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (1986-1988); Associate with Lincoln, Gustafso, Cercos (1990-1997); Partner with Lincoln, Gustafson & Cercos (1997-2018); Cochair of CA Litigation and Chair of AZ Litigation for Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney (2018 - 2021); and Managing Shareholder of Nevada and Arizona Offices/Cochair of DEI for Klinedinst Law (2021 - present).

Summary of Legal Career: Since beginning her legal practice, Ms. Beck has both litigated and supervised the litigation of hundreds of civil cases, including complex matters, class action suits, insurance coverage, personal injury, and employment, including all phases of litigation, up to and including appeal, in state and federal court. Ms. Beck is also general counsel for many companies and in that capacity provides legal advice on a wide range of topics. Ms. Beck has resolved numerous disputes short of litigation for her clients in this capacity, through strategic handling and targeted negotiation.

Leadership: Ms. Beck is President-Elect of the National Conference of Women's Bar Associations, and Co-chair of the ABA's Woman Advocate Committee's Book Committee. Ms. Beck is an active mentor of the newer attorneys in her firm, particularly women and minority associates, is active in leading numerous legal organizations (see memberships above), and is active in a variety of non-legal community roles, including diversity and inclusion efforts (San Diego Diversity Council and National Diversity Council), church youth groups, Youth Theater, and many others.

Speaking Experience: Ms. Beck has given seminars and has spoken in numerous contexts including human resources matters, investigation of claims, report writing, and OSHA standards, among many other topics. Ms. Beck is often an attendee and speaker at the risk management meetings of various clients and assists in developing risk management strategies. Ms. Beck also regularly speaks to specialty bar groups on the topic of managing the legal profession and a family, and professional advancement.

Shayna M. Steinfeld practices exclusively in the areas of bankruptcy, corporate reorganization, and creditor's rights in Atlanta with Steinfeld & Steinfeld, P.C. She is Board Certified in both consumer bankruptcy law and business bankruptcy law. Ms. Steinfeld has served in leadership positions at the local, state, and national level for organizations including the Atlanta Bar Association, National Conference of Women Bar Associations, Atlanta Hadassah Attorney's Council, and Metropolitan Atlanta Consumer Bankruptcy Group. She is currently a co-chair for the American Bar Association Litigation Section and was involved in the ad hoc Bankruptcy Committee for the ABA. A frequent lecturer on bankruptcy-related topics, Ms. Steinfeld has authored several articles appearing in state bar journals and co-authored The Family Lawyer's Guide to Bankruptcy for the ABA Section of Family Law with her husband, Bruce and is a co-editor of the recently published "Her Story" books through the ABA Litigation Section.

Jacqueline Mecchella Bushwack is a partner in Rivkin Radler LLP’s Complex Torts & Product Liability, General Liability and Medical Malpractice Defense Practice Groups, where she defends property owners, construction management companies, construction contractors, convenience store chains, pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, physicians, adult care facilities, and others in suits alleging premises liability, violations of New York State’s Labor Law, product liability, medical and dental malpractice, nursing home negligence, and toxic exposures. She is on the board of directors for the North Shore Child & Family Guidance Center and chairs its Business Advisory Council. Prior board experience includes serving on the Board of Trustees of Albany Law School as the recent graduate trustee from 2007 to 2010.

She is actively involved with the American Bar Association, where she cochairs the Work/Life Management Subcommittee of the Section of Litigation’s Woman Advocate Committee and serves as the subcommittee chair of Book Projects. She is also an active member of the USLAW Network and the Long Island Center for Business & Professional Women. She was selected as one of Long Island’s “50 Most Influential Women” by Long Island Business News for 2014. She is a member of the firm’s softball and volleyball teams. She lives in Long Island with her husband and two young children.