Interview with Judge Liz Kim

Judge Liz Kim is an outstanding role model who is an inspiration to all young girls, and women. She is a wife and mother of three, two with special needs. Despite the sacrifice, and challenges, she has managed to maintain a healthy balance between her family and her highly demanding professional career. When and why did you decide to become a lawyer? I decided to become a lawyer when I was twenty years old. I graduated from law school when I was twenty three and wanted to become a lawyer to work in juvenile law. I have always wanted to work with children, so in law school, I took classes and learned the many ways that children and the law intersect. After I passed the bar, I was hired by Los Angeles County to represent the Department of Children and Family Services. How did you decide to become a judge? I started out as a prosecutor in the County Counsel’s office. From there, I went in to private practice, where I represented children in dependency court, criminal court, and in contested adoptions. I found the work incredibly rewarding. I got married and have three children, two boys with special needs. I needed to balance work with family and found that working set hours at work was more manageable than working as a trial lawyer. My sons needed early childhood intervention and I was able to schedule their therapy sessions on my days off. I needed to be available for my children, yet I knew I would not be happy if I gave up my career completely. What is the main qualification to become a judge? To be constitutionally eligible to be a judicial officer, you have to be a lawyer for a minimum of 10 years. What is the best part of being a judge? I make decisions that effectuate change. What is the hardest part of being a judge? I work in the Children’s Court and the subject matter of my cases is child abuse. We carry extremely heavy caseloads and the services for our population have been cut dramatically. At any given time, my department has an average of 1100 children with open cases. It is challenging to insure that each case is given the time and attention that it deserves. What do you find most fulfilling as a judge? The most fulfilling aspect of my job is that I work directly with families and make orders which are specifically tailored to assist and serve children and their families. It is incredibly fulfilling to see parents in recovery achieve sobriety, women leave abusive relationships, and children improve and bloom after receiving early intervention and special ed services. Give me an accomplishment which you are proud of? My children are learning that women are important, we hold important jobs, we make important decisions, and we do important things. What impact would you like to have on other women through your role as a judge? As the daughter of first generation immigrants, and as the mother of a 10 year old girl, I would like to show women of all backgrounds that women are strong and we can achieve our dreams. How does a person obtain a leadership role? It is earned through honesty, confidence, knowledge and a willingness to take on responsibility. As a leader, what advice can you give women leaders? I believe it is important to be a mentor. Accept invitations to speak to students, talk about your experiences, challenges and accomplishments. Dispel their fear that goals are unattainable. Tell them that they should try their best; they will be surprised at how they can achieve. I believe it is important to support each other. Although we’ve made great strides in achieving equality, there is still much work to be done. Women need to help each other, celebrate each other’s accomplishments, and push each other along in this journey. By Yolanda Osorio - owner of A-1 Custom Draperies, and in 50/50’s Leadership Circle.

Women remain under-represented in Media

According to the, Women's Media Center which released its annual report on the state of women in the nation's newsrooms, radio stations, and film sets. The good news: In 2011, women held 40.5 percent of newspaper jobs, compared to the 36.6 percent they occupied in 2010. (Women's representation at American newspapers had hovered below the 40 percent mark for more than a decade). The bad news: By almost every other measure, media remains overwhelmingly male, and not looking any better any time soon. Last year, women made up only 22 percent of the local radio workforce, compared to 29.2 percent in 2010. Women's representation in sports news hasn't budged since 2008 (just 11 percent of editors, 10 percent of columnists, and 7 percent of reporters are women). In one year, women dropped from 20 percent of behind-the-scenes entertainment television roles to just 4 percent. Worldwide, women are the subjects of 24 percent of news stories. Just 21 percent of Sunday morning television commentators are women. Only a third of speaking characters in films are female (and about a quarter of them are dressed sexily). Women direct 5 percent of films. And it's not for lack of talent or enthusiasm: Women make up 73 percent of journalism and mass communication graduates. The Women's Media Center's data charts the chronic underrepresentation of women behind the camera, on the page, and in newsrooms back to 1998 (really, it goes back forever). But the sheer endurance of male overrepresentation in the media begets its own narrative: It does not necessarily get better. And even when it does, it doesn't always stay that way. Gender equality in the media takes attention, work, and vigilance. It requires us to confront an uncomfortable truth: If we are all truly hiring the best person for the job, it means that we think that men are better. Women are the majority and make-up roughly 51% of Americans. So it would seem issues of women representing anything should not be relegated as fringe issues, but should be recognized as helping a majority of the people in our country. Systematic oppression and patriarchy is a force hard to break through. Even a woman’s basic rights to control what they do with their own bodies are debated in Congress everyday by rich 50-60 year old men. Unfortunately for women: as long as mainstream media remains controlled by “The Good Old Boys Network,” not much good news for women. By Lorraine Johnson, Financial Analyst, Jet Propulsion Laboratory and member of Pasadena Leadership Circle