Combat Boots
SPROWT ARTICLE | Lorna Dabo
Combat Boots
Today, I want to talk to you about shoes. Shoes?
Yes, shoes! I know that talking about shoes may seem like a frivolous topic at first glance, but I assure you it won’t be in the way you’re thinking.
I’m not going to talk about shoes in the literal sense, i.e., those displayed in the shop windows. I’m talking about shoes in the figurative sense.
For us women in the legal world, particularly those who are lawyers in law firms, despite wearing beautiful high heels, they can turn into real combat boots. Working as lawyers in a country with much still to be done, full of opportunities that require solutions of high sophistication and complexity not always easy to address considering our own legal market and in a profession that continues to be predominantly male, is highly challenging.
That’s where the shoes come in… Throughout our lives, we have been educated to be passive and calm. An objective woman who does not embellish her words could be seen as arrogant or insensitive. Thus, throughout our lives, we are taught to wear crystal shoes. However, in the world of law firms, we wear real combat boots!
For us women who work in law firms, and the one I work in is no exception, we feel challenged daily by our work, the trust placed in us, and also the complexity of the subjects we deal with. So, we are not afraid to put away our glass slippers for opportune moments and lace up our combat boots.
Fortunately, we realize that the legal market, especially in the organized practice of law firms and clients in general, is paying increasing attention and interest to the contribution of women lawyers and the sensitivity and quality they bring, leading to an increasingly greater appreciation of our opinions and the unique place we occupy as women.
In the face of our daily challenges, we can proudly say that our chosen attire is combat boots!