When Leslie Debra Kelmachter was in the third grade, her teacher told her she should be a lawyer. “It was a time when women weren’t becoming lawyers,” recalls Kelmachter, a partner at The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm in Manhattan. “But it really stuck with me, and fit.”

For 20 years, Kelmachter has handled major medical malpractice and product liability cases involving people who’ve been killed or catastrophically injured, landing numerous multi-million dollar settlements and verdicts for her clients. “I like the fact I have clients I care about,” she says. “I care about what happened to them and their loved ones.”

But it’s also true that Kelmachter is drawn to the thrill of the courtroom.

“What I really like are the trials themselves,” says Kelmachter, who served as chairperson of the Tort Litigation Committee for the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, and is also on the board of directors of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association. “There’s nothing more compelling than taking a case and putting the pieces together for the purpose of a trial, putting together the opening, the closing.” She adds, “There’s nothing better than a good cross-examination. It’s hard to explain. Thinking on your feet is the most fun. You have to prepare like crazy because to think on your feet, you must be prepared. But ultimately, you have to go with what happens in the courtroom.”

Marilyn B. Chinitz, a partner with Blank Rome who concentrates on complex matrimonial matters including international custody cases, knows that adrenaline rush that makes courtroom work so appealing.

“Trial work is very exhilarating,” says Chinitz, who has litigated numerous cases over the past 20-plus years. “Putting the pieces of the puzzle together and really trying to weave it all together is a very challenging task. It takes great preparation, great time and thoughtfulness. You can’t gloss anything over. You have to dig deeper and deeper, and peel away the layers until you get at the heart of the issue. When you’re prepared, it’s the greatest feeling because you walk into any situation and you have the facts and the law, and you can’t be beaten—and that’s a terrific feeling.”

“I enjoy it immensely . . . talking to my client, building rapport, getting his story out. It’s more about making a connection with a person.”
– Jenay Nurse, The Bronx Defenders

Sheila G. Riesel, a partner at Blank Rome, also focuses on divorce work and was ranked by Worth magazine as one of the top 100 lawyers in the United States representing affluent families. Does she love trial work? She laughs, and says, “It’s love/hate because it’s grueling. It’s anxiety-provoking because you never know what surprises you’re going to get in a courtroom.” She adds, “It’s also one of the headiest experiences you can have as a lawyer, to have a great experience in trial court. Cross-examining a witness and making our case. There’s nothing like it.”

Laurie J. McPherson is another partner at Blank Rome, where she handles high-net worth divorces as well as complex commercial litigation. She agrees with her colleagues that getting into the courtroom is the peak of practicing law. “What litigator doesn’t want to say, ‘Isn’t it a fact . . . ’” she says. “And to cross-examine people? That is the fun stuff, the theater.” It’s not easy, she adds. Being a trial attorney means devoting yourself entirely to your work when a case is in the courtroom. “It’s all-consuming when you’re on trial,” she says.

“It’s double duty because you’re in court all day, and then have to go back to the office and prepare for the next day in court.”

At a time when women still tend to be responsible for childcare more than men, the incredible demands of trial work can make it very difficult for anyone with children. While women comprise at least 50 percent of law students, their numbers are still small within the trial bar, especially in certain areas such as personal injury plaintiffs’ work. Yet the work is so compelling and rewarding that many women find a way to balance career with children. Among matrimonial litigators, there are a substantial number of women. There are also a significant number of women prosecutors, and a growing number among criminal defense attorneys.

Take Jenay Nurse. When she graduated cum laude from law school a few years ago, she received a coveted position as a litigation associate with a prestigious Manhattan law firm, and was posted in Budapest for a while. But litigating cases for a big firm isn’t really trial work; there, it’s more about pre-trial preparation including lots of paperwork. “If you end up in the courtroom, you’ve pretty much lost,” explains Nurse. She worked at the firm for nearly two years before landing her dream job: as a criminal defense attorney with The Bronx Defenders, where trying cases is what it’s all about.

“I enjoy it immensely,” says Nurse, who grew up in the Bronx and wanted to return to work in her community. “It’s a totally different dynamic. It’s poring over hundreds of thousands of documents versus me talking to my client, building rapport, getting his story out. It’s more about making a connection with a person. I’m really enjoying it.” There are a significant number of women attorneys with The Bronx Defenders, she notes, and she’s currently trying a case in which her opponent, the assistant district attorney, is also a woman.

Oroma H. Mpi graduated from law school in 2007 and tries cases as a lawyer with Legal Services in the Bronx, representing the families of low-income children who have special education needs or have been disciplined in school. Mpi says she was very shy as a young girl and could never have imagined herself joining the ranks of female trial attorneys. But, like her sisters in the trial bar, she’s fallen in love with the work.

“It’s very challenging,” says Mpi. “It uses your own common sense along with the book smarts you learned in law school, trying to beat the other side. I do like the adversarial nature of it. I find it fun and thrilling. It’s rewarding—when you win, of course.”