Member Spotlight: Lakeisha Barnes

What is your day-to-day work, your passion?

I’ve been thinking about what I am passionate about with regards to my career in the legal field and I think it is being able to reach a point in my career where I can make an actual difference. I know that is a broad thought or passion, but anytime I can use my brain to help someone who cannot help themselves, that is when I feel the best.

It is what drives me the most.

What inspired you to work in the legal field? Was this always your goal?

When I was a sophomore in university I took a constitutional law course as part of my criminal justice minor. It was that class that inspired me because I think it was then that I realized that the social system that had been created to prop up some while suppressing others might actually be able to have the opposite effect when used creatively. Even then, I knew I did not want to just do it on a domestic scale, I wanted to be a part of global change. But this was not always my goal. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do in college, I knew that it needed to be a role with an international context. I considered the legal field as an option but had not taken it seriously until my sophomore year.

What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in your career?

So far, it has been the bar exam. I always prided myself on doing well in school. Failure of anything academic was not in my vocabulary. I also had a habit of comparing myself to my classmates and passing the bar the first time seemed like a badge of honor that determined your intelligence and your success as a young lawyer. So, when I didn’t pass the first time, I really had to deal with that aspect of the process, emotionally and mentally because I needed to retake the exam. It wasn’t easy and I constantly had negative thoughts about myself and about the exam. I had a great support system so eventually I was able to drag myself out of that funk and pass in Georgia and then in New York.

How did you come to be involved with the ABA?

One of the founding partners at my Stewart Fellowship summer firm placement, Laurence Wiener. I knew about the ABA, but I figured I would wait until I was more established before getting actively involved. He introduced me to seasoned attorneys and other young attorneys via email and in person when opportunities presented themselves. He also encouraged me to join the International Law Section’s Young Lawyers Interest Network, which led to me becoming a leader of that committee myself. He is a large reason for my involvement with the ABA.

How do you manage work-life balance?

Although it is hard, I try to do my best not to bring work home, if I can help it. When I leave the office, I do not attempt to do more when I get home. I have tried to keep a schedule of some sort during the week, that could be having my coffee in the morning while my dog eats and I get ready, go to the office, come home, feed and walk my dog, then feed myself while I watch my favorite international drama of the month. At weekends, I keep strictly to myself unless what needs to be done for work is urgent. It’s usually when I do my cleaning, binge dramas, take my dog to our favorite park, and get some extra sleep. I learned to set these boundaries in an attempt to not burn out and to take care of myself so that I can be the best version of myself for the clients I serve.

What do you consider your biggest accomplishment and how did you reach this achievement?

It’s hard to choose because the end of 2024 was such a big career advancement year for me, but it would have to be getting selected on my first try to become an Airforce JAG officer.

In May, I attended the International Law Section’s Annual Meeting. There I met Judge Linda Murnane and Major Zellner, a current JAG officer in the Airforce at the Mentoring Breakfast being hosted by the Young Lawyers Interest Network in Washington DC. After speaking to them and asking all the questions I felt I needed answered to appease any concerns I had about applying, I began the application process. At the end of May, I put in my two weeks at the firm I spent almost three years at after graduating from law school. Then I spent most of the summer studying for the New York bar exam and working on my application for the November deadline. I had another person read over my motivation statement while I collected my application materials, and asked friends/classmates currently in JAG about their experiences. I applied for and completed my in-person interview in October. I found out I passed the New York bar exam and was offered a job while I was waiting on the results of my JAG application. Then a week after I started my new job, I found out that I was selected to become a JAG on my first try.