As Michelle Browning Coughlin, of counsel at ND Galli Law in Louisville, Kentucky, was raising her two daughters, she wanted her kids to understand what lawyers do. She worried that children only knew the type of lawyers who commonly appeared in courtrooms on television shows.
One sleepless night, she became inspired, sketching out the idea for the children’s book My Mom, the Lawyer. It’s told from the points of view of several children whose moms work in various capacities—ranging from corporate lawyers to judges to politicians to military attorneys. The vignettes explain what Mom does, along with providing role models.
In this episode of The Modern Law Library podcast, the ABA Journal’s Julianne Hill talks with Browning Coughlin, who is a member of the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession and is the founder of MothersEsquire, a nonprofit that advocates for gender equity, motherhood and caregiver issues.
Browning Coughlin discusses her process in writing and designing the picture book and talks about her creative choice to use images without distinct facial features.
While directed at young children, Browning Coughlin says the book also speaks to lawyers who are moms, letting them know that being both can be a busy but fulfilling life.