Headshots for Attorney
Last month I had the privilege of photographing fellow Chief Amy Epstein Gluck.
Amy’s journey was not your typical legal career. Amy spent many years a part-time litigator and full-time mom of three, focused on keeping a hand in the law while still being the parent she wanted to be.
Amy shared, “After working part-time at big law firms and then for a boutique litigation firm, I met my now law partner Paul, who truly sponsored my career from then on. Paul connected me to firms seeking legal contractors and then led me to my current firm, FisherBroyles, LLP, in 2015. In January 2016, I joined FisherBroyles as a full-time partner, and my husband took over many of the tasks I had been doing on my own at home. I started meeting people and working really hard, and my career skyrocketed from there.” My husband Ira’s involvement was key. He picked up a significant portion of home-work – food shopping, cooking, driving the kids – so that I could focus on building my practice.
“My firm is amazing. It really gives me the flexibility to parent the way I want to parent. To live the way I want to live and work how I want to work. I love work and my partners are incredible. I was finally able to access a platform to build that up in a way that works for me, my family, and my life.”
I asked Amy what takeaway she would share with her younger self, and she answered, “Take care of yourself first. Prioritize your self-care. It’s like the old adage of putting on your own oxygen mask before helping others.”
She continued, “Early in my career, I felt like I didn’t have time – or money – to focus on my mental health. I started to really focus on it in 2014 and everything got better, easier. My partner really stepped up to give me the time and the room to get where I am now. I shared a lot about this on my blog during the pandemic especially. It really came to like how partners split household tasks unequally, with many women taking on the role of virtual teacher, cook, cleaner, and more. Knowing what I know now, I would have taken care of myself sooner and insisted on more support sooner.”
“I feel grateful and worked damn hard to get to where I am—and I’m really proud of that and of my husband and my family. My husband created space for me to grow into my potential, but I couldn’t have done it without self care.I very rarely take a picture that I love. I was so impressed with Alissa’s photos of me and blown away with the results.”
Thank you, Amy, for sharing your story and reminding me of the importance of prioritizing mental health and self-care.