The Glass Hammer Managing Editor Pamela Weinsaft recently spoke with attorney Kit Chaskin about Chaskin’s path from acting to the legal profession, her thoughts on tackling barriers to the advancement for women in law, and the importance of having a long-term vision for one’s career.

“I’m a third generation lawyer.  My grandfather hung out a shingle in 1929 and built a small firm in Cleveland, Ohio, which my father joined when he graduated from law school.  We always joked that we used the Socratic Method at our dinner table.  Being a lawyer was very much a part of the fabric of our lives,” said Kit Chaskin, a partner in the Insurance Recovery Group at international law firm Reed Smith and the director of the Women’s Initiative of Reed Smith.

Despite the virtual apprenticeship at an early age, she first pursued a career as an actress.  When she was ready to settle down and find a more financially rewarding career, the law was an obvious choice.  But she knew from day one that she wanted to have a life outside of law. “The fact that I had been out on a totally different career path put some perspective on law school.  I was more of a go-getter because it was such a privilege to be in law school and I appreciated the opportunity.  On the other hand, I had a life and I was already married.  I knew I was not going to put my life on hold until I made partner, which was the prevailing strategy for most of the women I went to law school with."

Read the full article at theglasshammer.com.