Meet Karla Gilbride, the Cartwright-Baron staff attorney at Public Justice. Karla recently came by the Lawline studio to present an in-depth look at the recent changes in the law pertaining to Arbitration Provisions in Consumer Finance. Lawliners swooned over her guide dog Anya, and viewers rated the program 100 percent. Afterwards, Karla discussed finding a good fit in public interest law, the future of litigation advocacy, and the joy of building persuasive arguments.
What made you decide to practice law, and what led you to a career in the public interest?
My parents always said I’d make a good lawyer because, as a kid, I never let an argument rest until I got my way, or at least had the last word. While I don’t feel the need to argue just for the sake of arguing anymore, I still love the mental exercise of constructing the most persuasive argument I can. But it’s also more than a mental exercise – the cases I work on for Public Justice directly affect the lives of low-income consumers and workers and help level the playing field for them.
How do you see the work of your organization evolving in the future?
Public Justice pursues high-impact lawsuits to combat social and economic injustice, protect the Earth’s sustainability, and challenge predatory corporate conduct and government abuses. There are some practice areas in which we have already developed expertise over the years, but we are also prepared to expand into new areas to help other people whose civil rights are being violated.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Often Public Justice is asked to assist with briefing on a particular motion (like opposing a motion to compel arbitration or a Rule 23(f) interlocutory appeal of a class certification order). When I come into a case partway through, I love combing through the record and finding little nuggets deep in a deposition transcript, a hearing transcript or a pleading. It’s like panning for gold.
What advice would you give to attorneys interested in pursuing a career in public interest law?
It’s important to find a good fit, both in terms of substantive legal issues and an organizational structure that complements your strengths (such as litigation, lobbying or bill drafting, or running a small nonprofit). In general, unless you’re working at a very large organization, I think public interest law requires you to be a bit more nimble and flexible than some other legal jobs. The best suggestion I can offer is to intern at the kind of organization you are interested in to check out what the day to day is like. If that’s not feasible, reach out to someone who works at an organization you admire, and pick that person’s brain with questions – as specific as you can.
Why do you teach CLE programs?
I think it’s important for lawyers to give back to the community, whether through doing pro bono work or other volunteer activities. I give back by mentoring law students and younger lawyers and by volunteering on the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights’ non-partisan ‘Election Protection’ hotline. I see sharing my knowledge through CLE programs as another way of giving back, and as a personal bonus, it’s also a good way to work on my presentation skills.
What lawyer do you admire most?
Thurgood Marshall and Ruth Bader Ginsburg were trailblazers who used the legal system to advance the rights of African Americans and women while putting the lie to stereotypes and low expectations. As a totally blind person, I’m always very cognizant of the fact that when I give an argument in court, meet with a client or attend a mediation with opposing counsel, I may be the first blind person, let alone lawyer, that these folks have ever encountered. I aspire to carry myself with the dignity, grace and poise Marshall and Ginsburg displayed, and I can only hope to have a fraction of the impact that they had on the law as champions of civil rights.
What’s your favorite book?
I love to read, so it’s hard to choose just one book. I get different things out of different genres. For biographies, I like the LBJ series by Robert Caro and Ron Chernow’s book on Alexander Hamilton. The investigative journalism style of Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation) and Natalie Angier’s science writing is also great. For fiction, I really like the speculative science fiction of Octavia Butler, and for legal thrillers, my go-to’s are the oldies but goodies – Richard North Patterson and Scott Turow.