Page 14 - Miami Vol 7 No 2
P. 14

2018 WOMEN IN LAW
ALLISON R. DAY
Beyond the Glass Ceiling
AALM: When did you decide to become a lawyer and why? Did your family ever want you to be something else? What drove you to this career?
Day: During my junior year at the University of Colo- rado, I realized that college life would soon end. My mother was an accomplished and well-respected attorney for over 65 years, my father was a coach and a teacher/administra- tor and my brother was an attorney in California. In ret- rospect, it was obvious that I would pursue a career in law.
AALM: What do you  nd rewarding about being an at- torney? What do you  nd challenging about your practice? Day: Several things are rewarding about being an attorney. When clients are grateful for your counsel and hard work on their matter and express that to you. Also, I am able to change lives – both my own and others through my commitment to pro bono work. I am able to solve  nancial problems for cor-
porations as well as individuals and, of course, by teaching. Today, what I  nd most challenging is the lack of civility amongst lawyers. It is not unusual for litigants to be un- civil toward one another, but now it seems that, in many in- stances, the lawyers have entered that arena as well. I greet the bullying tactics and lack of civility by opposing counsel by o ering only very pleasant banter which o en di uses
the situation.
AALM: What was the beginning of your career like? How
has it evolved over the years?
Day: When I graduated from law school, I moved to
Florida where I did not know anyone but my then boy- friend. We bartered o ce space for legal work. I was ex- posed to many di erent areas of the law. My  rst foray into bankruptcy law was in 1987, when a family business need- ed to restructure in Chapter 11. I assisted the company’s bankruptcy attorney with the preparation of the schedules and soon realized I truly enjoyed bankruptcy law. I went to work for the lawyer who represented the company in its Chapter 11 and learned from the bottom up.
 e practice of bankruptcy law has signi cantly changed since the late 1980s. You must be  exible in o ering solu- tions for clients as Chapter 11s have signi cantly decreased
in number and signi cantly increased in cost. Chapter 11 is not for everyone. Exploring out of the box alternatives of- fers solutions such as receiverships, workouts, and assign- ment for the bene t of creditor’s proceedings.
AALM: Did you have any mentors or professors who helped you develop your career? What is the best lesson they taught you?
Day: I was fortunate enough to have many mentors. Most in uential was my mom, Grace Day. She broke the glass ceiling in the late 1940s and was very wise with her advice as was my brother, a skilled litigator in L.A. My peers at GJB help me to be a better lawyer every day.
 e best lesson they taught me was to never send an email that you would be embarrassed to have attached as an exhibit to a pleading  led with the court.
AALM: How do you personally try to help women enter- ing the legal industry?
Day: I assisted with the formation and was the  rst chair of the Florida Network’s International Women’s Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC). IWIRC is in- strumental in networking opportunities among women in the insolvency world. I also help mentor young lawyers and law school students at the University of Miami School of Law, where I teach as an adjunct professor.
I practice what I preach to my peers. I believe the more well-rounded you are in your  eld, the more e ective you
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · MIAMI · VOL. 7 NO. 2 14


































































































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