Page 18 - Miami Vol 7 No 2

2018 WOMEN IN LAW
KAREN LA
Filling a Void
AALM: What was the beginning of your career like?
Lapekas: e beginning of my ca- reer looked like me driving to Miami with everything I owned in an old car without air conditioning. I drove down on a Friday and was over the moon that I was starting my dream job at the IRS O ce of Chief Counsel on Mon- day. Days before I had taken my last exam to complete my LL.M. in tax at the University of Florida. I had $50 to last me until Tuesday. I expected to sleep in my car for a few days. I didn’t. I found a small e ciency on Pine Tree Drive in Miami Beach that was avail- able for rent. When I told the owner that I would come back on Tuesday when I had money, she said, “What if you just put something down now and move in? Like...$50?” inking of that moment still gives me chills. It was 2009. Who moves into an apart- ment in Miami Beach with only $50 and a handshake? at was perhaps the most important moment of mycareer.Inthatmomentmy
faith became immovable. I
knew that as long as I was
moving in the right direc-
tion, I would be okay, even
if I was alone, my nearest
family member was 1,000
miles away, and I did not
have lunch money for my
rst day of work at the
IRS! (But, of course, I did
eat. e o ce welcomed
the new attorney with a
pizza party.)
AALM: Do you nd that as a woman you face any challenges that men don’t?
Lapekas: Tax law is still predominantly male. at’s not just my opin-
ion. I recently became board certi ed in tax law by the Florida Bar. I reviewed the list of other attorneys in the state with this designation. Out of 207 at- torneys, I was one of only 16 women. I can’t say that this surprised me, how- ever. I have been to numerous tax law meetings over the years where I have been the only woman in the room. I o en felt like I didn’t belong and ques- tioned whether I would ever be able to “make it” in tax law. Fortunately, those
feelings were eeting. I have received tremendous support from the men in these rooms. ey have become my mentors and the people I call when I need a second opinion.
Of course, I have heard my share of inappropriate comments when I was the only woman in the room. At one meeting of tax lawyers (that I was lead- ing), while I was speaking to the group, one attorney whistled at me and com- mented on my appearance. He was an older gentleman and had perhaps one too many glasses of wine. I had actually had cases against him when I worked with the IRS and had nothing but re- spect for him. His lapse in judgment in that moment did not change that. I shook my head, sighed, and said, “Oh, Mr. So-and-so....” I did not have to say anything. I knew he probably went home and felt far more embarrassed than I was during that moment.
AALM: How supportive are fellow women practitioners?
Lapekas: While my current mentors in tax law are men, I am forever indebted to a woman whom I met only a handful of times, Frances Sheehy. Her career looked a lot like mine. A er law school, she joined the IRS O ce of Chief Counsel in Miami and later started her own law practice. However, her career in tax law began in 1987, when there were even fewer women in tax law. I admired her for her spotless reputation and the respect that tax attorneys around the state had for her, something she built on her own as a solo practitioner. Unfortunately, just as I le the IRS and began building
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