How Identity Has Influenced a Founder and Business Attorney at Anasa Law Firm's Career
As a black woman, Liku felt compelled to "dim [their] own light" early in a legal career, carefully navigating spaces to avoid negative stereotypes, which ultimately impacted mental health and led to starting Anasa Law Firm PC. Now, Liku embraces authenticity, acknowledging that some will hold biases regardless, and focuses on bringing the "full fledged me" to clients who deserve the best, viewing self-trust and confidence, including identity and experiences, as key to success.
Overcoming Challenges, Confidence, Entrepreneurship, Resilience, Inclusion and Diversity
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Liku Amadi, Esq.
Founder and Business Attorney
Anasa Law Firm PC
CSUS
Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Doctor of Jurisprudence
Communications
Law
Legal
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Early career involved 'dimming her own light' to combat negative stereotypes associated with being a tall, Black woman in law, impacting mental health and leading to her decision to leave law firm life.
2. Starting her own law firm allowed her to embrace her identity and strengths, recognizing her credentials and the importance of authenticity in serving her clients and building her business.
3. She highlights the importance of self-confidence and trusting in oneself, including one's identity and experiences, rather than worrying about others' perceptions or societal biases.
Transcript
As someone who identifies as a Black woman, how has that impacted how you've navigated your career?
Flashbacks are coming. In the earlier stage of my career, I definitely thought that as a black woman, there were a lot of stereotypes playing against me. A tall black woman, there was a lot of playing it safe, not speaking up, trying to make sure that the example I like to use is wearing heels. I'm tall, but I still like to wear heels.
One time someone told me that I come off as intimidating when I speak in class. I was doing a lot of things to try and dim my own light, if you will. I was just trying to navigate spaces very carefully so people wouldn't attribute negative stereotypes to me. That impacted the earlier part of my career.
From a mental health perspective, that started to impact me. It was largely part of my decision to leave law firm life and start my own practice. I never wanted to start my own practice, but it got to the point where I was like, "I still want to be a lawyer." So I decided to try it. If it didn't work out, I could always go back or become a carpenter. Life isn't over because my quality of life started to be a lot more important to me, particularly during the pandemic.
When I went out on my own and started my own law firm, I slowly but quickly realized that I have credentials. I'm smart. Some people are going to attribute negative stereotypes to me, whether I speak up or not. My clients deserve the best of me. This attempt at owning a business deserves my full self, showing up as my best and authentically.
So I leaned into the fact that yes, I am a black woman. Yes, I do speak a certain way. Yes, my voice is commanding when I speak. I'm tall, but I still want to wear heels, so I'm going to do that. If a man or someone else is intimidated by that, then a lot of this is not my problem. I can take feedback, of course, but a lot of this is just what people see. It's not always their fault; society has been ingrained to see certain things a certain way.
That's their unlearning and uncovering to do. Instead of worrying about what other people think about me, I need to worry about myself and what I'm doing. If I have clients who don’t want to work with me, or people who doubt me, then I’m just not supposed to be in business with those people.
Confidence and trust in myself fully includes my identity and my experiences, and not just as being a business owner. It’s helped me with a lot of unlearning and relearning.