Hi, my name is Jennifer Yazdi and I’m the Little Girl Attorney.
I’ve been practicing law in San Francisco for a little over two years. I earned my nickname on a February morning in 2017 at the Superior Court of California in San Diego at the Hall of Justice when opposing counsel watched me wheel into the first day of a multi-million dollar trial and said, in his sing-song voice, “hey look, it’s a little girl attorney!” I knew right away his intention was to get in my head. Him and his co-counsel had a slew of tricks up their sleeves to harass and intimidate me throughout the entire trial. But I just couldn’t ignore him. I could not get these words out of my head. It just inflamed me.
Ever since that day, I have been searching for the way to deal with sexism in the profession. I’ve talked to a number of people, and attended panel discussions put on by the Bar Associations. I’m sad to say that I’ve been sorely disappointed with the majority of the advice, even from admirable and successful women in the profession. Don’t let it get to you and Always keep your cool and Think about your client — it’s just not good enough.
His words lit a fire within me that day that I still can’t ignore. A fire that is now fueling my quest to change the status quo for women in the legal profession.
Join me on my journey.