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The Portia Project

The Portia Project

By: MC Sungaila
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About this listen

The Portia Project™ Podcast seeks to inspire the next generation of women lawyers and law students by sharing the stories of high achieving women in the law – their paths to the bench, the bar, and beyond. Their personal histories, spanning the 1960’s to today, chronicle women’s progress in the legal profession and business world, and serve as powerful reminders that there are many individual paths to success.

As master storyteller Bobette Buster puts it: “Stories, told well and acted upon by one generation, ignite the next generation to greatness; because they have heard with their own ears, and seen with their own eyes, what courage can achieve.”

Guests stepping into the spotlight to share their career stories include federal judges, state supreme court justices, and state trial judges from across the country, as well as leading trial lawyers, general counsel, law professors, business and nonprofit executives, and founders. They provide tips on effective lawyering and reveal the array of meaningful careers possible with a law degree, in a format that is a far cry from formal judicial or lawyer profiles in traditional legal publications – one that brings out the interviewees’ human side and lets their personality shine through.


By listening to the lives of these lawyers and judges, you will gain a clearer idea of how they built their careers and may be inspired to follow in their footsteps. Who knows, maybe the next woman to revolutionize law, business, or the judiciary will be you!


Hosting the podcast is M.C. Sungaila, a practicing lawyer for more than 30 years, who has consistently been named one of the Top 100 Women Lawyers in California by the legal newspaper The Daily Journal. She focuses on civil appeals, writs, and related trial strategy and consulting. M.C. received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for her combined professional achievements in humanitarian and pro bono work. She shares this recognition with seven U.S. Presidents, Nobel Prize winners, athletes, artists, and industry leaders who made a significant contribution to humanity.


M.C. invites amazing judges and lawyers to the podcast to share their valuable, inspiring legal advice. With each guest, you receive the best of both worlds: tips to improve your law practice and insights to enhance your career trajectory.


Join M.C. Sungaila in this meaningful journey to elevate your legal career and forge the path to becoming the lawyer of your dreams.


Listen to The Portia Project™ Podcast today at theportiaprojectpodcast.com

Copyright 2025 Crystal Cove Press LLC/ All Rights Reserved/ theportiaprojectpodcast.com
Career Success Economics Personal Development Personal Success Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Aarti Holla-Maini
    Jan 19 2026

    We reprise one of our most popular episodes in our continuing series on Space with Aarti Holla-Maini, the Director of the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) who joins the podcast to share her journey from solicitor training to attending business school and entering the aerospace industry, growing and leading the Global Satellite Industry Association, and now leading UNOOSA. Along the way, she discusses the importance of meditation and knowing your own strengths and purpose, as well as the importance of authenticity in leading others.

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    42 mins
  • Lauren Kleiman
    Jan 12 2026

    In this reprise episode, Newport Beach, California City Council Member and now Mayor Lauren Kleiman talks with host M.C. Sungaila about her path to practicing law and the unexpected road to elected office. She also draws the ugly and amazing side of elections and politics in general. Council Member Lauren Kleiman encourages people in Newport Beach to get involved in different areas of what their community is doing to shape and support the place they live in. In this episode, we learn that politics remains an avenue for positive change, and by working together, finding common ground, and putting the community's needs first, we can overcome the negative aspects and create a more inclusive and vibrant society. Tune in to learn more!


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    37 mins
  • Dr. Ulpia-Elena Botezatu
    Jan 5 2026

    Continuing our space leader series, Dr. Ulpia-Elena Botezatu, Space Policy Officer at the Romanian Space Agency, joins us from the sidelines of the recent UNOOSA Commercial Lunar Activities and Space Law Conference at the United Nations in Vienna. Dr. Botezatu leads two major international bodies related to space activities: the Scientific and Technical Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UN COPUOS) and the Action Team on Lunar Activities Consultation (ATLAC). Dr. Botezatu shares her path to space and space governance at the UN, and the important work of these international bodies in paving the way for cooperation and peaceful activities in outer space.

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    35 mins
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