Women at the Helm 2015
RACHEL EINBUND
Principal Attorney at the Law Office of Rachel Einbund, Esq.
The passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011 marked the end of one battle, and the beginning of many others. Rachel Einbund understood that from the start, and it's what led her to create her own legal practice, focusing on marriage-based green cards, work visas, domestic abuse victims and family-based immigration, to name but a few of her many specialties. Einbund, a graduate of NYU and New York Law School, prides herself on taking clients from all over, and on her belief in religious, political, gender and sexual freedom. In addition to running her own firm, she mentors law students; holds free workshops on the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) immigration policy; writes about immigration issues on her firm's blog, The LORE Review; and does pro-bono work for minors and unique cases. (She’s registered as a marriage officiant, too, as if all that weren't enough to keep her busy.) For her dedication to the law and our community, Einbund has received numerous honors: Just this year, the National LGBT Bar Association named her one of America's best LGBT lawyers under 40 and The International Women's Leadership Association called her a Woman of Outstanding Leadership. We here at GO simply call her "amazing."
Meet 16 dynamos who are true models of success
JILL E. SODAFSKY
Attorney at Law & Sole Proprietor, Jill E. Sodafsky, Esq.
Sometimes you just have to shake things up. Jill E. Sodafsky had been an insurance defense litigation attorney for a decade when she came to the conclusion that she no longer felt challenged. So Sodafsky, who graduated from Tufts University and New York Law School, created her own practice, concentrating on residential real estate. “My advice to anyone starting out, whether you have 20 years’ experience or just one, is to never be afraid to meet someone new or ask a question,” she says. “No successful individual gets to where she is all on her own. It takes help, encouragement, and a few key people along the way who remember what it was like to be just starting out, who want to lend a helping hand.” Sodafsky benefited greatly from having a mentor who “taught me everything I know, from how to draft a contract to how to take care of my clients to how to communicate with people effectively. It is because of her that I learned how to live a life with less anxiety and more patience.” But her greatest motivator is her wife. “She never ceases to amaze me. She is my biggest supporter, and she is the reason I strive to succeed every day.”
