The Atlanta Lawyer August/September 2011 | Page 15

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Women in The Profession section - Remarks of Jessica Harper Upon
Receiving the outstanding Woman in the Profession Achievement Award

S

o this award is for promoting and empowering women
attorneys. I am here today because you all promoted
and empowered me! I can tell you that it takes a village
to raise an attorney and that I have had some very supportive
villagers.

And, of course, GSU Law School helped me enormously by
having classes day and night. In addition, so many of my
professors encouraged me.
I have been at Bodker,
Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd
& Wildstein since becoming an
attorney. I’ve always been very
well supported by everyone
there. The firm has a culture
of inclusion with regard to
our clients and our firm itself
and I think that’s why we’ve
been so successful. while I
was up for partner, one of the
firm’s founders told me that
he thought they had room
for a left-handed vegetarian
long-haired attorney at the
partner table. And I’ve always
appreciated that.

I want to tell you a bit about
the people who have helped
me and how they helped me.
If you are so inclined, please
copy off of them and pass that
help along.
I was brought up in a family
where we were taught to identify
and protest injustices. My
mother would dress me up in
my Brownie uniform, provide
me with talking points and
then she would whisk me off
to protests. when speaking
to adults, I was encouraged to
say things like, “as a concerned
Brownie, I think that the air
inversion standards should be
modified to prevent burning of
medical waste.” I was probably
about 8-years-old.

And over the years practicing
law, I’ve become friends with
some of the most brilliant
funny amazing people who
just happen to be attorneys.
They have been there for me in good times and bad. I have
some non-attorney friends as well and they have also helped
to guide and inspire me.

Shown from left to right are Section Chair Laura Zschach
(Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd & Wildstein, PC) and
Jessica J. Harper (Bodker, Ramsey, Andrews, Winograd &
Wildstein, PC).

My mother worked for a law firm as a legal assistant. I didn’t
know any female attorneys or judges growing up, but my
piano teacher’s husband was a judge and my Social Studies
teacher’s husband was a judge and we attended field trips to
their courtrooms. In addition, my mother – and I grew up in
Oklahoma City -- organized a group of people to attend trial
dates for the Estate of Karen Silkwood v. Kerr-McGee. I recall
seeing Gerry Spence in his Buckskin jacket and thinking, “this
guy seems to be having a lot of fun.” He seemed to be very
passionate and very involved in his cause. He said that the
plutonium is Kerr-McGee’s lion, not Karen Silkwood’s, and that
he did not have to show the jury how that lion got on Karen
Silkwood’s property. In his closing, he said, “If the lion gets
away, Kerr-McGee has to pay.” That’s how he distilled strict
liability. This left a huge impression and taught me that the
law was a place for individuals.
Later, I was a legal assistant at Arnall Golden & Gregory
throughout law school. AG&G gave me a flexible work
schedule that was vital to my success in law school. Debra
Buster and Mike Wakefield, who were my attorneys, could
not have been more patient. And other attorneys were quick
to boost my morale and tell me that they were proud of me.
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association

All of this background is so you can understand how I’ve
been shaped in my career and what actions have helped
me enormously. The individuals who have made the biggest
impression on me have redefined success, celebrated
individuality, modeled, mentored and provided financial
support. Some people in this room have done all of those
things. Others have contributed in one or two areas. All are
pivotal.
1. REDEFiNiNG sUCCEss.
we all define success in different ways. The attorneys who
have helped me the most equate success with helping clients
while staying true to themselves. The attorneys who equate
success with being happy and fulfilled seem the most satisfied.
And sane. These are also attorneys who are good at drawing
boundaries while still being responsive to client needs. They
work hard, but they delegate and they take vacation.
we must recognize that you can be an attorney and a
August/September 2011

THE ATLANTA LAWYER

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