Happiness
JEB: Pursuit of happiness….
MK: Pursuit of happiness, yes, your pas-
sion, the things that really make you tick in
life and sometimes those two things go to-
gether, but for me, sure, I get some of that
through work, but certainly my music and
my family and all of those other things are
part of you as well. So when you start to
see the crowds that you would have in one
sector and the crowds you know in the oth-
er and they start to come together. It’s a
really cool thing to watch. This happens to
me a lot, I will be out, or I will be in court
and some random person will come up to
me with a shocked look on their face and
say, “did I see you out at a bar?!”
JEB: Are you serious?
MK: And I would say, ‘I don’t really know
what you mean, I don’t just hang out at the
bar, but did you happen to see me in my
band?’ and they say, ah Yes!
JEB: My lawyer sings in a band!
MK: That is what happens. I will be up on
stage and singing my heart out and living
it up and I will hear someone in the crowd
say, is that my lawyer!? It is very interesting.
JEB: So you think there is room for both?
MK: Yes.
JEB: Some people think that’s not pro-
fessional enough for your practice.
MK: I think that is awesome that you
brought that up, because I think in the be-
ginning, I was sensitive to that. In fact I
have had these conversations with many
colleagues and friends about my singing
my heart out until 2am at a local establish-
ment.
JEB: An establishment which happens to
sell alcohol.
MK: Right, an establishment that sells
alcohol and in the daytime I am showing
up being an acting judge and representing
my clients in court. It did for a while feel
like those 2 worlds were somewhat incom-
patible, but really, through some personal
growth, I have realized that I am a musician
and I am a lawyer and I am a Mom and I am
a best friend, and I am all of these things.
If somehow that becomes an issue for a cli-
ent or for something that I am involved in,
it is really easy for me now to say, that is
part of who I am. I actually think it is just a
maturation process and it is an acceptance
of who you are. It is also an understanding
that you can be all of these things.
JEB: Right.
MK: You don’t have to be in a box that
our profession may try to put you in, but
honestly, I think that we ourselves try to put
ourselves in those boxes because we are
10
so concerned about the reaction we might
get from others or maybe I won’t be ac-
cepted, maybe they are going to assume I
am less professional.
JEB: Because I have fun or I sing or…
MK: That’s right, but I just know, I don’t
feel that way anymore. I feel like people
who know me know I work really hard as an
attorney, I am good at what I do, because I
put myself into it, and I am also a musician.
JEB: I think there is a lot of stigma some-
how, and maybe that is why I haven’t got-
ten a lot of nominations from women to do
the Pursuits of Happiness interviews, be-
cause they may have some outside talents
or passions that people, and particularly
women, just think others will think differ-
ently about them as a lawyer because th