Myra L. McKenzie

I knew I wanted to be a lawyer by the time I was eight years old. Around twelve, I settled on being a civil rights lawyer because of books, articles, and stories I had read about lawyers like John Adams, Abraham Lincoln, and Thurgood Marshall. I learned that lawyers were responsible, in part, for improving the living and working conditions of Black Africans and Black Americans, and that inspired me. So, I crystallized my career plan: get good grades, graduate from high school, graduate from college, graduate from law school, and become a civil rights lawyer.

Things went according to plan--right up to sophomore year of college. I had gotten good grades, I had graduated with high honors from high school, and I was doing well at Spelman College (Atlanta, GA). However, I attended a meeting about junior year study abroad opportunities and began to think about practicing international law. I had been abroad and enjoyed myself, I spoke three languages, and I was extremely interested in the happenings of the European Union. So, I studied abroad at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK) and spent a great deal of time reading about, writing about, and visiting European Union member countries. That was a wonderful experience and for another year after returning to America, I seriously considered pursuing and practicing international law. However, as I graduated with departmental and Latin honors from Spelman in 1999, I was confronted with stories of poor treatment minorities and women were receiving in America, and I realized that perhaps I could be of more service at home. So, I decided to refocus on practicing law in America.

I attended the University of Notre Dame Law School (Notre Dame, IN) and had a wonderful time. I took all required coursework and focused my elective coursework on labor and employment law classes because in a lot of ways, I viewed the employment arena as the last forum where poor treatment of minorities and women was still tolerated. I also served as a Notre Dame Legal Aid Clinic Intern giving the poor much needed legal assistance. I also served as the Law School's Community Service Chair providing service to the community surrounding the Law School. I graduated in 2002 after receiving an award for excellence in social justice and moved to Columbus, OH to begin my practice.

I began my career in a large law firm (250+ lawyers) in its labor and employment department. I regularly represented large corporate clients in litigation, administrative, and alternative dispute resolution matters. I prepared discovery, court pleadings, agreements, and other materials relevant to court cases, but I also counseled human resources and employment relations personnel on various employment-related issues.  While in private practice, I also wrote articles in local and state employment law publications and gave continuing legal education seminars on employment law-related topics at local, state, and national conferences.

In 2007, after about five years of private practice, I took a position as an Assistant General Counsel in a Fortune 500 company in northwest Arkansas. In this position, I currently counsel internal corporate business units on employment law matters.  I deal with everyday employment situations and provide practical advice to assist my clients making legally-compliant decisions that are consistent with the goals and practices of the company. I also work on creating corporate policies that will govern employer-employee interaction across the nation.

Some may feel that I have abandoned the people and reasons that first attracted me to employment law because I work for an employer. I disagree. I, as a Black woman, am in a position to safeguard the rights of individuals by proactively working with those whose actions might infringe upon the rights of minorities and women. Put another way, I attempt to stop wrongdoing before it starts by counseling those who make employment decisions.  Francis Bacon, an English philosopher once wrote, "Knowledge is power," and I believe that in many instances if people are educated about the law, they will do their best to comply with it.

In sum, I have always been interested in the welfare of minorities (especially Black Americans) and women in America. Today, they continue to suffer injustices in the workplace and through my practice, I address that. However, I have learned that there is more than one way to protect people. I choose to work with those who, in most instances, control whether laws are broken. In this way, I play a part in minimizing injustice, and that is an honorable goal. I like my work and encourage students who are interested in helping people in different ways to consider careers in law--especially employment law.