Pittsburgh Women Are Making Their Mark in Law
Today in the United States, women make up over half of all law school graduates. Women are going into the law profession in record numbers for many reasons, including financial stability, the intellectual challenge and career prestige. The skill set for a career in the legal field requires analytical thinking, the ability to problem-solve, as well as persuasive communication skills. Beyond working as a traditional lawyer, women can leverage their law degree to work in a number of positions in both the corporate and nonprofit world, such as consultants or compliance officers. We spoke with three Pittsburgh women who are practicing lawyers at different stages of their careers to find out why being in the legal field continues to be gratifying for them.
Juliana T. Tindall, Esq.
Associate, Comber Miller LLC
Juliana Tindall is a criminal defense lawyer with a focus in high-stakes trial work, predominantly in the criminal defense realm of the federal court system. After receiving her juris doctor from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Tindall was a prosecutor in Lake County, Ohio, at the outset of her career. After five years, she moved back to Pennsylvania because, although she loved her work in Ohio, Pittsburgh is her hometown and she decided it was more important to be close to family. Her work as a criminal defense lawyer at the boutique firm Comber Miller LLC is very demanding but extremely interesting every day. When asked what she appreciates most about her profession, she explained that, “Every day is different. Every single case is going to have something unique or different for you to learn and so, while it can be uncomfortable, you are constantly learning and being challenged.”
Although criminal defense work is different from her work as a prosecutor, Tindall finds that as a former prosecutor she has a unique perspective on the justice system. “When you have someone who is a very good prosecutor and someone who is a very good defense attorney, justice lies somewhere in the middle. So there is balance to the force,” she said.
Elisabeth Bennington
Founding Partner, Bennington Law Firm LLC
Elisabeth Bennington is a graduate of Duquesne Law School and has been practicing since 2000. Before founding her own firm in 2015, she was a partner at a small firm. In addition to working as a lawyer, she served a term in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 21st District in Allegheny County from 2007 to 2008, then later returned to practicing law full time.
Bennington’s core practice areas are divorce, child custody, spousal and child support, protection from abuse (PFA) and prenuptial and property settlement agreements. Her firm provides aggressive yet compassionate representation across Western Pennsylvania. One of the reasons Bennington became a lawyer was to help women. “I became a lawyer because I was raised by a single mother, then I went from Winchester Thurston, which was all girls, to Chatham University, which was also all women, and so my background has always been women-oriented,” she said. That was also the reason she ran for the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives. At that time (2006), there were no women Democrats from Pittsburgh in the State House. She and Chelsa Wagner were the first and second women Democrats ever elected from Pittsburgh to the State House. According to Bennington, choosing to specialize in family law was important because she wanted to help not only women but specifically mothers. “For me, going into law, and really family law specifically, was to help moms. That has informed everything that I have done.”
Her work in the counties outlying Allegheny is extremely fulfilling. She travels to Beaver, Butler, Westmoreland and Washington County on a regular basis. “I can tell you that going to some of the smaller counties is very rewarding. The family court employees are amazing there. We all know each other, and the family law community is fairly small,” she said.
Having her own firm allows her to manage her schedule and have the best possible work/life balance. She works seven days a week, but the trade-off is she can make time for her husband and daughter. After more than 25 years of working as a lawyer, Bennington feels that she has made a real difference in the lives of women.
Karen Timko, CELA
Julian Gray Associates
Karen Timko received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and nursing, then went on to earn her certificate as a nurse anesthetist. She practiced as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist before receiving her juris doctor from The Ohio State University in 1984. She became interested in law because of the synergy between the professions of law and medicine.
Timko has focused her practice on elder law for many years. Her areas of concentration are asset preservation planning, Medicaid qualification, Veterans pension benefits and special needs planning for people with disabilities, and trust and estate planning and administration. In 2011, she sat for the CELA national exam and became certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. For multiple years, Timko has been recognized in Best Lawyers in America for Elder Law and as a Super Lawyer. “I liked elder law because I felt it was a helping profession similar to that of medicine. There is a lot of social work in what I do, whether I am helping people who have special needs children or helping somebody qualify for Medicaid benefits in a nursing home or VA benefits.”
Although she is of retirement age, Timko thoroughly enjoys her work and is just not ready to leave. “Luckily, I’m with a firm that has other talented lawyers, which allows me to pick and choose what I do in order to maintain my part-time schedule,” she said.
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