Building Bridges Second Event Prominently Features Albanian American Women in Law

Rafaela Prifti

Albanian American Women in Law convened at Suffolk University Law School, Boston, for close to two hours in the evening of December 3. The networking event and panel featured a group of Albanian American and Albanian Canadian lawyers, who chose the legal career path and now continue to accomplish their goals as young professionals in a very competitive field.

With the exception of Naime Isaj, a Canada born attorney, all of the panelists were born in Albania and Kosova. One third of them came here after the civil unrest of 1997 in Albania, which had a profound impact on their personal lives. In sharing their stories, panelists emphasized the link between their upbringing and an interest-turned-later-into-passion for law. Xhulia Derhemi, a civil litigator at a prominent New York based firm, was only 5 when she came to the US. The choice was just “preordained” ever since her mother had told Xhulia to be “either a doctor or a lawyer” and, due to her sensitivities, the former was out of the question.

During the discussion on the topic of challenges and hardships, the panelists echoed each others candid assessments of “feeling inadequate right after law school” and the coping mechanism that kicks in known as “the imposter syndrome”. “Don’t allow the inner voice of criticism to determine what you do next,” said Dea Coka, family law attorney, and Donela Qirjazi, Boston-based associate on Investment Management.

In terms of “the advice you’d give to your younger self and others who are interested in pursuing law” Isida Ranxi, Canadian lawyer practicing tax litigation with the Toronto Department of Justice, summed it up in two points: “Learn the law,” and “Network, develop personal experiences and form connections on the professional level.” Echoing the advice of their mentors, the panel conveyed the importance of “trying all areas of the law before deciding to practice in one of them.”

Bisera Thaçi, Associate with a Boston law firm and Adjunct Professor at Boston University School of Law, was asked to elaborate on her ‘unique path’ that involved converting a law degree from the University of Tirana, School of Law to getting an LLM in Banking and Finance. She explained the process while emphasizing the diligence in researching the US states that recognize a Foreign Law Diploma and making sure which school meet the required accreditations. She said that being in the legal profession means making decisions “big or small’ consistently.

On the question of finding life-work balance in a profession that is notorious for being loose with office hours, Emanuela Pepaj, associate with a real estate developer, and in-house Counsel, who is raising a new baby boy, advocated for “making your own network. Feeling that her social life was not were it was before motherhood, she recently started a book club with the neighborhood mothers.

In general the resolve, impressive work ethic and compelling personal stories of the panelists stood out during on-site and online webinar. Whether you are content with the mentor assigned to you or you seek out one that is suitable for you, the millennial lawyers place a high value on mentorship “that is in your corner”. Attorney Isaj is currently mentoring at her Alma Mater. All panelists offered to be mentors to law students who are interested. Only one panelist, Blerta Ismaili from Kosova, is a first year student at New England Law, Boston, who having shown prominent skills for the craft made the decision to study law.

In terms of how employment was affected by being female and Albanian American, Dea Ozuni, JD, associate in insurance fraud investigation and defense, and her co-panelists pointed at job interview cases when they were “passed over” for a less qualified male candidate, yet overall, highlighted the positive side of having “a recognizable Albanian name.” “It does help to tell your story,” they said, because you find people are willing to help.

The panel moderators who facilitated the discussion and presented questions to the panel were Hon. Edit Shkreli, the first Albanian American judge to be elected in the city of New York, and Hon. Thomas Kaplanes, Judge at the Boston Municipal Court since 2013. Aside from the moderating, there were no questions from the audience onsite or on Zoom of the Webinar. The panel thanked the initiator and developer of the series Robert (Bob Tochka), a now retired judge with the Massachusetts Superior Court and a prominent community activist. Judge Tochka feels that “the splendid goal behind these events is to support and mentor the next generation of Albanian Americans as they pursue their own paths to fulfilling their dreams.”

Last night’s panel was part of the Building Bridges program of the newly formed Fan Noli Cultural Center in Boston. The Albanian American Women in Law is the second of the series launched in April 2024 at the same venue, presenting Albanian American Judges in the US.

The next event of the program will be in January with Albanian Americans in Law Enforcement.