Sticking Out in A Male Oriented Profession
By Robin Vinci | Editor at February 15, 2024 | 2:15 pm | Print
Being a young female can be difficult in many professions. Mackenzie Angels, at age 26, is not letting that stop her from becoming a first class attorney.
Angels, a new associate for GB Law Group, has seen difficulties in the field. She has done family, criminal, bankruptcy and real estate law.
“As you walk into the courthouse and are not an attorney you have to go through more of a security process of taking your jewelry off and shoes off. The first couple of times I took off my watch and my necklace,” said Angels. “It got to the point where they wanted to take my shoes off. I had to tell them that I was an attorney. Then they said ‘I am so sorry’ and they wand me down and let me go through.”
That was just entering.
“It is a combination of being young and a woman,” said Angels. “It is never a person’s first instinct to assume I am an attorney. I may be a para-legal, a client, a wife in a divorce or a relations officer or a clerk.”
Angels said she gains respect by doing her job well. Only then, she said, is it worth having.
“It does get comical after a while though,” she said. “In court it is funny to watch people’s faces to see when I go through the doors to where the attorneys sit. They seem to wonder if I know what I am doing. Most attorneys know each other.”
Angels said she often turns to older attorneys and ask for advice and once they get to know her things are different.
“Attorneys are always helpful to me,” she added.
“She is a young dynamic lawyer who is out there trying to build her career as a woman,” said Gennaro Bizzaro of GB Law. “We still have those gender biases that exist. She has to earn not only the respect of the prosecutor and adversaries, but her clients as well.”
Bizzaro said the biases are often due to historical trends that are ingrained.
“The struggles are generational. As a young lawyer there is work/life balance. Adjusting from school to ‘yes, I am a woman attorney’ is difficult,” Angels said. “I do not have to wear the pants suit just to blend in so it is less of a distraction.”
Angels, who is originally from Southington, went to Providence College and then got her law degree in Creighton in Nebraska.
She said she doesn’t ever remember not wanting to go to law school.
Now, she hopes to focus on real estate.
“I found I was not that interested in criminal law. It is emotionally draining. The same with family law,” said Angels. “I wanted something that was intellectually stimulating. I like contractual things and implementing regulations.”
Angels has been at GB Law for about one month.
“She is assisting me with real estate transactions and any other sort of business transactions,” said Bizzaro. “She has a high aptitude for that stuff. She has demonstrated an ability in that field and since she likes it and it is what I do primarily I think it will be a good fit.”
Angels said she likes talking to people and learning which works well in real estate.
“You are not only learning the law, but other aspects of it, such as mortgage, the realtor and the buyer,” she added. “You have the happiness at the end of the transaction. I like being able to help people with the biggest purchase of their life.”
Right now she is working on a broad spectrum of projects.
“McKenzie is at the age to think about career management. That is challenging,” stated Bizzaro. “I have a small firm so we can be flexible. There is a lot to contend with as a woman. I want my children to see there are obstacles that can be overcome as a woman. Luckily, we live in New Britain so my girls idolize Mayor Erin Stewart. Erin has set a fantastic ideal for woman. Here in New Britain we lead by example. I have no doubt McKenzie will also be dynamic and a fantastic addition to the firm.”
