Employment Law and Advocacy for Workers’ Rights – Summer H. Murshid

Hawkes Quindel -

Interview

As part of our special Women in Law publication, we are delighted to feature an interview with Summer H. Murshid of Hawks Quindel law firm. Summer has built a distinguished career in employment law and advocacy for workers’ rights, navigating the legal profession with resilience and dedication. In this interview, she shares her journey from a young attorney finding her footing to becoming a shareholder, thanks to the guidance of incredible female mentors. Summer also discusses her motivations, approaches to complex cases, the importance of non-monetary victories for her clients, and how she balances her demanding career with her personal life. Join us as we delve into Summer’s insights and experiences that have shaped her impactful career in law.

Summer, as a featured attorney in this special Women in Law publication, could you share your insights and experiences about navigating the legal profession as a woman, particularly in the areas of employment law and advocacy for workers’ rights?

As a young female attorney starting out in my career 15 years ago, it took me a little while to find my footing and feel comfortable asserting myself around older, more experienced attorneys in the field. My ability to grow into the role I am in now, including moving into a shareholder role, is largely attributable to incredible female mentors early in my career. They were able to provide guidance, constructive criticism and encouragement, which created a work environment that gave me confidence in assessing cases, negotiating with opposing counsel and building a rapport with my clients. I am forever grateful to them for their support and for their faith in me to do work that I wasn’t sure I was ready to do myself.

What motivated you to specialize in representing employees affected by discrimination and wage theft after completing law school at Georgetown?

Well, it wasn’t my original plan! I graduated in 2009, during the financial crisis and when law firms were rescinding offers, which happened to me. I had not planned to work in the field of labor and employment, but when I started looking for work in Milwaukee, Hawks Quindel had an opening, and I realized that it was an area of interest for me. It turns out it was exactly where I was meant to be, and what I thought was the worst thing to happen (having my offer rescinded) worked out for the best!

Over the past decade, your practice has focused on federal class action wage litigation and individual discrimination. How do you approach these cases differently as a practitioner and are there any similarities?

Federal class action wage litigation is often a “by the numbers” and rule-based type of litigation. There is a way that wages must be paid; it’s governed by statute, and if it’s violated, there are mathematical models that we can create to help us value a claim. In contrast, individual employment discrimination cases are often difficult to evaluate in terms of mental and emotional distress damages, and even back pay can be a little complicated if there are issues with mitigation or constructive discharge. But fundamentally, despite these differences, all of the work I do is about the people involved – everyone has a story and most of the time, litigation is a long and emotionally exhausting way to tell that story. Approaching each case, whether it’s on behalf of 1 or 1,000 people, requires an understanding of the person behind the case and as a practitioner, my goal is always to meet my clients where they are and help them move forward in a way that results in justice, as each client defines that for themselves.

Through your legal advocacy, your clients have recovered millions in lost wages. Beyond financial recoveries, how do you measure the success of your interventions?

A lot of times, the non-monetary components of a resolved case are more important than the monetary recovery. It’s important for clients to receive financial recovery because that is the remedy the law provides for employment law violations but clients also want to feel heard and validated so they can close the difficult chapter and move forward with their lives. Success for me is measured by how my clients feel when the case is over. Do they have closure? Do they feel like I put forward the best evidence we had? Do they feel like they had a chance to tell their story and have it evaluated fairly and honestly? These things matter to clients and in order for me to feel like I achieved the “right” outcome, I want to know that the client is in a better place than when they came to me.

Balancing a demanding legal career and a fulfilling personal life can be challenging. How do you manage this balance, and what activities help you recharge?

The work/life balance struggle is real. My kids are 10, 8 and 6, and somehow, every one of them has an activity that requires a shocking amount of driving on all the days of the week. Trying to manage that chaos, with what sometimes feels like chaos at work, especially when there is a soccer game the same day summary judgment is due, can feel overwhelming. My goal is to be fully present in what I am doing, but that’s not usually possible – sometimes, I am on a work call at the soccer game or rescheduling a dentist appointment while I am working. What I have learned is that I have to give myself grace to allow my worlds to overlap. I am equal parts mom and attorney. I am just as much a member of the PTO as I am of NELA and I want to normalize that for myself and for all of the young lawyers who work with and for me. I can be a helping hand at Girls Scouts without compromising my work – it might mean I work a little later or don’t go to a lunch meeting, but I have found that I can coexist in both worlds, and that is an amazing feeling.

You are in your second term as a board member for the National Employment Lawyers’ Association, and you are a member of the executive committee. What is NELA and how does your work for and with NELA impact your practice?

NELA is one of those organizations that, once you find it, you wonder how you managed your practice without it. It is an association of lawyers who want to do good work and are willing to share their expertise without demanding anything in return. I have been honored to serve as a member of the board and on the executive committee. It has truly enhanced my practice at a personal level (I have met wonderful humans) and on a professional level (last-minute brief sharing for the win!). Sometimes the role of a Plaintiff’s lawyer feels very much like a David v. Goliath story – we are facing huge corporations with unlimited legal budgets and defense lawyers who are known for dragging litigation out for decades. It can feel isolating and to be honest, sometimes a little scary. NELA is the place I go to when I need encouragement, friendship and great ideas.

What advice would you give to young lawyers, especially women, who are starting their careers in the challenging field of employment law?

This is not a job for the faint of heart but if you are in it, you already know that. Do not ever let someone else define how you represent your clients. Find a legal mentor, find a legal peer/contemporary and find a legal friend – learn when you need these people and let them be your guiding forces. Learn to take constructive criticism but also find a way to give yourself grace. You will make mistakes. Clients will get mad at you. You will miss something. That is life. Being a lawyer does not make you perfect, it just makes you a lawyer. Most importantly, maintain your humanity. People come to lawyers for help – they don’t want to need you, but they do. Honor their struggle with respect. Dignity and kindness matter. Billable hours do too, but not really. Turn off your email and messages for at least one week per year. You are important but the world will not end when you go on vacation. You NEED a vacation. Most importantly, if you are writing the email out of anger, save it as a draft and come back to it the next day. You will never regret it.