Natasha Winter

Why did you decide to pursue a career as an attorney?

My parents always told me that I needed to have a career as opposed to just a job, because a job people can take away from you, but a career they can’t. In my simple young mind, I only thought of a “career” to include a doctor or lawyer. Turns out, I am bad at science, so here we are. Fortunately, being an attorney, and specifically a litigator, happens to utilize some of my personal strengths.

How do you build strong relationships with your colleagues and clients?

t’s important to remember that people are individuals. They aren’t just someone who you do work with in a work setting; they have their own lives, their own interests, their own issues. To really understand someone and do the best work with or for them, you have to know them on some personal level. Being an attorney isn’t a vacuum we exist in for just certain hours of the day; while we are always attorneys, we are also always individuals.

Are there any particular causes or issues within or outside of the legal profession that you are passionate about or actively involved in?

Homelessness is something that I find is a pervasive issue in our society, especially living and working in the city and seeing it first-hand. It’s so easy to turn your head away and ignore the person, but imagine if that was your family member, or someone you know. These are individuals who need food and shelter and clothing just as much as you do. Something as simple as donating a perfectly functional coat, that you don’t wear anymore for whatever reason, can make a substantial impact in another person’s survival and well-being, so I try to do that and encourage my friends and colleagues to do the same. It’s so little effort for us, yet so important to someone else. St. Francis House is a wonderful organization that I have volunteered at before and really does amazing work with helping people get back on their feet and into stable housing and work. They have a formal clothing “store,” Threads, supplied by donations, for special occasions that people need clothing for- not just your typical everyday wear, but suits and dresses for interviews for example, or something like a family wedding for the first time since reaching sobriety. Additionally, they have an intensive job-training program, the Moving Ahead Program “MAP”, from which people can graduate and go on to seek full-time employment with the help of the people at St. Francis. Seeing someone returning to the workforce and starting a new chapter with enthusiasm is incredibly inspiring.

Have you faced any unique challenges as a woman attorney? How have you overcome them?

The amount of times I have been asked “Are you the Court Reporter?” or “Why are you yelling?” is laughable, and frankly, offensive. It’s like it’s inconceivable for a young woman to be a fully licensed attorney, conducting cases on her own. Also, perhaps I have a loud voice or get animated during cases, but I know that question would not be asked of a man. I either laugh it off, or point out the inherent bias in those questions to make people actually stop to think about what they are saying. I find that most of the time, until it is pointed out, people don’t realize what they are actually saying or the effect thereof.

Where is your favorite place to take a vacation?

I love going to Bermuda. It’s close, the people are friendly, the food is good, and it has gorgeous scenery, even in their “cold” months.