Different paths, same passion for the law
Today, the Sarah Stevenson Forum hosted four Charlotte women with more than 30 years of experience in the profession of law.
Each woman shared some of her most memorable cases, significant moments and lessons learned in their profession.
While each woman found different paths into law and practiced in various aspects of the field, they all shared a common passion for helping those in need.
Check out the snapshots of each speaker below. You can watch the whole forum here.
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Alice Richey
Alice Richey was born in Charlotte and graduated from West Charlotte High School in 1977. Her journey into the field of law followed that her father, who was also a lawyer. She said he was a big inspiration to her.
At the start of this year, Richey stopped taking new cases and is now a mediator — she tries to help people avoid going to court to settle their issues.
“Standing on principal is a great thing in theory, but if you actually have to go to court and do that, it often doesn’t work out quite the way you might want it to,” Richey said at the forum.
Sandra Cummings
Sanra Cummings was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents moved to Liberia in Africa when she was a child. They lived there for four years. When she moved back to the United States, she studied law at UNC Law School.
She began working in land loss prevention and became interested in helping people hold onto their property. Currently, Cummings practices bankruptcy-related cases at Cummings Law Firm, which she formed with her husband who is also a lawyer.
“A lot of times people think, “Hey, when you’re filing bankruptcy, you’re really, really broke. Not really. Most of the clients I have are middle-classed people who are trying to hold onto what they have.”
Cynthia Aziz
Cynthia Aziz, originally from Maine, has been in Charlotte since 1988. Aziz said she came to North Carolina to practice immigration law, a desire that began when she was young. Growing up, she lived in an area with a large number of lawyers who focused on immigration.
After graduating from law school, Aziz said her mentors told her if she practiced immigration law in North Carolina, she would be a “big fish in a small pond.”
Aziz has practiced law at Aziz Law Firm, in North Carolina since 1990.
“What’s drawn me to immigration law was the concept of re-establishing your life in a new place and how difficult that is. Whether it’s a new place in this county or a new place anywhere in the world,” Aziz said at the forum. “It’s not often by choice; it’s often by circumstances.”
Cindy Patton
Cindy Patton grew up in Concord, North Carolina and did not want to be a lawyer. “I sort of fell into this profession,” Patton said.
When she attended college at UNC Charlotte, Patton wanted to be a clinical psychologist. However, after feeling burned out by her college studies, she decided to work before enrolling in graduate school.
She got a job with an insurance company but became “disillusioned” with the work. She went into legal aid to help the community and ultimately decided to pursue a law degree. She studied law at UNC Chapel Hill.
“It is a privilege to be able to help people who, if not for you and your colleagues, would fall through the cracks,” Patton said at the forum.