Weekly Spotlight: Amanda Pope

Sneakers, Flats, Flip­Flops, or Pumps?: Flip­Flops…..or even better, bare feet!

WHAT IS YOUR DAY JOB?: I am an attorney at Silver & Wright specializing in municipal law.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO HOLD YOURSELF ACCOUNTABLE?: I spend a lot of time planning out my day, my week, my month. On my drive to work in the morning, I mentally go through what I would like to accomplish that day. On weekends, I often write out my weekly schedule and will plan errands, meals, dinners with friends based on what’s ahead. I do well with clearly defined expectations and setting them for myself helps keep me accountable.

WHAT FUELS YOU TO TAKE ACTION? Knowing that I can create the life I want and then
implementing a plan to live it.

HOW DO YOU INSPIRE PROGRESS IN OTHERS? I have found that often times, people just want someone to listen to them, to be a sounding board for their ideas so they know they aren’t alone. When I mentor young law students, I draw on my own experiences so they can see they will get through it.

WHAT IS A RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU ARE PROUD OF? I recently quit a job at a law firm without another job lined up. I was miserable and the work environment had become unsustainable. I took a leap of faith in myself, even when some people in my profession were telling me to “just hold on,” and placed value on my well­being over taking the traditional path of waiting until I found another job. I am proud of the risk I took and it was worth it!

TELL US ABOUT A GAME­CHANGING, INFLUENTIAL MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE?: In third grade, I did not make the competitive dance team at my dance studio the first time I auditioned. I spent a year taking extra dance lessons and practicing and made it the following year and every year thereafter. It taught me the power of persistence. Since then, anytime I have lost or faced a set back, from losing elections in high school, to not making my dance company my final year in college, to failing the California bar exam…twice, to not getting jobs I really wanted, I keep forging ahead knowing persistence does pay off and may even lead you down a better path than the one you pictured for yourself.