Attorney at Law Magazine sat down with Regina M. Campbell of the Campbell Law Group P.A. in the 2020 Women in Law special issue to discuss her career and her aspirations.
AALM: When did you decide to become a lawyer and why?
Campbell: I knew I wanted to be a lawyer since I was 6 years old. I am not sure how I knew what I wanted to be from such a young age, but I was always blessed with a strong sense of direction and purpose.
AALM: What drove you to this career?
Campbell: One of the things that drove me to become a lawyer was my sense of purpose, as well as my sense of fairness and my inherent desire to help defend and protect people.
AALM: What do you find rewarding about being an attorney?
Campbell: I find it rewarding to help others, especially when they are faced with challenges that are difficult for them to understand and deal with on their own. I find it rewarding when wounds are healed and when I can help bring closure to difficult moments in people’s lives. I also find it very rewarding to be a part of the growing, building and rebuilding that occurs in the practice of law. After all, not everything in the law is about disputes or controversy, it is also about building people’s lives, businesses and dreams.
AALM: What do you find challenging about your practice.
Campbell: I find often that the court systems and procedural processes are not always in sync with the needs of our clients.
AALM: How do you overcome those challenges?
Campbell: I remind myself that judges, lawyers and clients are all human at the end of the day, and sometimes miscommunications and unreasonable expectations are what lead to further litigation between parties. Proper communication and helping set realistic expectations for our clients can often help overcome some of their challenges. I not only try to educate my clients on how to understand the law and the practical implications of such laws and the legal system, but of the significance that their choices have in a litigation.
AALM: What was the beginning of your career like?
Campbell: It was a new beginning for me, it felt as if I had arrived at where I was meant to be in life. That is not to say that I did not appreciate where I had been or how my past helped shape my future. Ultimately, everything I had previously been through and accomplished made me a better lawyer.
AALM: How has your career evolved over the years?
Campbell: In some ways it feels the same, each day still brings new lessons, experiences and knowledge, but now my career has expanded and continues to bring hopes of further expansion. Every day I meet new people and face new challenges, which I enjoy rising to the occasion for.
AALM: How welcoming do you think the South Florida legal community is to women practitioners?
Campbell: I think the South Florida legal community is fairly welcoming to women and it’s getting better each day.
AALM: How do you personally try to help women following in your career path?
Campbell: I encourage women of all ages that it is ok to have doubts from time to time, it is ok to wonder how they will reach their goals. I tell them that every woman has had the same concern at one point or the other, however they must believe in themselves and not be deterred by anyone or anything. I remind women, they can be their own strongest ally or their own worst enemy. I remind them to make sure that they are the former, not the latter, and that if they do, nothing is impossible.
AALM: Do you find that as a woman you face any challenges that men don’t?
Campbell: Absolutely. I do find that there are men that do not discriminate against women and women that do discriminate against other women (and yes that does exist), I do unfortunately still find that for the most part, women are still treated differently. A woman’s strength and behavior is often perceived very differently and often negatively without a logical reason when compared to similar behavior from their male counterparts.
AALM: Tell us something about yourself that people would be surprised to learn.
Campbell: Before I became a lawyer, I was an entrepreneur. I am also a bit geeky and I speak Spanish. Nobody every expects me to speak Spanish with my last name.
AALM: What do you most hope to accomplish in the future?
Campbell: I hope to have influenced the writing of new legislation that improves the litigation process for individuals, businesses and families.
AALM: What traits do you think make an attorney exceptional?
Campbell: I believe an exceptional attorney possesses the following traits-driven, ethical, candid, humble, compassionate, a good listener, able to understand and see issues from various positions, dedicated and hardworking.
