Interview with Gloria Allred

Gloria Allred is an extremely chic woman in the media, but she is also so much more than that.

As a lawyer fighting various inequalities and injustices, Ms. Allred has won many legal battles against gender, racial, and other types of discrimination for over 27 years. A Philly native and a University of Pennsylvania alumna, Ms. Allred went on to earn her M.A. from New York University and her J.D. cum laude from Loyola University School of Law in Los Angeles. She has taught in both public schools and at the University of Southern California.

Now a partner of her own law firm, Allred, Maroko & Goldberg, Ms. Allred uses a variety of media in her work. She regularly appears on her daughter Lisa Bloom's show on Court TV, was a talk show host on KABC Talk Radio in L.A. for 14 years, and has even been nominated for an Emmy award three times for her work on KABC-TV. She has also written articles for numerous publications, including The New York Times and Ms. Magazine.

Here, Ms. Allred explains why it is beneficial to use the media, and the best ways to use it. She also gives insight into her very significant work, all the while serving as a feminist guide to young women!

You've risen so far in your professional field. What kinds of challenges have you faced as a woman, and particularly as a mother, along the way?

I've faced challenges going to school, studying at Penn and afterwards, as a single parent trying to get child support, working, trying to raise a child, and make a better life. [I've also had to deal with] challenges involving rape, and many other challenges. Life is a challenge! The real challenge is learning how to best cope with daily challenges, learning how to overcome obstacles in order to succeed.

What has influenced you into doing the kind of work that you do, particularly on behalf of women and minorities?

I believe in helping to right the wrongs and in seeking justice for those who have been the victims of injustice. Laws against sex discrimination, sexual harassment, and race discrimination are meaningless unless they are enforced. As a private attorney, I help to assert the rights of my clients, protect their rights, and vindicate their rights.

In the beginning, I felt that [by] becoming a lawyer I was a privileged person because most women will never be lawyers and I have a duty to give back. I thought I should devote part of my practice to helping improve the rights of women and to helping them enforce their rights. I had no idea that 30 years later there would [still] be so much discrimination against women and so much injustice in so many ways, in so many aspects in life, .that so many women would still be being raped, would be the victims of child or sexual abuse, would be sexually harassed on the job, would still be able to collect their court-ordered child support in an amount that would be insufficient to support their children…that so many women would be discriminated against because of their age. I didn't think there would still be so much racial discrimination, so much discrimination on account of sexual orientation, AIDS, physical handicaps…These are all areas in which we practice. Unfortunately, we still have a long way to go in all of these areas.

You're certainly involved various media, including television shows and newspaper columns. Why do you think it is important to publicize your kind of legal work through different types of media?

I try to create a climate of opinion that is helpful to my clients. I am a strong advocate for them. I use it to my advantage, to my clients' advantage. It's my goal.

What about cases that involve a lot of media frenzy? You've worked in extremely high profile cases like that against O.J. Simpson, and you represented Amber Frey in the Laci Peterson case against Scott Peterson. How do you deal with the pressure that comes with such cases?

Being prepared certainly helps, [and] knowing what my goal is my goal is the client's goal. Being cautious in my statements [is important] because there is quite a bit at stake. It's not really difficult…It's just a question of understanding, and communications is important. Try to keep in simple. TV does not lend itself to complexity, unfortunately. If you can't say [what you want to say], generally, in a space of a bumper sticker, you're probably not going to get your message across. When you think about people in America watching television, most people do not remember much they remember what they see, not what they hear from TV. [I must] give an image, an impression.

What is the case that you've worked on that you are most proud of or that means the most to you?

My last case, my present case, and my next case.

Who has inspired you, both personally and professionally?

[Women's rights activists] Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. And a cousin of mine, Dr. Rachel Ash, who was the first female pediatric heart doctor at a children's hospital in Philadelphia.

What kind of advice do you have for young women who want to become involved in the kind of work you do?

Live your values! There is an enormous need for more women lawyers who will do the kind of work that I do. If that's what young women want and if the opportunity is there, I hope the do it there is a demand for their services. I go by the saying, "If you do good, you will do well," and that is what I believe they will do.

How inspirational! Do you have anything else you want to add?

Yes…I think this article should be posted on August 26, Women's Equality Day. This year, it is the 85th anniversary of women's winning the right to vote. The holiday celebrates the addition of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution (suffrage).

On this day this year, I'll be with my daughter and my granddaughter in New York. It's my granddaughter's birthday that day…Listen to this: My mother was born in Manchester, England, where the suffrage movement was born. Then my granddaughter was born on Women's Equality Day. To me, that's amazing.

We agree. Enjoy the occasion with your family we'll be celebrating women everywhere that day, too!

For more information on Gloria Allred, please see her website at http://www.gloriaallred.com/home.htm. Also, be sure to check out Ms. Allred's upcoming book, and see University Chic for future follow-up articles with the ever-impressive media-savvy attorney!

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