On today’s Legally Speaking Podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Imani Maatuka. Imani is a Managing Partnerof the Dallas Office at Maatuka Al-Heeti Emkes LLC.She is also the Co-Founder of the Bridging the Gap Scholarship, supporting minority students pursuing a career in corporate law. Recognised among Top 40 Under 40 attorneys, Imani has built a demanding legal career while leading purpose-driven initiatives.

So why should you be listening in? 

You can hear Rob and Imani discussing:

– Outsourcing as A Strategic Advantage, Not a Shortcut
– Preparation Building Credibility and Confidence
– Early Ownership Accelerating Career Growth
– How to Advance with the Most Meaningful Experiences
– Leadership Meaning Something Bigger Than Yourself

Connect with Imani Maatuka here –https://www.linkedin.com/in/imanimaatuka

Transcript

My greatest superpower is outsourcing. You are not only making yourself more visible, but you’re building credibility when you’re anticipating problems and making them your own. And then you’re also going the extra step of getting started before someone even has to tell you to do so. That initiative is going to take you so far and it’s going to make people trust you and make people want to mentor you. So I think it starts, Rob, with just reaffirming that the commitment is there.

On today’s Legally Speaking podcast, I’m delighted to be joined by Imani Maatuka. Imani is the managing partner of the Dallas office at Maatuka Alhiti M.Kes LLC. She is also the co-founder of the Bridging the Gap Scholarship, supporting minority students pursuing a career in the law. Recognized among the top 40 under 40 attorneys, Imani has built a demanding legal career while leading with purpose driven initiatives. So a very big warm welcome to the show Imani. Thank you so much for having me Rob.

it’s an absolute pleasure to have you on the show. Before we get into your background and all the great stuff you’re doing in and around the legal community, we have a couple of quick fire icebreaker questions for you. Firstly, what is your favorite beverage and what is your preferred choice of footwear on a typical work day? Favorite beverage would probably have to be, I’m so like boring, a really good vanilla latte. Sounds tasty. And footwear on a work day?

You know, my favorite is Kohan. Like that is like the least bougie thing I wear, but I am more prioritized with my feet being comfortable and not killing me when I’m wearing heels, whether I’m going to the courtroom or just the office. Yeah. I’m with you. Comfort always wins the race. And with that, we can move swiftly on to talk all about you. So to begin with, would you start by telling our listeners a bit about your background and career journey? So my name is Imani Mautuka.

⁓ I come from a family of attorneys. So the question wasn’t ever, are you going to law school? It was, when are you going to law school? I went to North Carolina A &T Aggie Pride for undergrad. Then I went to Washington University in St. Louis for law school. And after that, I started my career at an international law firm, Sidley Austin, and I started in their Dallas office. So I did both of my summers there. And then

five years in their commercial litigation group and I left as a managing associate. So it fills in totality like I was there at Sidley for probably seven years, you know, in so many ways that firm raised me, so to speak. ⁓ And then very recently, I transitioned to open the Dallas office of Maltuca Alhidi Kiss, which is a firm that is full service, but the Dallas office will serve as a litigation boutique.

and it is the opportunity of a lifetime to litigate alongside my mother, Shayla Malatuca. So I’m really excited for this next step. Very, very exciting. And you touched on there that you came from a family of attorneys. Was there a point you realized you really wanted to pursue a career in the law? You know, that’s hard because I feel like it’s a culmination of so many points, you know. Like, for example, I remember growing up in

going with my mom to the courtroom, you know, and hearing her oral argument or being able to sit in the back while there was a trial going on and just like being kind of enamored by what she was doing, that whole practice. But then similarly, my aunt, she took a different route. So she was a, she went to Michigan law for law school, and then she started her career in big law. And now she’s been elevated to the general counsel role. But I also remember her

with like just thinking like, my God, she is so badass. my God. Like, I remember when she like built her first home from scratch. And like, that was like the first smart home I had been in. And it was like, my God, I want to be just like Auntie Dawn when I grew up. But I felt like there had just been so many moments in life. It’s really hard to kind of like hone in on one to be like, this was the big moment where Imani Montika said, yes, for sure.

I want to go to law school and I want to do it. I feel like there are just so many moments that just affirm me to know I’m on the right path and this is exactly what I should be doing. Yeah, absolutely. you’re flying right now. And as you sort of mentioned, you are now managing partner. What does your role involve and tell us about some of the responsibilities? Yeah. So really I am solely responsible for building this

Dallas office from the ground up, you know, so a lot of that looks like client development. looks like recruiting talent. ⁓ It looks like managing cases from start to finish. ⁓ A lot of what I had a lot of experience doing at my previous firm, but it is really rolling up those sleeves and saying, okay, we are at ground zero right now. We need to make this a ⁓ formidable

a law firm in the Dallas market and kind of like take our spot on the throne. So that is my job, obviously with the help of my partners who are in our Illinois office. But I think a lot of that is gonna fall on my shoulders. Yeah, and it’s exciting, right? And I’m sure you’re going to rise to the challenge because you’ve been phenomenally successful to date. And again, just to give our listeners some education, you are obviously at Sydney Austin, one of the world’s best firms working on some of the best quality

cases, perhaps just talk us through the differences of what a day would have looked like for you then versus a day now to again, inspire certain people who might be thinking about doing the same thing or actually thinking actually are more probably suited to that environment. Simply you get some of the quintessential, you know, big law and in some of the things that people like the stereotypes that come up in law is like you’re working on very complex high stakes matters, but you’re also working

a lot to say the least. so, you know, one of the associates greatest values or value items that they can provide to the firm is their time, their availability, you know, like you need that person. Sometimes things come up where you’re in an international dispute and the other, the client is in a totally different time zone. And so unfortunately, you have a call that starts at three in the morning, four in the morning, whatever it might be.

And similarly, sometimes you have like those real emergencies where you have to get something out the door and the client is coming to us because we have a team that’s capable and that can take on those problems and give them the solution that they want. And so I think one of the greatest differences that I’ll see is just the timing. I was, it was a very hard worker at Sibley. I loved it, and I do not say that lightly.

I love the team of attorneys I work for. I love the mentorship I got. I love the opportunities from an experiential standpoint that I receive. And so I kind of jumped all in. was very busy, you know, often working, you know, 12 to 16 hour days because like there was just so much to get done in a certain day. Honestly, I think my work days will look slightly different now where

maybe they will be 12 to 16 hour days, but they won’t be solely, know, fillable work where you’re working on discrete client matter issues, but rather a lot of it’s going to be administrative business development and more of the business of law rather than the focus on so much of the actual practice. But I think the timing will stay the same, but I think the type of work that I’m doing will be the biggest distinction.

Absolutely, because you specialize in commercial litigation and disputes and you have experience advising in investigations by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, US Department of Justice, obviously, State Attorney General, I could go on. you’re touching on it there again, just to give listeners a bit more of a flavor of your background and journey. Tell us about the type of work you’ve done, projects you’ve completed, just to give us a bit more of a flavor. Yeah. So at Sidley, our commercial litigation department, you can think of a

as large umbrella. And by that I mean, it really encapsulates like all things dispute resolution. So during my time at Sibley, I handled, you know, very complex arbitrations, you know, which is an alternative dispute resolution, rather than litigating a matter you can go through arbitration. Did that I had a very interesting trade secret matter that we actually won on all counts.

at trial. It a huge win for the team. I also, as you mentioned, handled internal investigations involving the SEC. I had some with biopharmaceutical companies. I also handled investigations brought by attorneys generals that then ⁓ transitioned to full-blown litigation. I’ve also handled multi-district litigation, particularly in the product liability world. so multi-district litigation, can think of

You know, class action, there is one pie being split, you know, let’s say a thousand ways. Multi-district litigation, there are a thousand individual pies that have been consolidated for purposes of pretrial discovery. So it’s a very sprawling, ⁓ very fast-paced type of litigation. You can have thousands of cases at issue and you’re kind of like navigating all of that, especially from the…

defense side and so yeah, I’ve just really kind of done everything and I love that diversification within my practice. I’ve never had to feel like I’m specializing in anything or that I’m kind of limiting my options to one certain type of practice of law. I’ve really been able to do things across the gambit and I think it’s just made me a better attorney to be able to see all of these different types.

of disputes and also different phases of litigation. Yeah. And it’s a really impressive broad experience that you have, as you mentioned, know, securities fraud, alleged consumer fraud, market manipulation, mass tort litigation, et cetera, et cetera. Is there one particular case that’s most memorable to you? And if so, why? Maybe just my most recent, because it was one of the cases that came in very early and it lasted

multitude of years, ⁓ which is, you know, the relaxer multi-district litigation that’s currently active in the Northern District of Illinois. And I think it’s most memorable because that was a case where I handled my first oral argument in federal court. And ⁓ in that case, before Judge Rowland in the Northern District of Illinois,

In that case, I was like regularly arguing for at least a year almost like every single month. And I was traveling to Chicago for like one week out of every month. I joked with people that I felt like I was a part time Chicago associate rather than a Dallas associate because I at one point I had like two cases pending one in state court in Illinois and then one in federal court in Illinois. And I was like, I should just move here. You know, I’m from

Champaign, Illinois. This is home. My brother is actually practicing. He’s an intellectual property attorney at McAndrews. And so I would be able to come. It was cheap for the client because I could come in, stay with my brother. I get to see him and hang out. And so I would say that’s my most memorable. We had a really great team. I had some really great mentors and people just that poured into me. We worked amazing together and it was just really fun.

Yeah, and I could just hear the passion in your voice as well. And you obviously speak very fondly of your time from Sidley because when you were there, obviously as a managing associate, you know, in the commercial litigation side of things, you were selected as a member of the National Black Lawyers Top 40, Under 40 in 2024. So how would you describe your overall experience working at the firm? I mean, it was unparalleled. We talked earlier and I think big law gets a really bad rep.

And understandably so. I’m not going to be foolish and act like I haven’t heard some of the horror stories and heard about just in experience some of the things that really plague that industry and what makes it difficult to navigate. Now, I think one of the biggest critiques though with big law or corporate law generally is that the trade off is you’re going to get these inflated salaries.

Right. And in exchange, you’re not going to get that substantive experience. You know, you’re going to be limited to document review. You’re you’re not you’re going to leave after however many years you you survive. And I’m putting air quotes up for those who can’t see. But.

whenever you leave, you’re not going to know how to do anything. You’re going to be an overpaid attorney with no substantive experience whatsoever and no one’s going to be able to use you. That’s the biggest critique that I’ve heard and that just was not my experience at all. I mean, we can go in and talk about how the type of market that you come into, how that impacts your big law experience, if you will. But I know starting in the Dallas office,

starting in an office that was very intimate. I think when I started, we had probably 40 to 60 attorneys in our group and now we’ve almost doubled that by the time I was leaving. But starting in a smaller office of a huge firm and starting with partners in that office who were ringmakers to say the least and like global heads.

within our practice groups and really were kind of like, like I started when that was kind of like on her rise to chair of the firm. ⁓ And just like, it was almost like a perfect storm where I had the opportunity being in a smaller office, working with partners who were far beyond their peers and just bringing in really interesting, complex or the sexiest matters into the firm and having an opportunity with

partners who wanted to staff matters, know, Dallas first. And just like almost having so many opportunities presented to me where we’re staffing them all for clean teams and like the junior associates have to do the work. They have to do the first draft of everything. They have to kind of like ⁓ wrap their arms around every single aspect of the case. They have to be the MVP of the facts. They have to be the person

who on a drop of a dime can like explain something to the client and just kind of strategize and think about what are our next steps here. And so I think in that way, my experience at Sibley’s Dallas office was just completely unmatched, you know, and I shout it from the rooftops for anyone who can hear it because I think we have to, especially from a big loss standpoint, we have to share more of those positive stories. You know, I think we,

we give so much air and again, rightfully so, but we give so much air to some of those negative stories and we almost scare students and pre-law students about the practice of law and what this industry can really be and how it can shape and mold their career, especially at the most important stages, the very beginning. so, yeah, I mean, I had the most amazing experience. I mean, like I was saying, you know, I…

Defended my first deposition at Sibley. I was arguing multiple times at federal court at Sibley. I was presenting to the client on weekly and monthly basis at the firm. I was taking leadership positions both ⁓ in committees at the firm, but also just one of my cases and with younger associates. mean, that firm gave me everything I could have wanted and more. I created very intimate relationships with

very senior partners who even today I know I can call for anything and they will have my back. And I think that is exactly what you would want when you’re starting your career at a bigger law firm. And that is exactly what I got. Yeah, absolutely. And again, I can hear the passion oozing in your voice there from your time, your experience, your gratitude for the upskilling.

the opportunities that came your way that have obviously helped you with your path and your journey to where you are today. And you were touching on it there. I wanted to ask a thing about balance because you did hold a blend of sort of legal practice with leadership, mentorship, know, community engagement. You’re very much out there. How did you balance those responsibilities whilst obviously establishing yourself as an associate and ensuring you got the work done? I think my greatest superpower is outsourcing.

Like I am the queen of outsourcing. I think I am the queen of getting really good people in terms of a team so that I can pour into the things that I’m most passionate about. So for example, you mentioned some of my community involvement and engagement. One of the things I’m most proud of is my work with Bridging the Gap Scholarship. It’s a scholarship I co-founded in 2019 when I was a 1L at Wash U Law.

With that, yes, it’s a ton of work. Yes, it is very difficult to do, especially while I was at a firm like Sibley. But I had curated a team, not only from the board, but also from some of our partners that we use, where I was able to still be great in that aspect of my life. But I could lean on those who I’ve entrusted to get the job done. Even in that capacity, we have

board members that I work with, but I also have partners such as like Spivey Consulting, Barbary Law Preview, Blueprint, who take on such a onerous part of the development of our scholars such that I can, you know, dedicate and focus a lot more of my time to the practice of law or self care or whatever that might be. And I think that’s been kind of my like secret, if you will.

throughout everything, you know, even in my personal life, have people that I’ve outsourced things and entrusted things to, to make it a bit more easier on me to be able to do all the things that I’m passionate about, what I’m passionate about the practice of law, I’m passionate about being a mentor and bringing up the next generation of attorneys. Whatever it might be, I’ve kind of like outsourced the things that I don’t really want to do.

or maybe the things I’m not that great at so that I have time and energy to expend on the things that I can really knock out of the park.

playing to your strengths and playing smart and always say elevate and delegate, right? Your outsourcing models obviously worked super well for you because you’ve put people in places and spaces that probably can do things better than you, faster than you to a higher level than you and happier than you that frees up time for you to then go and execute on things that you probably do want to be doing. And as a result of that, you can find balance and execution off the back of it. I think it’s smart. So yeah, I like that style. Big law environment can be where credibility is earned quickly, particularly if you’re

in those environments doing well, what strategies helped you build trust with partners, clients and colleagues so well? Preparation. There’s someone who says that luck is just preparation that meets opportunity. And I think that is kind of the ML of my big law experience. Very early on in my career, I would have instances where a partner would kind of put me on the spot and be like, ⁓ Imani, you did this research, tell the client about it.

Imani, you know about that, the client about it. know, or like where I’m kind of expecting, you know, what you hear from people is when you’re on a call, the most junior person on the call is just there to take notes, right? So I’m vigorously always doing that. That is, that’s my MO. That’s what I’m honed in on. And so I definitely did not expect as a first year to be the person, you know, presenting and explaining some of these very complex.

and sticky legal issues to a client. But I had partners and mentors and like, for example, one of the people that comes to my mind is that I worked very closely with her ⁓ during my entire time at the firm and almost exclusively worked on ⁓ all of her matters. And so I think about times that

she would give me an opportunity to present or kind of put me on the spot and be like, hey, you’ve got this, like you can handle this. And in those moments, not only am I building credibility, but I’m also building confidence with myself so that the next time it happens, it’s a breeze, you know, because I’ve been there before, I’ve done it before. I can tweak little things that I noticed while I was presenting the last time to make the next presentation even better. But I also think like the ability to rise to those occasions,

then builds that rapport with the partners and not only the partners but also the client so that they want me to do the next big thing, whatever that might be. And so I think, you know, going back to my first point, the only reason I’m able to do that and rise to the occasion is because I’m prepared, you know, because now, now that it happened once, now that I was put on the spot and I realized, ⁓ I need to take ownership of this, I might be the person who has to explain

whatever very meaty thing, you know. ⁓ Now I have the opportunity to dot all my I’s and cross my T’s, you know. I’m gonna go back, I’m gonna make myself, I started every single meeting I would have, even if I knew, you know, like the partners are probably gonna get all this, I would draft my own talking points, you know. I would have something on the screen or if it’s in person, I’d have my little sheet so that if, for whatever reason, someone forgot something, someone, ⁓

maybe they have to step out or something happens. Imani Maaloutuja can rise to the occasion. I’m prepared. I know exactly what’s at issue. You know, I remember those that case law, that research that I did, you know. And so to other people, it looks like, my gosh, she just knows like how she’s so prepared. She’s just, she always knows everything. And then what in reality, it’s me making cheat codes almost for myself and just.

really preparing before those calls, before those moments so that I’m getting the next one, you know, because I never wanted to set myself up for failure or really set myself up where a door that is wide open for me is now all of a sudden closed because I didn’t properly prepare. So I would say that is my biggest secret, if you will, to gaining credibility and rapport with not only the partners, but the clients.

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UK solicitors choose Clio. Now back to the show. It’s hard work. You put in the hard work, you you’ve prepared, you’ve been proactive, you’ve gone above and beyond what other people might do. And I think that’s really, really important. And, you know, fair play to you for doing that. And as an extension of that question, I was going to ask, because you’re touching on there, but anything else you would add to it in terms of, you know, a lot of junior associates struggle with visibility, don’t they? What practical steps did you take to ensure your work and potential was recognized?

on top of the preparation that you put in and any other tips you would give. Yeah. So I think junior associates are uniquely positioned and they’re uniquely positioned in, I’m going to caveat this with, you know, I was at a firm where we had very lean and mean teams. ⁓ And so like I typically didn’t work with like a thousand associates on a case, you know, I’m embellishing a bit, but you get what I’m saying. And so like we were staffed in a way where it’s like someone junior,

someone like a more senior associate and then typically a partner or two. And that was like really the case team. So caveat there. But junior associates are uniquely positioned where you’re like the MVP. You kind of know where all the balls are in the air. know, like you’re the person who’s closest to the documents. You’re the person who’s closest to the docket.

You know what filing deadlines are coming up. You just know kind of like how generally the case is progressing and so for those Associates who are really focused on visibility and opportunities I think you have to lean into that superpower and how do you do that? Well, you do that by Anticipating what’s next and being all over it, right? So for example, everyone knows there’s a complaint right after a complaint you have to respond

Typically, you’re going to file a motion of dismiss ⁓ and there are things you have to do in order to get that ready. There’s research, you need to analyze the complaint, figure out where the weak points are. ⁓ You need to start drafting an outline of what are our arguments, what basis or bases are we going to move on. So that is not a secret. Every single case, especially from a litigation standpoint, is probably going to have that.

absent some extraordinary circumstances. So knowing that and being the person, know, kind of like pre-suit and or very early stages of litigation, you’re the junior associate. So you’re probably the person who sat in on a lot of the interviews that you’re conducting with a client to figure out like, what all happened here? What’s what, right? And so you have a very healthy understanding of the facts and the issues that play in this dispute. And so,

being the junior, you should anticipate, hey, those are the steps, what I just outlined, right? Outline of the arguments, research, those steps are going to have to get delegated. Anticipate that someone’s gonna have to tell you to do this stuff, and so you’re gonna already start doing it, or tell the partner, hey, I’m already started on the outline, hey, I started researching into these issues, hey, what do you think about this outline of the argument that I put together? They are gonna look at you like you’re a rock star.

You know, because they’re going to be like, oh my God, I didn’t even have to tell her to do all these things. And they’re like, oh my gosh, how are you still on top of it? So I think as a junior associate, there are so many opportunities for you to anticipate what’s next and send a note to whoever the powers that might be. You know, maybe it’s a senior associate who’s overseeing you or maybe you’re working directly with a partner. Regardless, you are not only making yourself more visible.

but you’re building credibility with them when you’re anticipating their problems and making them your own. And then you’re also going to extra step of getting started before someone even has to tell you to do so. That initiative is going to take you so far and it’s gonna make people trust you and make people want to mentor you. And I feel like those are the opportunities I think of where I was showing that initiative and then the partner and or senior associate then saw that as an opportunity like,

Okay, I love what you did here with the argument. Let’s think about it this way. And now it’s like, I’m looking into your brain and you’re like dumping that knowledge on me. And then it’s like, I almost manufactured a mentorship moment or opportunity for myself just by being a good associate or taking ⁓ that initiative.

And that’s it, isn’t it? It’s being proactive. It’s being not a resource, but a value add. You’re not just sort of working for them. You’re kind of moving things forward. You’re always looking forward. You’re being that value add. And as a result of that, you’re going to get more opportunities coming your way. And as you say, that reverse mentoring piece actually works quite well because it’s a lot easier to review something than to start something. So even if you don’t get it 100 % right, you’re showing you’re proactive. You’re putting yourself above others. You’re getting yourself noticed. And you’re going to be the person that probably gets more

opportunities. I love that. Great advice. Thank you. Okay. In 2019, you co-founded the Bridging the Gap Scholarship. Can you tell us about the scholarship please and who’s it aimed at? Yeah. So the goal of Bridging the Gap Scholarship is to increase minority representation and big law. You know, that’s no secret to anyone. And I think in part it’s because of the big law recruiting

kind of like style. So big law firms, I’d say predominantly recruit from the most prestigious universities in America. ⁓ What does that mean? Well, that means that you’re already taking like a minority pool, right? Most lawyers do not go to T14s or top 20 law schools. I’m sorry if that was a shocker to anyone. But so now you’re taking a minority of a minority, right? And then so

looking and recruiting diverse talent is extraordinarily difficult. And I think you see that in the racial makeup of our top law firms. And so we started bridging a gap for scholarship to fix that issue ⁓ because we believe that it begins way before you get to law school, right? First, there is like this illusion of choice that I think

that exists with pre-law students, especially with pre-law students from underrepresented backgrounds. Most people’s first visual of an attorney comes from the media, right? So we’re thinking like in America, SVU, law and order, know, the TV shows that are showing and depicting lawyers, but typically in a more public interest or governmental type role, right?

⁓ They’re not typically I mean I think with the recent advent of like suits and I’m forgetting the name of that big law show on Netflix ⁓ That’s that’s new, you know, typically when people think a lawyer they’re thinking like a public defender or ⁓ Maybe a DA or something in that capacity because that’s just what they’ve become so familiar with in the media and so

what I found is that a lot of students come into law school almost thinking that that’s the end all be all of law, right? They have this very myopic view of what it means to be an attorney and what it means to practice law. Now that would be fine if also in America we didn’t have this discrepancy or I should say this disparity between what public interest attorneys are

paid and valued as versus what many other facets of law are paid and valued as. ⁓ Obviously, I completely understand the vitality of public interest. mean, they are doing such amazing and important work. And unfortunately, that entire field has been historically undervalued and underpaid. But what

The problem that arises is that when you have students from underrepresented backgrounds who already think this is all there is to law, and then sometimes you have these implicit pushes to get them to go into those certain areas of law, now it’s almost as if you’ve created an environment where the most lucrative aspects of the practice of law are reserved for a specific group or type of people, while the more historically undervalued

and underpaid facets of the law are reserved to another type of people. And it’s that illusion of choice that we are really trying to dismantle and really just democratize the law school admissions process. So we’re bridging the gap again, because I think it starts much earlier than law school, like stepping foot on the law in a law school campus. Bridging the gap scholarship provides scholars with four important things that I think gives you an even

playing field to have your best shot at whatever opportunity you might want. One, we give our scholars $1,000 to take care of the actual cost of applying to law school. For those who do not know, mean, one application can run you anywhere from $200 to $250. So it is very expensive just to apply to law schools. So $1,000 cash.

Two, we partnered with Blueprint, and Blueprint has a course that is like the one 17 guaranteed. It’s basically like everything you need to know about the LSAT, and they deconstruct it in a really great way to make their students successful when they actually have to take on the LSAT. So LSAT prep course. ⁓ Three, we’ve also partnered with

Spidey Consulting, ⁓ an amazing consulting firm that focuses on law school admissions. And so they help our scholars with all the essays that you have to submit and the like. And so for students like myself, whose parents could afford a consultant or afford someone to kind of help guide you through that process, again, we’re democratizing it. So students who just for no other reason, but they weren’t born with

a ton of wealth, now they can afford or get those resources as well. ⁓ And so we also partnered with Barbrey Law Preview. Barbrey has this amazing kind of like law school boot camp, if you will, where they really teach students the summer before they actually step foot on a law school campus, you know, how to brief a case, how do you handle cold calls, how do you prepare for

a law school exam, how do you outline all of those things? Again, where students who are like myself come from a family of attorneys, you almost have that built in where people are sharing the secrets of being successful in law school. And so that’s really what Bridging the Gap is. And I mean, we’ve had amazing success in our, what is it now, seven years ⁓ of establishment. I mean, we’ve sent students to

Penn, Cornell, ⁓ Wash U, Georgetown, Duke. ⁓ We had a student who got into Harvard, Yale, and Stanford. I mean, we have just been killing it. And what I love about it is that, well, know, like our core Bridgina Gatt Scholars are really new students who were amazing, right? They worked their butts off.

But unfortunately, they were not born into a family that just had an abundance of resources. And so now they’ve got a fighting shot at getting into these fields of law that are seen as the most prestigious and most lucrative. And all they needed was a little help and a little bit of resources to really get them there. They needed the bridge.

for that, right? And you have provided that and doing fantastic work. So congratulations on what you have done and what you’ll continue to do. I think it’s fantastic. You touched on a little bit, but law firms, how do you think law firms can better support early talent development for students and from those from underrepresented backgrounds? Yeah. I mean, I think it starts with making a commitment to do so. I mean, that sounds cheesy, but I think that in and of itself does a lot, you know?

⁓ I think especially with the recent political climate in America, we’ve seen a lot of people shy, and by people I mean law firms, shy away from taking on these initiatives, really extending their hand to bring up the next generation of attorneys. I think reinforcing those commitments, even when it’s not necessarily marketable to do so, or maybe you might come under the ire of the powers that be,

focusing on the things that really started your dominance in law in the legal field and that made these law students attracted to you in the first place. So I think it starts, Rob, with just reaffirming that the commitment is there. And then I think, you know, the law firms are uniquely situated where they have an abundance of resources. ⁓

where they can pour into whether it’s an organization like BTG, we’re not the only ones doing this. There are other organizations like SEO, for example, that are doing similar things. then after you’ve reaffirmed that commitment, you can then pump your dollars and really support these organizations that need the support. Yeah, it’s standing to that, isn’t it? If you say it, make sure you do it.

And I love that you’re talking about sort of that giving back piece as well. You know, once you reach teach, you know, send that elevator back down for others, let others, you know, have the opportunities as well. I to talk a little about networking now and building relationships. Do a lot of that on the show, you know, for students and junior lawyers, attorneys, you know, who may not have networks, what are the most effective ways to create meaningful professional relationships? Yeah. So I think law students and this is like

Law students only. So appreciate that. After you leave law school, I think some of this power goes away. But I think law students have this power over practicing attorneys. And the power is this. We were all in your shoes, right? We were all there. We were all the 1L who didn’t know anything. We were all the 2L who thought they had it figured out, but not.

We were all the 3L who was trying to enjoy the last hurrah, but also was like definitely afraid of the bar and all that came with it. We’ve been in your shoes. So it’s almost like this debt equity situation where we have a moral debt to you. Where if you are reaching out to an attorney nine times out of 10, and the only one out of 10 point is like if that attorney is completely underwater, but nine times out of 10 that attorney is going to get

coffee with you, get lunch with you, whatever it might be that you are requesting for no other reason than we’ve been in your shoes. We know exactly how you feel and we want to help you for that reason. And so with that power, I think now you have a responsibility to yourself that you use it, right? So what does that look like? That means cold calling attorneys who are potentially practicing in areas that you are

you know, really interested in or that you’re really passionate about reaching out to them with that cold email, setting up the coffee, setting up the lunches. And that’s how you build your network because I just told you that these lawyers are going to feel indebted. They’re going to feel like I need to do it. You know, I feel so bad. ⁓ I really want to do this. ⁓ I totally know how I felt when I was emailing all these attorneys and I didn’t get anything back, you know.

We’ve all been there. So we’re gonna take it upon ourselves to make ourselves available to you. It might take some time. It might take you following up a time or two, which is totally normal and fine, but you have to do that. ⁓ I tell all of my mentees, we have like a golden rule. You are not allowed to apply to any law firm if you don’t have a cheerleader on the ground. So what that means for my mentees is they have to reach out to any Maunie Maunatukah

get coffee or lunch with me, make me fall in love with them, which they’re probably gonna do, because that’s the easiest thing for a law student really to do, be somewhat interesting, be likable, be excited about the practice of law. And then I’m going to tell you, let me know when you apply. And what that means is internally, instead of your application being on this pile of that 5,000, it goes to this much smaller pile of

create that it’s who we’ve had the opportunity to network with and kind of like screen if you will and know like no, they’re they’re amazing. They’re high caliber and exactly who we want. so that that would be my advice. I love that and it’s so many things that I talk to as well that I absolutely agree with you know, firstly self accountability right if it’s meant to be it’s up to me. gotta get yourself out there. Go make it happen. Get that individual like you say you’ve put in the work you give yourself a chance and yet.

Also, people are busy, right? Fortune is in the follow up. So having strategic ways we can follow up with people with new news, new touch points, new ways to carry a conversation forward, whatever it might be, our value add. Love it. Okay, I to talk about personal branding now, because I’m a big advocate for personal branding. What would be your top three tips for young lawyers looking to build their personal brand, which aligns with their values and their long term career goals? Yeah. Um, that was a hard one. So I feel like

It’s hard to capture three tips, but I’m going to talk about what I think is the import of a personal brand. I think what set me out and set me apart, especially at the beginning of my career, is the fact that I wasn’t just ever a Sidley associate. You know, I was Imani Matuka, who happens to work at Sidley Austin, right? And I think that distinction is key because I find that so many associates box themselves in where it’s like,

No, I’m just grinding. It’s like I’m just the firm. That’s my entire identity is this law firm that I work at. I mean, that’s problematic for a number of reasons, including your own mental health. But it’s also problematic from a personal branding standpoint, because now the only way people will think of you is through that one lens versus what I started very early in my career is I was aware of many hats. And I think that uniquely positioned me where

like Sidley loved me because I wasn’t just doing Sidley type things, right? They saw me in the news for BTG. They saw what I was doing and all of these other facets of my career. And they really like, it made the firm look better, you know, where it’s like, this is like an all star associate who’s like getting ⁓ appearances and all of these other really coveted.

publications, but really because I’m doing the things that I’m passionate about and I’m making a brand for myself. And so I guess my biggest tip would be that you need to have some sense of self that is larger than the firm, that is larger than your practice of law, because that will open so many doors, whether it be potential client relationships, whether it be career opportunities, networking opportunities, you name it.

I mean, if you really focus on what am I passionate about? What do I care about? What do I want my legacy to be? When people think of Imani Malautika, what do I want them to think of, right? Do I just want them to think of being law associate? Do I want them to think of someone who cares deeply about their community? What is it? And then curate a brand that aligns with that vision and make sure that that’s a brand

that not only is it something that you can be proud of, but it’s something that affirms all of the other parts of your life, right? Whether that be the practice of law, whether that be philanthropic opportunities, whether that be entrepreneurial endeavors, I mean, make sure that it aligns with all of these other facets of your life. But yeah, that would be my biggest tip.

Again, I’m sat here just nodding away in agreement. I talk very openly about my late grandfather who ran his own successful law firm in the 1950s and the impact he had and live respected, die regretted and the great work that he did to help and inspire his clients and his community and how I’m trying to replicate that in a digital format with the resources and technology we have available to amplify and build a global legal community and try and stay true to that. And I think it keeps you accountable.

as well. So thank you for sharing that. Really, really inspiring. And again, just a couple of quick fire questions before I let you go. What areas should junior lawyers be focusing on for career development, do you think, right now? So I’m going to put a disclaimer up. This advice will be limited to litigators. But if you are interested or leaning towards litigation and the litigation practice, I would say really focus on your legal writing.

I mean, that’ll be your greatest asset at wherever you end up, whether it’s a big firm, a medium-sized firm, a small firm, whether it’s a public interest organization or the like. mean, if you can master communicating ideas in a written format, if you can master persuading an audience, whether that audience be the court, a client, a partner, ⁓ you will be far beyond your peers.

And I think so many, you know, pre-law students or lawyers or law students, they fall into this trap where that part is hard and it’s the one they shy away from, you know, and it’s the one where they’re like, I like litigation, but I don’t want to write the brief. I like litigation, but don’t make me write anything, you know, and it’s like, I think that is just such, it is such an important part of our practice and sure.

There are litigators who aren’t sitting up all night writing a million briefs, right? And there are the litigators who want, don’t talk to me, I just want to sit in my office and write briefs all day. Absolutely, I understand that dichotomy exists. However, when you are a budding lawyer, and you’re someone vying for a job, you’re trying to build that credibility, that is one of the ways that you can really set yourself apart. You know, really just jumping in head first and really

like taking a skill that I think is kind of objective, you know, there are like, there’s a legal writing form, you know, that most lawyers learn and like being able to master that form will do you very well. So I would definitely put my time and attention into that. Yeah, really sage advice. And again, thank you for sharing that. And it’s clear you’ve got lots of tips and advice to help the next generation. So before I let you go, what impact do you hope to make?

on the legal profession and indeed on the next generation of lawyers. Yeah. I mean, I, you said it exactly Rob earlier. I want to bridge the gap. I want people to remember Imani Mautuka as someone who got really far. But when she made it to that, that moment, she looked behind her and she brought those behind her with her. And that, that is my goal in every single thing I do. And that is what I want to be remembered for.

Beautiful. I really thoroughly enjoyed today, Imani. And if our listeners, which I’m sure they will, want to follow you or indeed learn more about your career or firm, where can they go to find out more? Feel free to share any websites, any social media handles. We’ll also share them with this episode for you too. Yeah, you can connect with me on LinkedIn, Imani Malatuka. I’m on Instagram at Imani Malatuka. I also have a website, imanimalatuka.com. And then for those of you who might be listening and interested in pursuing a career in law,

Our scholarship applications are currently open until February 15th, 2026. And you can go to bridgingthegapscholarship.com to apply. Awesome. Well, it me to say thank you so, so much once again, Imani. It’s been an absolute pleasure having you on the Legally Speaking podcast sponsored by Clio. But now from all of us wishing you lots of continued success over and out. Thank you for listening to this week’s episode. If you like the content here, why not check out our world leading

content and collaboration of the Legally Speaking Club over on Discord. Go to our website www.legallyspeakingpodcast.com. There’s a link to join our community there. Over and out.