March Madness: Legal Edition

Bye February, Hello March

March is shaping up to be another whirlwind month for me! But before I dive into what’s on my plate, let’s take a moment to talk about being “busy.” 

Busy often means juggling endless tasks without real impact, and I keep finding myself saying “I’m so busy, but I’m good” and I’m annoying myself. It's good to have a lot of projects and tasks on my calendar and to-do list, and I’m grateful to have so much going on. So I think it’s time to reframe busy to productive. 

Because being productive is about more than being busy, it's about getting to meet with people who inspire me, network with colleagues and working on projects that fulfill me. It's about having a routine and setting myself up for success in life and business by practicing prioritization and time management. That’s why I love sharing BTS videos and my to-do lists—it may seem like a lot, but in reality, I’m just incredibly passionate about what I do every day. 

And I want people to see that being a lawyer can be fun!

Mexico & Meaningful Reflections

After two weddings in less than two weeks I am back from Mexico, tanned and feeling energized.

So I thought since it’s International Women’s Month and International Women’s Day is this weekend (March 8th) why not talk about something that has been on my mind a lot lately: 

Tall Poppy Syndrome

Why I’ve never understood why women cut each other down.

My whole life my mom, a strong, proud, Latina woman would tell me to ignore the haters, that they’re “envidiosa” or jealous of me. Growing up I couldn't understand why. I wasn’t the prettiest in the class, I didn’t have envious curves - yet, lol - and the boys didn’t pay attention to me.

But as I got older I realized what set me apart was my inner confidence. I have my insecurities like everyone else but outwardly my defensive shell was strong and proud too. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree after all. I’ve actually had to learn to be more soft, open and friendly. I have always been someone who can talk to anyone and I love connecting with people but for some reason I’m better at that with those younger or older than me rather than my peers. And I wished so hard for so long that I could belong and be good enough for them.

As a 27 year old female entrepreneur in a male dominated field, I’m glad I don’t fit in. All the reasons I felt “not enough” are the reasons now that fueled me to pursue my own path. Without leaning into blogging and social media as a creative outlet in college and law school I never would have dared to share my experience on Instagram, later Tik Tok and Kayla Moran Law wouldn’t be here.

In law school, my best friend would remind me to remember the reasons why I’m different and to not let those who don’t understand get me down. Now those people ask me questions all the time. As I entered the profession, I sought out mentors and friends in the space because they had the networks, resources and experience I was choosing to forego by starting my own firm so early on.

It was great, they were supportive and helpful, until they weren’t. And last year was the year of shedding the bad leaves aka the bad friends, mentors and boyfriends. I had to prune myself and my inner circle A LOT to remember who I am and what my goals are. To remember why I started sharing my life online and why my creator-first approach to legal for creative entrepreneurs and influencers is so unique and important.

There’s a term for this phenomenon: Tall Poppy Syndrome.

I first heard it on a podcast where Pia Mance, influencer and founder of Heaven Mayhem shared the phrase. It’s popular in Australia but I know here in the US we know it all too well.

Essentially, Tall Poppy Syndrome is where individuals who stand out are often criticized or cut down by others. If the poppy gets too tall she needs to be cut down to fit in with the rest. We call it dimming someone else’s light to make yours shine brighter.

I’ve never believed in that and it infuriates me when I see it happening to my friends or even me. It also makes me sad.

I know that I chose to be in a highly competitive field in an emerging industry that everyone wants to be in, but I will never understand why my former mentors and friends felt the need to cut me down right as I was finding my footing.

There’s enough to go around for everyone. If there’s no seats at the table, we add more tables and seats. That’s how I operate.

I’ve actually even found that my male colleagues and friends have been better mentors and advocates to me over the years. You know who you are and I’m grateful for you every day.

In the last 6 months I’ve really had to do a lot of inner work to come back to myself and remember that what other people’s opinions of me are have no bearing on who I am and what I do. On a professional level, I’ve learned that the key to navigating this environment is resilience.

In law school I’d call myself a cockroach and everyone close to me hated it but it's truly how I approached life. No matter how many times someone knocked me down or tried to cut me off at the knees, I came back. Maybe not stronger at first but with a little watering, I kept growing.

By choosing to stay focused on my goals, and pursuing them on my own terms I healed myself and became an advocate for young women looking to join me in this profession.

I try to surround myself with women and friends with my mindset everyday and if I ever feel those around me are holding me back or down, I respectfully distance myself. Women are each other's toughest critics but it’s more exhausting worrying about what everyone else is doing than just focusing on myself.

I still have my days where it gets to me, I’m human after all. And I’ve let the cockroach mentality go for the most part. But she’ll always be in there somewhere, fighting to keep rising.

To all the women out there in law, business, and every industry: Let’s not shrink ourselves to fit in. Let’s not cut each other down to get ahead.

We all have our own path and its more fun and exciting to go together. We get further too.

On the Agenda This Month

If you’ve been following me for a while, you know a big part of what keeps my plate full is connecting with students, networking with other lawyers, and sharing my journey so of course I make time for these opportunities as they come up and this month we have a few!

Speaking with PLACES at FIU
Before I head to NYC, I have the honor of speaking with PLACES, FIU’s newest pre-law organization (founded by my amazing new pre-law assistant—shoutout to Emilee!) for an International Women’s Day panel. PLACES focuses on building opportunities for pre-law students at FIU and serves as the bridge between the FIU Honors College and the FIU College of Law.

I’m heading to the Big Apple!
I usually try to make it to the city 1-2x a year, and the first time in 2025 will be a mix of quality time with my family and a few work meetings. I’m also excited to meet up with law students and friends I’ve connected with on social media over the years.

Speaking at STU Law’s IP Palooza
Right after NYC, I’ll be back at St. Thomas University Law for their IP Palooza event. I’m honored to be on a panel with powerhouse attorneys in the space and thrilled to see law schools investing in student interests through programming that truly excites them.

A Secret Project in the Works
If you’re following me on Instagram and TikTok, you’ll start seeing more hints about a special project I’ve been working on. Stay tuned!

Quote of the Month

Team Updates & Content Revamp

IG Takeover Alert!
Emilee recently took over my Instagram to share her Day in My Life as a pre law student and assistant at Kayla Moran Law. Go say hi and let us know what content you want to see from her, me, and us together!

Tracking KPIs & Content Revamp
Now that I have a full team again, we’re getting super strategic with tracking KPIs (thanks to my friend Alex Porterfield, an Influencer Virtual Assistant Coach). With this new system in place, I’m feeling excited about the fresh direction my content and firm is taking!

Join the IG Pre-Law & Law Student Community!
I started a new IG community for pre-law and law students to connect with me, my friends, and each other. I’ve shared tons of blog posts and resources on my website, but I wanted to take it a step further—so come join us!

Keep Up with Kayla and Kayla Moran Law

Let’s make March a month of purpose, passion, and productivity.

Thanks for reading!

Talk soon,

Kayla