Tabitha McNulty
Appellate Attorney at the Arkansas Commission for Parent Counsel
Hometown: West Memphis, AR (originally); Little Rock, AR (current)
Briefly describe your role: I am an attorney who represents indigent parents and custodians in appeals from dependency-neglect actions. The majority of my cases concern the termination of parental rights. I practice primarily before the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
Q: Is what you’re doing now what you always pictured you would do?
A: I knew I wanted to be an attorney since I was in kindergarten. So, I always pictured myself being a lawyer and working to help others, but I did not necessarily picture myself working in child welfare.
Q: What do you see as the greatest challenges for women in your chosen industry? What are the greatest opportunities?
A: I think it is difficult for women to balance the workload and family obligations, but I am sure that is not unique just to women in law.
Q: Who has inspired you in your life/career?
A: I have been very fortunate in my life. I have an extremely large and supportive family that has encouraged and cheered for me throughout my life to pursue my dreams of working in the law. I have an aunt that is a lawyer who inspired me both personally and in my career. I started as a lawyer working for Lisa McGee and in the courtroom of Judge Joyce Williams Warren. I will forever be grateful to both of those women as they provided me with the foundation to be the lawyer I am today.
Q: What advice would you give to an aspiring professional?
A: Work hard and always trust your instinct. You trained for this job, and if you are guided by doing what is right, then you can’t go wrong.
Q: What’s been your secret to success?
A: This is hard for me to answer because I would never describe myself as a “success.” I’m a work in progress and continually work to be better for the people I work to help. I think I have seen some success in my time as a lawyer because I try to be thorough and precise. I also look at each individual (parents and children) within my cases as human beings that are part of a struggling family – not just another case file. I’ve learned that each of these parents are so much more than their addictions, mistakes, or struggles.
