Amanda and Kelley Sharp talk with Gervi Cadimas about her path from the Philippines to California, through law school, and into practice. The conversation covers what day-to-day plaintiff-side work looks like, why law school rarely sends you where you expected to land, and how mentors help fill in the human side of legal practice. They also get into the realities of difficult client conversations, career pivots, and a chaotic round of hot takes.

Timestamps

00:00 - First guest energy, podcast chaos, and introducing Gervi Cadimas
01:24 - Growing up in the Philippines
05:37 - Studying business administration and entrepreneurship
06:45 - The LSAT and taking a gap year
09:22 - The COVID waitlist call that changed everything
14:34 - What wildfire litigation covers and who she represents
16:23 - Why immigration law first appealed to her
19:17 - Why pivoting in law is normal and not career-ending
20:31 - Future plans for her own firm and possible practice areas
21:43 - Learning how to have difficult conversations
28:56 - How litigation stress changes the way she handles conflict in life
32:40 - Advice for 3Ls: survive the bar and nurture relationships
37:23 - “The Jury’s Still Out” game
48:13 - Closing thoughts, attorney referrals, and LinkedIn rules

Key topics

• Gervi shares her background growing up in the Philippines, moving to Sacramento in high school, and eventually landing in San Diego through law school.
• She explains why she studied business administration and entrepreneurship as an undergrad.
• She talks about how hard the LSAT was for her, how English being her third language made it more difficult, and why she ultimately took a gap year.
• Gervi tells the full story of getting off a waitlist during COVID, receiving a call from the USD law dean with 24 hours to decide, and starting law school the next day.
• She describes her current work as an associate attorney focused mainly on wildfire litigation, plus a few personal injury and wrongful death matters.
• She reflects on trying different practice areas and why those experiences helped her figure out what fit and what did not.
• The conversation emphasizes that lawyers often need more than black letter law knowledge - they also need mentorship, communication skills, and the ability to handle difficult conversations.
• The episode closes with a rapid-fire game, “The Jury’s Still Out,” where the crew weighs in on everything from pineapple on pizza to showing up exactly on time.

Action items

• If you are a law student, start building mentor relationships early.
• Don’t lock yourself into one narrow practice area too soon if you’re still exploring.
• Treat reputation and follow-up seriously in a small legal market.
• Prepare for hard client conversations by watching how experienced attorneys handle them.
• Be deliberate about how you deliver bad news so you do not overpromise.