In this episode, I interview Rose Shamash, Supervising Partner at Jones, Jones, LLC, to explore her journey into insurance litigation, a path she stumbled into after law school but quickly grew to love. Rose describes the field as dynamic, complex, and even strategic, comparing it to a game of chess. Rose speaks passionately about the relationships she’s built along the way and her ability to transform challenges into opportunities, like leading the formalization of her firm’s dedicated construction practice. Rose also shared that she is exploring guest lecturing at her former law school, opening students’ eyes to underexplored career paths like workers’ compensation defense, roles that offer both intellectual challenge and the possibility of true work-life balance.

Rose and I also delved into her experiences as a woman in traditionally male-dominated fields like construction law and insurance. She shared relatable stories about overcoming gender assumptions early in her career, including the time she was mistaken for a paralegal, and how she developed confidence and quiet certainty in her expertise. I loved hearing how her role as a parent has also shaped her professional life, making her more empathetic, efficient, and skilled at negotiation and team management.