In the framework of International Women's Day, we highlight the participation of our partner Pía Iparraguirre Alarcón, member of Women's White Collar Defense Association (WWCDA), in the executive breakfast on "Beyond Stereotypes: Women's Empowerment and Leadership in Law White-Collar Crime".
We thank WWCDA Peru for fostering these enriching conversations.

Compartimos el texto publicado por Pía en linkedin en relación al evento:

"Be What You Want to Be: Be a Barbie Girl: A Criminal Lawyer's Story."

The story of how a girl who loved dolls and pink found a new passion in law White-Collar Crime.

I remember the first time I walked through downtown Lima in heels up and down stairs to update my docket and the excitement of having visited my first jail to talk to a client, assuring him that his case was on track and that we would achieve a solution. I also remember hearing phrases from my mother worried because her little angel was walking through dangerous streets or the comments of policemen or court clerks in which "Miss", "Lady" or "Doctor" are not symbols of respect, but of pure machismo, of diminishing your position in front of the "Doctor" or "Sir".

I remember the times when in Prosecutor's Offices or Courts they asked me to come as "the lawyer" and inspected my ID card, or the first time I had to argue a case before a Court and a magistrate inspected me from top to bottom and asked me questions from a grade exam because he did not quite believe that I was a lawyer. But I also remember that I was lucky enough to meet great women lawyers along the way who had already been fighting against stereotypes, but I still felt that there was a long way to go.

I understood after hitting the ground and moments of pride, that I didn't have to stop liking pink or adopting more "masculine" positions to achieve success, that I didn't have to feign comfort in situations that were signs of disdain or machismo. I learned that there are great communities of women like the WWCDA that can help you get ahead. I am also aware that there is still a lot to learn, many fears to conquer and battles to win.

Life, luck and a bit of enlightenment have led me down many paths, environmental law, Public Management, Compliance and risk management but today more than ever I must raise my voice and say that yes I am a lawyer, I am a woman, I will always like pink and the law White-Collar Crime will always have a special place in me.

Let us commemorate this day with the freedom to feel the way we want to feel, to be what we want to be and to support each other to continue our search for equity and justice.