Sisters In Law cast bios, legal expertise, and education

Sisters In Law, the acclaimed new series from WE, details the professional and personal lives of six of Houston’s finest attorneys–and, if the Sisters In Law cast bios are any indication, praise for the show’s legal pedigree is well-earned. As the show’s synopsis makes clear, what the intellectually diverse Sisters In Law cast has in common “is their passion for trying cases in a traditionally white, male-dominated profession.” Indeed, Sisters In Law is very much a show about “defying the odds” in that sense; however, it looks like Sisters In Law will also tackle the intricacies of those personal and professional details: “Although they are close-knit, [the women] often find themselves allies one minute and rivals the next.”

To that end, it’s also worth pointing out that Juanita Jones–on the far right in the photo above–not only stars in the show, but came up with the initial concept and title and hounded the other Sisters In Law cast members in order to secure their involvement. Doing so wasn’t easy, since the show films the intricate details of these six lawyers’ cases–and of their clients, as well. But, in Juanita’s own words, Sisters In Law is supposed to be a different type of reality show:

 

I decided and came up with this idea and concept because reality TV is a fact of life. It’s not going anywhere. I was never a big reality TV watcher, but I would sometimes watch the shows and I was disappointed that to a certain degree, America had been idolizing these women whose success came from sex tapes, who they married or who they divorced. I watched and I thought, there are plenty of successful women who make it themselves. They either pull themselves up through poverty, through tragedies, and I wanted young girls to have other options to idolize… And that’s why I created this show with the idea behind it. So that young girls can say, ‘I want to be a lawyer’ instead of, ‘I want to be a video girl’. I want to see the number of African American girls applying to law school go up.

 

To that end, then, let’s begin the Sisters In Law cast bios with Juanita Jackson, whom the show calls its “Compassionate Warrior.” She works in the Harris County Public Defender’s Office, and, to that end, “enjoys standing up for those who can’t stand up for themselves.” According to the Texas State Bar, Juanita earned her JD from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in 1997, and has been an active and engaged member of the legal community ever since.

You can follow Juanita on Twitter here, and on Facebook here.

 

Jolanda Jones is the “Underdog Warrior” of the Sisters In Law cast. According to her personal bio, Jolanda had a long and storied track and field career, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984, ’88, and ’96; another of her achievements outside the field of law was serving as an at-large member of the Houston City Council from 2008 to 2011. Like Juanita, Jolanda has a history of standing up for the underprivileged and defenseless, and works as a criminal attorney. Jolanda  began practicing law after graduating from the University of Houston Law Center in 1995.

You can follow Jolanda on Facebook here.

 

Like Jolanda, Vivian King is a criminal attorney. And, like Juanita, Vivian also graduated from the Thurgood Marshall School of Law; she obtained her law degree in 1992, and began practicing law the same year. However, Vivian also has some experience in front of television cameras: she’s the host of the hourlong program Truth and Justice With Vivian King, which airs Wednesday nights in the greater Houston area. The “Matriarch Warrior” of the show “has paved the way for successful black attorneys in Houston.”

You can follow Vivian on Facebook here.

Rhonda Wills is the “Queen Warrior” of the Sisters In Law cast. What does that mean? She’s got a lot of confidence: Rhonda “owns a civil litigation firm where she goes up against big corporations in defense of the little guy.” Her WE bio also refers to her as a “dragon slayer,” which sounds like both drama and fun at the same time. Rhonda is one of only two cast members who practices civil law; she attended the University of Texas law school, graduating in 1994.

 

You can follow Rhonda on Facebook here.

 

Monique Sparks, the “Faith Warrior” of the program, is a “self-described social worker on steroids.” Her specialty within criminal defense is family law; partly for that reason, she is “devastated” whenever she loses a cast. Monique is also the third of the Sisters In Law cast to have attended the Thurgood Marshall School of Law. Her path didn’t cross with those of Juanita or Vivian, though: Monique is the second-youngest cast member, having graduated in 2006. She owns her own law firm, which she called–what else?–the Sparks Law Firm.

You can follow Monique on Facebook here.

Tiye Foley:

29-year-old Tiye Foley, the youngest of the Sisters In Law cast, is the second of two attorneys to practice civil law. Appropriately enough, the show has also dubbed her the “Fresh Warrior,” since, in addition to her age, her interests diverge somewhat from her castmates’. Tiye specializes in intellectual law; she’s also a fashion blogger. (Her Twitter handle reflects this.) Currently, Tiye works as a litigation associate with Houston law firm Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC. She and Rhonda are fellow Longhorns: Tiye also obtained her law degree from the University of Texas, graduating in 2013.

You can follow Tiye on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

 

So: now all that’s left is for you to watch the show! The eight episode run of Sisters In Law Season 1 airs Thursday nights at 10 PM EST on WE.

 

(Photo credits: Sisters In Law cast via Facebook, Twitter)