Makayla Erazo

Finding My Way

I didn’t always know I wanted to be a lawyer. I wanted to be a social worker that worked with kids or in prisons. In college I took a number of classes focused on all sorts of discrimination – race, gender, religion, wealth, and they resonated with me. I think I realized that life is a coin toss and for a subset of people it’s structured to land heads down. My goal was always to put myself in a position where I could have an impact and I figured law school was a start.

I grew up between Bridgeport and Trumbull and bounced between both school systems. I became very invested in education inequality and its relationship to crime. I have grandparents who immigrated from Ecuador and while they remind me that nothing worth having comes without hard work, my mom taught me that the line between a “good” and “bad” person is very faint. The choices people make boil down to the options they have available and the support systems they can rely on. I wanted to be a lawyer because I think there are more so many good people who need support and a voice.

I was fortunate to have a great support system. My dad raised me and my two younger siblings as a single father. So I was raised to understand challenges and, accordingly, to lean into them. The fact that a path may be challenging isn’t a factor I let deter me because rarely is the right choice the easy one.

I Love What I Do

I like that being a lawyer has taught me to approach issues from a problem-solving mindset. I like that I’m in a position to make substantive differences. I’ve always been a firm believer in speaking up for those who aren’t being heard. Being a lawyer allows you do just that, in fact it’s the entire job.

I like criminal defense attorneys and post-conviction work most because they act as a check on the legal process and ensure its integrity. They work to keep it honest by challenging it.

When I am not fighting for my clients, I like spending time with my family and working on volunteer projects, such as working with the Red Cross, tutoring, attending benefit walks, and feeding the homeless.