BB&K In The News

Law by Day, Roller Derby at Night

By KAT GREENE

A pack of female roller skaters jockey for position on a banked loop, quickly forming alliances and enemies on a path where any misstep could lead to a tumble, as Best Best & Krieger LLP’s Michelle Young muscles her way to the front. And you thought law firm politics were tough.

A member of the Los Angeles Derby Dolls roller-derby league, Young is known on the track by “Harlem Shakedown,” a moniker the Fordham University School of Law grad cooked up for herself when looking for a tough alter ego with a little of her own character. She matched a bright purple bandanna under her flashy silver helmet to the metallic purple fasteners on her skates worn at a recent practice match, and much of her gear is emblazoned with the nickname.

The women of roller derby are diverse physically, from petite-framed skaters who look like they might be just as comfortable in a breezy Pilates studio to those who might be able to swap costumes with the “Game of Thrones” character Brienne of Tarth. Tattoos and bright hair colors — pink, blue, green — punctuate the pack as the skaters whiz by on the track.

Young found roller derby about a year ago and was instantly hooked. It’s a contact sport in which mostly female teams race around a track on roller skates, working to assist the jammer in scoring points while blocking the other team’s jammer from doing the same.

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Read the entire article, originally published July 8, 2016 by Law360, by clicking here (subscription required).