Executive Corner
April 26, 2019
The Executive Corner is a new weekly feature of the Addiction/Recovery eBulletin. We send our participants forty questions and ask them to choose twenty they would like to answer. It includes a short profile and a link to their website. We hope you enjoy it.
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PROFILE
Nadine Lewis has a broad-based private practice focused on Real Estate, Unlawful Detainer, Foreclosure Defense, Consumer Debt Resolution and all IRS Fresh Start Programs for delinquent tax payers.
Nadine is a seasoned litigator and handles all real estate matters, from the new IRS Opportunity Zone regulations for real estate investors to landlord-tenant litigation, as well as drafting commercial leases, venture capital transactions and foreclosure defense for homeowners who are in distress.
Since her admission to the State Bar of California in 1995, Ms. Lewis has had a strong commitment to community service. Nadine currently sits on the Legal Advisory Committee for the Anti-Defamation League and recently finished a three-year term on the State Bar Consumer Finance Committee.
In 2008, Ms. Lewis served on the Board of Directors of Friendly House in Los Angeles. Founded in 1951. In her private practice she has represented sober living houses, treatment centers as well as their patients and clients.
Nadine Lewis, Esq.
Nadine Lewis Attorney at Law
1531 6th Street, Suite No. 303
Santa Monica, CA 90401
424.330.0386 Phone | nadine@nadineesq.com
Visit us on the web: www.nadineesq.com.
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Q. Do you believe leaders are made or born?
A. Watching all of my daughters little friends grow up into young adults, I truly think we come out the way we come out. The bossy little girls on the pre-school playground became student body presidents in high school and the little ones who were sassy in elementary school are still strong outspoken adults. As parents, we teach manners and social graces but leadership gifts seem to be an innate force embedded in our DNA.
Q. Where do you like to go get away?
A. Punta de Mita, Mexico
Q. How do you measure success?
A. By a peaceful night’s sleep
Q. What film have you watched the most?
A. The Quarrel written by David Brandes, hands down, watched it at least a dozen times.
Q. What is your current hobby?
A. I am a published poet and enjoy painting on large canvases. I recently sold a painting of Mohammad Ali! I am also obsessed with baking creatively decorated cakes for my friends birthdays, which keeps me busy since most of my friends have a natal birthday and a recovery birthday! I am going to make my first wedding cake in August and I am obsessed with watching how to videos online.
Q. If you could have a dinner with your favorite authors who would they be?
A. Maya Angelou, Terrance Roberts and Alan Dershowitz
Q. What is your favorite TV show?
A. Shameless … watching Fiona spin out this season! A cautionary tale for sure.
Q. What is your favorite sport to watch?
A. NFL Football, GO RAMS!!
Q. Favorite snack?
A. I am being healthy? Chia Pudding from Kreation — I am being honest? Caramel Apples and Rice Krispy treats
Q. Have you ever been arrested?
A. No, except that one time I was being too sassy with a Judge, he threatened me with contempt and he told the bailiff to handcuff me, I was never sassy again, at least with that Judge.
Q. What is your favorite museum?
A. Yad Vashem in Israel
Q. What is your favorite city?
A. Jerusalem, people talk about Paris being magical but for me, the old city, the Wall, the air, the markets on Shabbat, nothing like it any where else in the world. You feel G-d everywhere.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
A. Ask “why not?!!!” more often then you ask “why???”
Q. What’s the best advice you’ve ever given?
A. Write the three part letter … A letter to the person … a letter to G-d about the person or situation … a letter from G-d to you about the person or situation. The magic of the pencil, every time.
Q. What books are you reading right now?
A. “Lessons from Little Rock” Terrance Roberts. “Einstein and the Rabbi” Naomi Levy (my most favorite book ever I am OBSESSED with it, I’ve bought at least 20 copies and given them out to friends). “Becoming” by Michelle Obama
Q. What three things do you always carry with you?
A. Lip gloss, Altoids
Q. What is the proudest moment of your life?
A. When I volunteered for 13 hours without a break counseling families of detained passengers at LAX with dozens of other lawyers when Trump imposed the Muslim Ban
Q. Do you have any children?
A. I have a beautiful 21 year old daughter.
Q. Do you think addiction is an illness, a disease or a choice or a wicked twist of fate?
A. It’s a dark and messy, amalgamation of all of those things.
Q. Do you take work home with you?
A. I am pretty good about turning it off when I am not at work, unless I am preparing for a trial, then it’s a lot of books in my bed at night.
Q. Do you think the U.S should adopt the Portuguese decriminalization model?
A. I definitely think there should be more public funds available for treatment, we don’t have universal health care and it takes money to detox and remain in treatment, with 44 million people in this country have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance public funds must become available if we are ever going to gain any traction for the crisis in our communities. We need to get more creative as a country to handle the issue. I know there was a Judge in Santa Maria who ran the most successful diversion/drug court program in the state, I wish we had more people like him in the criminal justice system he gave people back their lives and kept them out of the system.
Q. Is there a favorite quote you would like to share? YES! YES! I have this taped to my printer in my office:
A. Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow! Grow!” —Talmud
