If you’ve spent any time on Milwaukee TikTok or Instagram, you’ve likely encountered Sophia, a lawyer and content creator who goes by @sophinlaw online.
What started as an account about law school has grown into one of the city’s sharpest, funniest and most thoughtful voices on local culture, housing advocacy, and the Milwaukee food scene.
On Episode Two of Milwaukee Based, a podcast about Milwaukee's internet culture, Sophia joined WUWM’s Graham Thomas and Samia Saeed.
Sophia first started sharing her law school journey on TikTok and eventually a podcast. Over time, she began to post more Milwaukee-specific content.
“There was no one else talking about the things that they actually go to — the cultural events...friend-making events,” she says.“I was like, ‘I wanna see people around my age doing fun stuff.’”
Sophia’s online presence is also grounded in advocacy. During law school, she interned with Eviction Free MKE, a local organization that provides free legal support for tenants in eviction court. Her experience providing pro bono legal services for tenants has offered her a close-up view of Milwaukee’s housing crisis.
“The people here need affordable housing for renting and for buying, but there’s no investment on a larger scale into those things,” she says. “So that’s what I would like to see — more investment [in affordable housing], countywide.”
In the episode, Sophia shares her thoughts on Milwaukee’s influencer culture, what responsible influence looks like and how creators can uplift local communities. To wrap things up, she works through a local restaurant bracket to crown her favorite Milwaukee food spot.
Credits
Audio editing by Graham Thomas.
Video editing by Samia Saeed.
Production assistance from Sam Woods.
Music from Better Call Saul.
Sound effects from Law & Order.
