The Tarcai sisters were the daughters of Hungarian immigrants who met on a citizens’ rights protest line in their native country. Settling in Cleveland, the Tarcais embraced the ideals of their new homeland and instilled in their daughters an abiding respect for the rule of law. Elsie and Violet both attended Ohio State University and both worked factory jobs to afford law school and, later, to support their new careers. The women hoped to practice criminal law but were discouraged by the courts, which deemed women unsuited for the more unsavory aspects of criminal law. Graduating in 1942, Elsie was an early female attorney practicing in Cleveland and became the second woman ever to argue a case in the state Court of Appeals. Violet, a union advocate, practiced labor law. The sisters shared an office and a home until their deaths.