Women in Big Law (WiBL) Recap
On February 5 and 6, 2026, Virginia Law Women (VLW) hosted its largest networking event of the year: Women in Big Law (WiBL). Helmed by Professional Programming Co-Chair Lena Mersereau ’27, the event featured panels, a reception, dinners, and individual coffee chats. With twenty-one participating Big Law firms, the event offered a variety of perspectives and insights into charting a successful path through Big Law.
VLW has hosted several professional programs throughout the year up until this point. Mersereau, along with co-chairs Alex Nason ’27 and Louisa Carron ’27, ran firm lunches and panels throughout the fall semester. WiBL shared a lot of what made those events successful: organic opportunities for connection and networking, varied perspectives, and thoughtful panel-moderating. WiBL also stands out: the sheer number of firms participating meant that there was something for everyone, and the acceleration and advancement of law firm recruiting timelines made the event an excellent opportunity.
WiBL offered students the opportunity to attend one of four panels: “Litigation 101,” “Corporate 101,” “Finding Your Niche,” and “Acing Your Summer & Early Associate Years.” Twenty attorneys, including a mix of junior and senior associates and partners, were divided amongst the panels.
“Acing Your Summer & Early Associate Years” was moderated by Nason and included attorneys from Davis Polk, Simpson Thacher, Goodwin, and McGuire Woods. On the topic, Erin Maggoffie ’23, shared her advice that genuine eagerness and enthusiasm are key ingredients to early success in Big Law. When asked how to balance the social aspects of a summer associate opportunity with the professional expectations, Caroline Burton ’14 reminded all to always keep in the back of your mind that your summer associate experience is, in part, an extended interview with the firm. The firm will want to be confident that you will be the type of first-year associate that they want on their deal teams and cases. Claire Creighton-Smith (Col. ’17) gave thoughtful advice about asking questions, especially as a first-year associate. “Demonstrate that you have done some work to try to figure out the answer,” in whatever way that you can. This demonstrates initiative. Sara Phipps ’20 gave actionable advice as well: get really good at the tasks that others might find mundane, especially if they are something that you enjoy. Building confidence in your work product in your first year sets juniors up for success mentally as they advance.
The attorneys acknowledged that for many law students, their first time in a corporate setting will be their 2L summer associate position. The firms know this and will often offer an email communications protocol or training early on. Look out for any firm-specific advice you receive, or patterns you observe from other attorneys, regarding timeliness, responsiveness, and tone in communications. Ask a mentor, or another junior associate, or your colleagues themselves if they prefer to be emailed, called, or sent a Slack/Teams message. But the theme was reassuring: you will be given what you need to succeed, and if you are not, you should ask.
As the event centered around the experience that women have in Big Law, the conversation turned to building a life around work. Many solid pieces of advice were shared, amongst them, to invest in your hobbies and the things that you care about. Money spent on those things, to the extent feasible, pays dividends back to your mental health. Burton, a law firm Partner and a mother, shared advice she received early in her career: Don’t take yourself out of the opportunity before you have even given it a shot. While we acknowledge that we are generalizing, women often think, “how am I going to make the Big Law schedule work with kids, and hobbies, and a career” before they even get to the law firm, and before they even see if they can make it work. These are real concerns, and as Burton said, it does require sacrifices. But trust yourself to make those decisions when the time comes to make them, and give yourself the opportunity to dive into Big Law, if that is what you want, right now.
The event proceeded to a catered reception in Caplin Pavilion, where students got to follow up individually with attorneys. All of the law firms brought merchandise, which notably gets better and better each year.
While there was certainly a lot of opportunity for networking for immediate job prospects at WiBL, the event offered much more than that. It was a chance for law students to see what is possible for them in Big Law, to air out specific concerns, and the attorneys were generous with actionable advice. In future years, VLW hopes to see even more students at WiBL.
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Staff Editor — Alexis Pudvan ’28
nrt9un@virginia.edu