Ms. JD Honors Superwomen (And One Man)
Ms. JD, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing young women lawyers, recently gathered at NYU Law for its eighth annual Conference on Women in the Law.
We spotted Ms. JD founder Elizabeth Pederson with board member and Adamski Moroski Madden Cumberland & Green associate Janet Wallace.
Elizabeth, a Stanford Law alum, was inspired to start the organization to unite and encourage female law students and young lawyers across the country.
We snapped two of the event's honorees. Here's one Woman of Inspiration: Stephanie Morales, the first woman to be elected Commonwealth’s Attorney in Portsmouth, VA. She says while there were no lawyers in her family, her mother knew a local judge and took her to see the court in action when she was 6 years old; she knew she wanted to be a lawyer since then. Later, starting law school with two babies under 2 years old was no impediment, and she says she uses her own experiences to tell her four children: don't tell me there's something you cannot do. She's established an initiative to inspire the next generation by having them intern or shadow in her office.
With her is the recipient of "The Incredible Man Initiative," which recognizes men who support women and women's initiatives: Duane Morris trial practice partner and Co-Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Joe West. Before joining Duane Morris, he was the CEO of the Minority Corporate Counsel Association.
Another Woman of Inspiration was Lesley Horton Campbell, the Associate GC for Tiffany & Co. She was the first in her family to graduate from a four-year college. A UPenn and NYU Law grad, she summered at Kaye Scholer and was an associate with Paul Weiss.
Not only does she advance in her professional life, but Lesley also climbed to the summit of the more than 19,000-foot Mt. Kilimanjaro in October. Both in mountain climbing and the legal industry, she says, appreciate the people and organizations who guide you on the journey, then look back and support others on their journeys as well.
Other awardees included Harvard Law School prof Diane Rosenfeld, UT Law student Rachel McKenna, Care to Learn Kansas City Chapter, Association of Women Law Students at University of Missouri Kansas City Chapter, Denise Henning, and attorney, global health activist, and diplomat Dr. Ilise Feitshans (above). Ilese was the first person to earn a doctorate in the law of nanotechnology, from the Geneva School of Diplomacy, and now serves as an expert on nanotechnology law for the Council of Europe.
