By Taylor Anne Moffett (3L) and President of Richmond Women’s Law
Each year Women’s History Month gives us a moment to reflect on how far we have come as a community. Before the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, the University of Richmond began accepting women. In 1923, the first female graduated from Richmond’s Law School. Her name was Jane Brown Ranson. Since Jane’s graduation in 1923, women have continued to make history across the Commonwealth of Virginia and beyond.
- 1925: First African American Women to Practice Law in Virginia—L. Marian Fleming Poe
- 1928: First Female Federal Judge—Judge Genevieve Rose Cline
- 1932: First Woman Elected to U.S. Senate—Hattie Wyatt Caraway
- 1934: First Female Judge in Virginia—Judge Mary Robertson Painter
- 1967: First Female President of Old Dominion Bar Association—Ruth Harvey
- 1976: First Woman Appointed to Full-Time Faculty at Richmond Law—Nina “Ricki” Kestin
- 1981: First Woman Appointed to Supreme Court—Sandra Day O’Connor
- 1982: First Woman Editor-In-Chief of Richmond Law Review—J. Carol Williams, L82
- 1984: First African-American Woman Appointed to Full-Time Faculty at Richmond Law—Okianer Christian Dark
- 1985: First Woman Elected Attorney General of Virginia—Mary Sue Terry
- 1989: First Woman to Sit on Supreme Court of Virginia—Elizabeth B. Lacy
- 1992: First Richmond Law Professor of Human Rights for Islam and Muslim Women—Azizah al-Hibri
- 1992: First Woman to Represent Virginia in U.S. Congress—Leslie Byrne
- 1993: First Woman to Serve as U.S. Attorney General—Janet Reno
- 1994: First Female President of the Virginia State Bar—Kathleen O’Brien
- 2000: First Female President of the Virginia Bar Association—Anita Poston
- 2011: First Woman to be Dean of a Virginia Law School—Dean Wendy Perdue
Jane was the only female graduate in her class. One hundred years later, women make up over 50% of each graduating Richmond Law class. I am proud to be a part of this graduating class and to look back at how far we’ve come. I am also proud to be a Richmond Women’s Law member. The last three years wouldn’t have been the same without the support, compassion, and friendship of my fellow RWL members.
Being a part of RWL over the last three years has brought me great joy. Don’t get me wrong, planning events for our 170+ members has been time-consuming, but nothing beats getting to see everyone coming together to celebrate women and friendship. I’ll wrap things up with a quote:
Here’s to women. To the women breaking down barriers. To the women lifting each other up. To the women paving the way for our future. To the women who never give up. To the women who are our biggest supporters. To the women making a change. Here’s to you! —Anonymous
I hope to walk alongside the women of our time who continue breaking down barriers for the next generation, for the next one hundred years to come!
Cheers to a look back over RWL’s last three years:
Spring 2021 — Online Trivia!
Remember when Professor Gibson was a cat? Or when Dean Sklut had a cat on her head? Or when our MC, Professor Holderness, wore a skater hat?
Fall 2021 — RWL Interest Meeting
Fall 2021 — Headshots: Co-Sponsored by RWL & Dean’s Office
Fall 2021 — Work-Life Panel
Fall 2021 — RWL-MRWBA Mentorship Reception
Fall 2021 Trivia – Fundraising for Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Spring 2022 Trivia – Fundraising for Safe Harbor Women’s Shelter
Fall 2022 Trivia – Fundraising for Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Spring 2023 RWL-MRWBA Spring Mentorship Luncheon
Keynote Speaker: Julie McConnell, Professor of Law & Director of Children’s Defense Clinic
Guest Speaker: Mayme Donohue, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP
Outoing RWL Board (not pictured – Taylor Anne Moffett, President)
Incoming RWL Board (not pictured – Haley Leipzig, Community Chair)
And a shout out to our amazing photographer, Tyler Levinson. Thank you so much for photographing our last couple of events. These pictures help me cherish the special memories created by RWL.
*And last, but certainly not least, the man who is always there to support each and every one of our events, Carl Hamm! Our events run 10X smoother because of him and his A/V wisdom!
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Every March, the Muse Law Library invites the president of Richmond Women’s Law to write a guest blog for Women’s History Month. I would like to thank President Taylor Anne Moffett for her wonderful contribution, not only to this blog, but to enriching the lives of her fellow students as president of RWL.
–ACH