Mentorship Program

The MRWBA continues its long tradition of mentoring Richmond Women’s Law members at the University of Richmond School of Law. Last year over 40 students requested mentors. MRWBA also matches new attorneys with seasoned attorney mentors for a year. Each year, participants in the program are invited to a fall reception with the Richmond Women’s Law at the University of Richmond and a spring reception hosted by MRWBA. Mentors can also bring student mentees to monthly MRWBA luncheons at the discounted member rate.

“MRWBA paired me up with a great mentor who worked in my desired practice area. Beginning with my first year of law school, we met every couple of months for lunch, and we’re still in touch. She has been a great resource to me, a friend, and now, a colleague.” – Joanna Suyes

Pictured above: Mentors and mentees celebrate the importance of mentorship at the 2023 Mentorship Luncheon.

Do you need a mentor?

Do you want to be a mentor?

Contact the Mentor Committee Chair.

Congratulations to 2025 Phoebe P. Hall Mentorship Award Recipient
Mollie Barton!

MRWBA Mentorship Chair Jackie Cipolla (at left) presents the award to Mollie Barton (at right) during the Mentorship Luncheon on March 25, 2026, at the Richmond offices of Troutman Pepper Locke.

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The Phoebe P. Hall Mentorship Award

The Phoebe P. Hall Mentorship Award was established by the Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Association in 2019 in memory of founding member Phoebe P. Hall to honor outstanding mentors. Phoebe had a career as a distinguished Virginia attorney and Rector of Virginia Commonwealth University. She was a pioneer in Virginia law when she co-founded Hall & Hall, PLC in 1969 with her late husband, Franklin P. Hall, former leader of the Virginia General Assembly, and was the winner of MRWBA’s Women of Achievement Award in 2006. She was inducted into the inaugural class of the Virginia Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame in 2018. Over the years she served as a mentor and friend to many young attorneys, and we are pleased to recognize her with the creation of this award. The inaugural Phoebe P. Hall Mentorship Award was posthumously awarded to its namesake in 2020.

Winners of the Phoebe P. Hall Mentorship Award are recommended by the MRWBA’s Awards Committee and chosen by the MRWBA’s Board of Directors. The winner is honored at the MRWBA’s Annual Mentorship Reception held in the Spring of each year.

Past Winners

Judge Margaret Deglau (2025)
Judge Jayne Pemberton (2024)
Julie McConnell (2023)
Miriam Airington-Fisher (2022)
Jacquelyn Stone and Carole Yeatts (2021)
Phoebe P. Hall (2020)

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MRWBA is a 501(c)6 nonprofit organization.

PO Box 6605, Richmond, VA 23230