______________________________________________

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.

While there is no official form to complete, nominations should be submitted in writing to MRWBA Administrator Mary Kidd (admin@mrwba.org) on or before March 1, 2024. If you have any questions, you may reach out to Awards Committee Chair Casey Coleman (coleman@blackburnconte.com).

Nominations should describe the candidate’s excellence in mentoring others, including the candidate’s commitment to encouraging law students and attorneys to achieve their personal and professional goals. Candidates will be judged on their kind, caring, and exceptional commitment to the personal, professional, and intellectual development of others; their positive contributions to the training, networking, and well-being of others; their interpersonal skills and collegiality; and their commitment to working with people of diverse backgrounds and experience levels.

Nominators are encouraged to:

• include letters of support from law students or attorneys the candidate has mentored;
• include a copy of the candidate’s curriculum vitae;
• include a list of former or current mentees of the candidate with contact information when available;
• include other supporting documentation needed to convey the candidate’s qualifications;
• note whether the candidate is a current or former member of the MRWBA;
• note whether and how the candidate participates in the MRWBA’s mentorship program;
• describe the nominator’s relationship with the candidate;
• describe the nominator’s personal experience and observations of the candidate as a mentor.

Nominations will be maintained and will be reconsidered for a period of three years. Portions of the winning written nomination may be reproduced on the MRWBA website and in the MRWBA newsletter announcing the winner.

Congratulations to our 2023 honoree, Julie McConnell (pictured at right) of the University of Richmond School of Law!

Past Winners