Imagine you’re a sixth grader whose answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?” is “a lawyer.” Now, imagine that instead of saying “That’s cute” or joking about how much you love to argue, your parents take that dream seriously and enroll you in a program that exposes you to the possibilities of a legal career. Then, imagine that at that event, you open your gift bag to discover a handwritten card from an actual law student or attorney inscribed with a message just for you. It says there’s a community of women in law ready to support you every step of the way. It says you have what it takes to become someone whose impact on the profession is one day celebrated during Women’s History Month. It says “This journey can be tough, but call me if you need help.”

This week, Ms. JD partnered with Axinn, Velrop & Harkrider LLP to make this vision real. Axinn opened its offices in New York City, Washington DC, San Francisco and Hartford to women law students who received career advice from the firm’s attorneys. Then, the groups sat down to write personal messages to the middle school students who will participate in Ms. JD’s Determined to Rise Academy, a series of daylong interactive workshops where they will learn about the justice system and begin to see themselves as future lawyers. Thanks to introductions to women attorneys and law students and the notes they’ll receive from the participants in this week’s Women’s History Month event with Axinn, the young girls will also leave with personal connections to the profession.

The Axinn program, Inspiring the Next Generation of Legal Leaders, embodied the commitment the firm shares with Ms. JD to create community for women at every stage of their legal career. This includes the stage at which law school feels like a far-off dream. To produce the next generation of women’s history-makers and legal pioneers, we have to meet them where they are. We have to offer both practical advice and meaningful personal connections. So Ms. JD is grateful to Axinn for partnering with us and creating a space for this to happen. We’re especially thankful to the Axinn team — Lisl Dunlop, Katrina Rouse, Sandhya Taneja, Associate, and Reilly Sutter — for generously offering their valuable time and sharing their wisdom. They addressed questions about how their personal backgrounds and identities influence their approach to leadership, the strategies they use to manage and assess risk in their career decisions and the importance of reciprocity in mentor-mentee relationships.

“I attended the event because as a first gen law student, the first time I ever met a lawyer was in high school where I attended a luncheon with women attorneys. The representation I saw was so impactful that I too wanted to be a source of inspiration and representation for other young girls who are interested in law school and becoming an attorney,” Christine Acquah, George Washington University Law School Class of 2026, said. She told Ms. JD that she hopes the girls who attend the Determined to Rise Academy and receive the handwritten notes written this week know that they are needed in the legal community and that nothing can stop them. “They belong in these spaces,” Acquah added. “And with a support system like Ms. JD behind them, they will be unstoppable.”