Taunja Willis-Miller says the Firm has come a long way since 1822
As Jackson Kelly proudly celebrates its 200-year history, there is another history of which Jackson Kelly can be equally proud. This history dates from 1976, when Peggy O’Neal was hired as the Firm’s first female associate, and I was hired as a summer clerk. Peggy left and was most recently recognized as the 2021 Melburnian (Australia) of the Year. I stayed and experienced firsthand Jackson Kelly’s transformation from a male bastion to a firm nationally recognized for its inclusion and promotion of female lawyers.
The WVU College of Law Class of 1977 was the first to attend all three years in the new building on the hill and the first with a significant number of women, about one-third of the class. Unlike today, law firm interviewers routinely asked about marital status and even plans for children. Interviewers from one firm (not Jackson Kelly!) asked whether women lawyers were strong enough to lift property record books. I chose Jackson Kelly because of its reputation, my father’s admiration of John McClaugherty and, to be perfectly honest, the salary offered.
Both as a summer clerk and then as an associate, I was welcomed by Jackson Kelly with open arms. R. G. Kelly, a nationally renowned coal lawyer and then the Firm’s leader, checked occasionally to make sure I was being “treated right.” Was it perfect? Of course not. I felt obliged to wear dark skirt suits and oxford cloth shirts with silky ties. I may have been left off a few invitation lists. Some insisted on “Mrs. Miller” despite my using a hyphenated last name. I was mistaken for an assistant to my male colleague on multiple occasions.
Regardless, I was involved in interesting projects and eventually developed a rewarding practice in public finance. I became Jackson Kelly’s first female partner and a first-time mother in 1984. More importantly, Jackson Kelly continued to hire women lawyers. I felt great pride serving on a WVU College of Law panel over 20 years ago, when a question was prefaced with, “We know Jackson Kelly has no problem hiring women, but, for the rest of you . . .”
Jackson Kelly’s culture has since 1976 supported and continues to support the inclusion and promotion of women lawyers. That inclusion and promotion is evident in the numbers – from Peggy O’Neal in 1976 to 56 female lawyers today, and from me in 1984 to 33 women members today. Role models abound for young female lawyers. The Firm’s CEO, Ellen Cappellanti, was recently honored with the first WV Living Wonder Women Justice League Award for Mentorship.
The most important aspects of Jackson Kelly’s culture are, first, the Firm’s absolute commitment to providing excellent legal work and service to its clients and, second, the Firm’s recognition that the best way to fulfill that commitment is through teamwork. In a recent blog, Seth Hayes wrote:
“Jackson Kelly recognizes the value of every single lawyer in the firm. . . . We recognize that the best way to service our clients effectively is to work collaboratively with one another and to ensure that client matters are staffed with the best talent for a particular task, regardless of rank or pride.”
I would add “regardless of gender.” Women may still experience bias in the legal profession. However, as evidenced by its history, Jackson Kelly’s strong support of women lawyers and focus on excellence through teamwork fend off bias, resulting in successful, fulfilling careers for women lawyers.