This spring, four College of Law students attended the Ms. JD Leadership Academy Intensive at the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Murphy Cavanagh, ’24, (right) Tatiana Eskridge, ’26, (left) Raven Jones, ’26, and Hannah Middleton, ’26, spent two days honing their skills as leaders and making connections with female attorneys nationwide.
Eskridge, a first-generation law student, applied for the intensive to better understand how to successfully navigate the legal field.
“I got some insights on how to be a leader within the legal profession and what that looks like as an individual,” she said. “You can be a leader in the way you represent yourself and by owning the opportunities that you've been given.”
The students attended sessions focused on stress management, designing your ideal career path and communicating your value to employers. One of Eskridge’s main takeaways from these discussions was that female attorneys can find success when they focus on their strengths and what they bring to the table.
“Focus on the fact that you have something to offer that's needed in this space,” she said. “Let what you offer as a woman and a person shine through and that's going to translate.”
For Cavanaugh, the intensive served as a reminder of why she wanted to go to law school in the first place.
“In the hustle and bustle of being a law student, it’s hard to sit and critically think about what you're going to do or what your career could look like,” she said.
In one workshop, Cavanaugh worked on her communication skills by performing a Shakespeare monologue for other attendees. Although she has experience in public speaking, it allowed her to practice her delivery in the context of legal proceedings.
A major theme she identified from other sessions was the importance of finding mentors and peers who will be your advocates. Cavanaugh recognized that these "cheerleaders" can make all the difference in your career path.
“It made me think about the professors or people that I've met through the college," she said. "I think they can be that for me, and I can be that for them, and it made me excited to eventually mentor students,” she said.
The intensive served as a space for candid conversations focused on women’s experiences in the legal field, Cavanaugh said. Taking part in these discussions a few weeks before her graduation left her feeling reinvigorated.
“It is great to be a woman in the legal field,” she said. “This is a profession that I am seeing a shift in, in that there are more female partners at firms and more female professors who are heavy hitters in their field. Seeing that I can achieve that level of success and look at that as a viable career path really means a lot.”
