WOMEN IN THE LAW
female
PRESIDENTS
of The Virginia Bar Association
BY MOLLY MCCLENNEN
T
Anita Poston served as the ½rst female president of The Virginia Bar Association. She
worked to create an environment that was open and inviting to both men and women.
hree women have served as
president of Te Virginia
Bar Association in its 124year history. Yet, when
asked about their leadership with the
VBA, they focus not on their own
accomplishments as women but on
how much the organization has meant
to them personally and professionally.
Anita Poston of Vandeventer
Black in Norfolk said she and Jeanne
Franklin, the frst female presidents,
with back-to-back terms in 2000 and
2001, worked to create an environment
that was open and inviting to both men
and women. In addition to encouraging
more women to serve in leadership
roles, they started a roundtable where
women could socialize and refect
on the joys and pressures of their
professional and personal lives.
Franklin, of Franklin Solutions in
Arlington, said those kinds of informal
interactions are among the greatest
returns from her involvement with
the VBA.
"I think of the pleasure of having
access to friendship with some wonderful women who were ahead of me in
WINTER 2012-2013
• 25