VADA Member Spotlight

This month’s spotlighted VADA member is Ally Sipes of Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP in McLean.  Ally is the current Chair of the VADA’s Young Lawyers Division.

1.         Where were you born?

Louisville, Kentucky (but my family lived in Washington State at the time).

2.         Spouse? Children? Pets?

None – but I have a niece and nephew in Kentucky that are more than enough for now!

3.         What type of law do you practice?

I have been lucky enough to do a little bit of everything so far.  I have done defense work on car accidents, products liability, construction cases, employment discrimination, premises liability, and professional and medical malpractice.

4.         How long have you been a member of VADA?

I joined in 2016 when I first became an associate attorney after my clerkship.

5.         What is the last book you read?

If we’re counting audio books, I last listened to Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup.

6.         What is the one item you cannot live without?

Unfortunately, it’s my phone.  I have friends and family across the nation and I work hard to always stay in touch with my people.

7.         How would you explain to a three year old what you do for a living?

I always tell my three year old niece that when she and her little brother fight, I am the one that tries to convince her dad to put her brother in timeout instead of her.

8.         What do you like most about practicing law?

Being in front of a judge or a jury and advocating for my client.  It’s never the same and it always gives me butterflies. 

9.         What have you enjoyed most about your time in VADA?

Meeting people and making new connections.  Through every seminar or annual meeting, I feel that I am able to learn more about how to be a successful attorney from my peers and find a new resource for when I need help.

10.       What is at the top of your bucket list?

It’s hard to pick what is on top, but the next thing I am crossing off is going to Oktoberfest in Germany!

11.       Do you have a favorite movie quote?

“There’s no crying in baseball!” – A League of Their Own

12.       If you could have dinner with any person, living or dead, who would it be?

George Washington to answer all of my questions about the Revolution, or Lin-Manuel Miranda to help me come up with more questions.

13.       When I am not at the office, I like to …

Surround myself with friends and family to eat, drink, and be merry. 

14.       If I wasn’t practicing law, I would be …

Teaching college and coaching mock trial, but that answer changes daily.

15.       What was your first job?

My first “real” job was as a cashier at Lowe’s.

16.       What was your favorite subject in school?

My favorite was history, but math was always the easiest.

17.       What is your favorite sports team?

I could never pick just one – Kentucky Wildcats, Oklahoma Sooners, and the Washington Nationals.

18.       What advice would you give someone who just passed the bar?

Be confident in your abilities and remember that you deserve to be here.  Take as much time as you need to find your place and surround yourself with people that make you a better attorney.

19.       What is your definition of success?

Feeling peace in everything you do.