Colleen M. Quinn « Virginia Lawyers Weekly

Colleen M. Quinn

By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Published: October 13, 2009

Name
Colleen M. Quinn

Honor
Leadership in adoption and surrogacy law, service to YWCA

Business/Employer
Locke, Partin, DeBoer & Quinn
4928 W. Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23230
(804) 285-6253

E-mail
quinn@lockepartin.com

Education
BA, College of William and Mary
JD, University of Virginia

Who was your most important mentor and how did that mentor impact your career?

That would be a tie between my mom and my dad. My dad taught me to set my goals high and that women and people of all walks of life were just as equal and capable as everyone else. My mom taught me that I was fortunate that God gave me a beautiful mind and a healthy body – and it would be a sin not to make the most of them.

What do you consider your biggest personal accomplishment and why?

It sounds trite but raising my twin sons – now age 17. To have raised two boys most of their lives as a single parent is harder then any other job I have known – but also the most rewarding.

What is the best bit of advice you ever received?

The only thing you can take with you to your grave is your integrity.

How do you achieve a balance between your professional life and your personal life?

I am not sure that I have achieved a balance. When my husband sends me e-mails on “living with a crackberry addict” and my kids remind me not to check my e-mails while I am driving – I think I’m still in the “balancing act” training program. At least I can’t take a Blackberry or computer on the tennis court or under water while scuba diving.

If you hadn’t become a lawyer, what field would you have entered?

Teaching and writing. I have always wanted to be an English or philosophy or law professor.

What is your favorite book or movie and why?

A Return to Love by Marianne Williamson. She reminds me to be an optimist, to do my best to look for the good in everyone and every situation, and to learn from adversity.

What are two facts about you that most people, including your closest friends, may not know?

I’m kind of an open book so it is hard to answer this one. Two facts – while not very interesting are (1) my first job as a kid was selling macramé necklaces and bracelets at craft fairs (plus that way I could watch TV if I was being industrious making the necklaces and bracelets), and (2) I am the first lawyer in my family – on either my mom or dad’s side.