Deanna Hathaway realized that her parents could have very well been debt-relief clients for her firm, had they not had the safety net of great health insurance.
Her father was retired when her family moved to Richmond to be near family. Hathaway was in high school at the time. Her mother had MS, and her father had lung cancer.
“It struck me that they could have been dealing with overwhelming medical debt and housing insecurity,” Hathaway says.
Hathaway and her law partner at Hathaway Adair, Julia Adair, stress to prospective clients that they are not alone. “In March, the Richmond division had around 600 bankruptcy cases,” Hathaway says. “It happens, but nobody talks about it. If you are having trouble, talk with someone.”
Hathaway has always observed and learned from other women. “You mirror your tribe,” she says. In bankruptcy court 20 years ago, she used to watch a female lawyer who seemingly worked without notes. She had them, but she always looked at the judge. She knew her case. “She came across as prepared, confident and comfortable,” Hathaway says. “I love that skill set.”
Learning from and now leading other women is what Hathaway gets from her membership in the Junior League of Richmond. Hathaway recently served as the assistant chair of the group’s annual Book & Author event, which became a virtual event in May.
“What we do on behalf of women and girls is a huge part of why it’s important to me,” Hathaway says. “I love the League and a member’s ability to choose her role and path in it. If you want to be a leader, that role is there, and it’s a safe place to fail, too.”
