It is a wonderful profession." Virginia Mueller's 60th Anniversary As An Attorney

By Vicki Jacobs

Reflecting on her 60 year career as an attorney, Virginia Mueller says "It is a wonderful profession." The story of her legal career is a remarkable one, full of "firsts" and well-deserved honors.

Virginia was admitted to the California Bar in 1946. Having attended Stanford University as an undergraduate, she had been raised on the Stanford campus, as her father taught French there. Her parents spoke both English and French with her in the home. Virginia received a full scholarship from Cornell Law School, where there were only a few women in her graduating class. In 1950, Virginia became a Docteur de l'Universite de Paris, after completing a thesis comparing French and American adoption laws.

Virginia married her husband, Paul Mueller, while at Cornell University. Together they would have two children: Christian and Lisa. Paul and Virginia celebrated their 60th anniversary in September 2005, before Paul's passing in December.

After law school, Virginia returned to California. Her first position was as a research attorney with the First District Court of Appeal. She passed the California Bar Exam and was admitted to the Bar on December 17, 1946.

Virginia has been a sole practitioner in Sacramento since 1971. Prior to that time, she held a number of positions in public service.

In March 1959, Virginia joined the Office of District Attorney John Price as the first female Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento County. She remained in that position until 1966. In 1959, there were no women judges on the Sacramento bench. Virginia joined a small group of women who created Women Lawyers of Sacramento in 1961. Virginia served as the second president of WLS and remains one of the organization's strongest supporters.

Virginia's career has included active involvement in committees, sections and delegations of many local, national and international organizations. She has attended numerous international conventions, many of which concerned human rights, especially women's rights. She has been active in such organizations as the American Bar Association's Section of International Law and Practice, the ABA's Senior Lawyers Division, the National Association of Women Lawyers, the International Association of Penal Law, the World Peace Through Law Center, the American Association of University Women, the American Women for International Understanding, the World Affairs Council of Sacramento, Soroptomist International and Sister Cities International. Virginia has been honored many times by all of these organizations.

Virginia was awarded the first Distinguished Businesswoman Award by the Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in December 1980. She received the Frances Newell Carr Achievement Award from the Women Lawyers of Sacramento in May 1995 for achieving professional excellence and promoting women's issues and interests. In November of that same year, Virginia was again the first recipient of an award, this time as one of two people to receive the Lawyer of the Year Award presented by the Sacramento County Bar Association.

In February 2001, Virginia received a Lifetime Service Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. Virginia has been active with this organization since 1980, serving as its President. In accepting the Lifetime Service Award from NAWL, Virginia pointed out that when she was serving as NAWL's Delegate to the House of Delegates of the 1992 American Bar Association Convention, she had the honor of signing (on NAWL's behalf) the Pro-Choice resolution which had been drafted by women members of the ABA. She said, "I consider myself fortunate to be at the right place, at the right time." The resolution was adopted and the ABA continues to support a woman's right to choose.

Despite the rigors of maintaining a private practice, and her active involvement in so many local, national and international organizations, Virginia has also found time to provide pro bono services through the Voluntary Legal Services Program of Northern California (VLSP). It is perhaps no surprise that she is so supportive of pro bono services to the indigent, as Virginia was an attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Sacramento County from 1966-1971.

Virginia says that she owes her start in private practice to a secretary who worked at the Legal Aid Society. One day, after her stint at the Legal Aid Society, Virginia ran into the Legal Aid secretary at court and the secretary asked when Virginia was going to go into private practice for herself. It turns out that the secretary wanted to work for Virginia. This got Virginia thinking about establishing her own office, and the secretary joined her in that venture.

Virginia was honored by VLSP in 2002 for generously providing pro bono services to the poor of Sacramento when she was awarded the June Black Pro Bono Award. While she was honored for her long time commitment to pro bono services, on this occasion Virginia was especially praised for her work on a particularly difficult custody case. Virginia was successful in obtaining a court order in Georgia that secured the return of the children of an indigent mother after the children were not returned by the father after visitation.

Virginia continues her tradition of public service to this day. She served on the Sacramento Grand Jury during 2005-2006, a position she found fun and educational in terms of knowing what is happening in Sacramento County.

Virginia is now entering her 61st year in the practice of law in her private practice in Old Sacramento, emphasizing family law. She encourages attorneys to continue in their careers as attorneys, especially those women attorneys who broke the glass ceiling and forged the way for the many more women attorneys that practice law today. Virginia says that the law offers many diverse opportunities to be of service to the community and can accommodate changes as circumstances change in one's life.

Congratulations, Virginia, on your 60th anniversary in the legal profession.

Vicki Jacobs is the Managing Attorney of the Voluntary Legal Services Program, the Sacramento County Bar Association's Pro Bono Program where Virginia Mueller has volunteered her time for many years.