National LGBTQ+ Bar member Evelyn Clark serves as a fourth-year Associate at Thompson Coburn LLP in the firm’s International Trade & Transportation Regulatory practice. In her work, she advocates for clients in their interactions and relationships with the federal government when importing, exporting, and navigating U.S. regulations. She also helps provide proactive support to help businesses with their trade compliance. Clark lives in the DC area with her partner, Hannah, and their dog, Jane.
In ninth grade, Clark was selected to serve as a Senate Page in the Virginia Senate. The experience sparked an enduring love of government and the legal field, and set her on the path to law school. Despite her plans, the path to law school wasn’t a straight line. She hesitated on law school her senior year, hearing advice that grad school was a better option. She took a year off to narrow her goals and work towards taking the LSAT, working at a USDA Rural Development state office. Six months after her graduation from college, she suffered a T-6 spinal cord injury in a traumatic accident, leaving her on a ventilator and partially paralyzed from the chest down. Following her accident, Clark spent six months in the hospital. “After 22 years of able-bodied naiveté and never having broken a bone, I had to learn how to navigate the world from a wheelchair,” Clark reflects. She credits her success to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, a rehabilitative hospital which specializes in spinal cord and brain injuries. “They taught me how to live independently in a chair and how to get back on track with my goal of law school.”
Clark began studying for the LSAT while recovering in the hospital and applied to law school when she returned home, ultimately selecting and attending the Washington & Lee University School of Law the next year. Her first year of law school was challenging. Beyond the average stressors of law school, newly disabled, Clark was still learning how to navigate life – and academia – from a chair, such as how to request accommodations like the PDF versions of extensive case law books. This proved challenging, both physically and socially. “I was nervous interacting with my peers for the first time. Society treats me completely differently as someone with a disability,” Clark explains. In addition to the challenges of attending law school, she also worried about her future in the profession. “I think I still maintain a lot of able-bodied privilege, since I was raised being told that I can do anything and be anyone – not just from my family, but from society at large. So when I was suddenly using a wheelchair, I had a lot of doubts.” The experience made her question whether she could reach her goals, including a career in Biglaw.
Following her first year in law school, Clark attended the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association’s Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair, which was a transformative experience for her. “I was interested in Biglaw, but had doubts about my ability to make it in the profession based on anecdotes and stereotypes of what it’s like to work at a law firm in D.C.” Even so, she looked forward to meeting with firms and organizations that interested her. “I had a great conversation with the attorneys at the Thompson Coburn table, and not long after, received a callback interview,” she says. “I was ultimately offered a summer associate position, and I believe in large part it’s due to the face time I got at Lavender Law®.” Clark also found the experience meaningful outside of the Career Fair. “Lavender Law® is such a powerful experience,” she says. “There is pride in the ‘I’ve made it’ moments, and Lavender Law® is definitely one of them.” She explains that it is a profound experience to be in the presence of other LGBTQ+ attorneys, many of whom may also be the first in their families to go to law school. “I’m constantly searching for fellow queer lawyers to connect with,” Clark says. She further explains that those not in the legal profession don’t always understand the experience, making legal networks important sources of camaraderie and advice. This is especially important for LGBTQ+ legal professionals and law students who have a unique experience within the legal profession. “We need a support system and connections that have similar, relatable experiences,” Clark says. The National LGBTQ+ Bar and its Lavender Law® Conference and Career Fair serve as that necessary support system and network.
In 2023, Clark was invited to speak on a panel at Lavender Law® focused on how personal experiences and identities can be leveraged as strong positives during the recruitment and hiring process. “It was an honor to speak on the panel,” Clark says. “I think I have a truly unique experience of coming out and experiencing being a lesbian in the early 2010’s, and then also becoming disabled later in life.” Like many other LGBTQ+ legal professionals, Clark has experienced imposter syndrome and insecurities involving her professional life and identities. “The panel brought together a really wonderful group of people with diverse experiences in navigating the legal profession from different lenses,” she reflects. During the panel, Clark shared the difficulties and doubts she experienced in attending the career fair as a law student. “The panel brought a level of vulnerability and openness that hopefully resonated with attendees; we emphasized that students and professionals could comfortably be themselves and succeed in the legal profession.”
Clark also spoke on a similar panel facilitated by the National LGBTQ+ Bar’s DEI Consulting Practice. She partnered with M. Dru Levasseur, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Bar, and Drew Moore at Thompson Coburn to more broadly address intersectionality in the legal profession. “Afterwards, we received multiple comments and emails about how impactful the session was for attendees,” Clark says proudly. “I think there is a lot of power in being vulnerable about your experience as a human being in a professional setting.” Clark believes that different viewpoints and experiences are necessary in any profession, but are especially meaningful in law. “The legal profession is a human profession,” she explains. “It’s important to be able to work with, and serve, all kinds of people.” Almost as importantly, Clark believes, it’s important to have the visibility and representation of diverse lawyers to show younger attorneys that they not only belong in this profession, but can succeed. “I was skeptical of my place in the profession as a lesbian and person with a disability, but I’ve always been out and proud of my identities and experiences. I remain passionate about providing representation for other queer and disabled attorneys, and I’m happy to be that person and provide support for others.”
Notably, the Leadership Council on Legal Diversity (LCLD) recently selected Clark for the organization’s prestigious Pathfinders program, which is designed to provide diverse, early career attorneys with tools for developing strong professional networks. The seven-month program gives participants the opportunity to learn from top leaders in the legal profession as well as experts in the fields of learning, development, and executive coaching. Clark says she was honored by the selection and that it was a “full-circle” moment for her. “During my 1L year of law school, I lobbied to get funding for queer students to attend Lavender Law®, and as a result, myself and a fellow 1L Roy Abernathy – who is one of my best friends to this day – attended the conference together and had similar experiences in obtaining summer associateships and jobs.” Happily, Roy was also selected to join the 2024 Pathfinders program cohort this year. Clark is excited for the coming year and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge and building her network.
The National LGBTQ+ Bar is proud to count Evelyn Clark amongst our membership, and thanks her for her work to spotlight the experiences of diverse professionals in the legal profession and beyond.