Law Reunion Spotlight: Emily Chowhan ’20L Emily Kendall Chowhan reflects on her time at W&L Law ahead of her 5th class reunion.

By Law Communications
March 28, 2025

Emily Kendall Chowhan ‘20L practices Employment Law in Richmond, VA. Below, she reflects on her time at W&L Law ahead of her 5th class reunion, coming up April 4-6 in Lexington. Register and see who is coming at the Law Alumni Weekend website.

Something you miss about W&L Law or Lexington:

I miss the close-knit, communal life I enjoyed at W&L and in Lexington. I know I am biased, but the student body atmosphere at W&L Law is second to none. Additionally, I graduated in spring 2020, so I spent the initial months of the pandemic in Lexington finishing law school and studying for the bar exam. Although that time was very uncertain and stressful, my daily walks around Lex and many front-porch hangs with friends got me through, and I have surprisingly good memories from that time.

Favorite moment during law school:

During fall of my 2L year, I had a real crisis of confidence. I remember two things from that time. First, Professor Moliterno gave me the pump-up speech of a lifetime, which was both kind and supremely effective. Second, I was nervous that Close Business Associations (CBA) would be my undoing that semester; the material was difficult and required more preparation and study time than my other courses. To my eternal surprise, CBA was one of my highest grades that semester, which went a long way in proving to myself that with ample preparation and determination, I would get it done.

Most engaging class:

My 1L property law class, which also functioned as our legal writing course that semester, was completely engaging. Our professor was Jill Fraley, and my fondness is a testament to her sheer teaching prowess and instructional dynamism. I have disliked the subject of property law from the moment I cracked the casebook; to this day, I break into hives at the mention of the rule against perpetuities. But Professor Fraley was such an intensely talented and engaging teacher that I looked forward to each class, and it was a truly fantastic classroom experience from start to finish. Further, Professor Fraley’s writing advice still rings in my head daily. (The difference between better and best written work is how much editing time you leave yourself!)

Something you use from law school in your current career:

I became interested in employment law during 1L summer but had little experience with it. I kept an eye out for any employment-related classes as law school progressed, and during my 3L year, I took King Tower’s employment practicum. King was and has remained a great teacher and mentor and, happily, my main practice area these days is indeed employment law. I also still rely on the study habits I learned during law school when I really need to focus and/or meet a deadline. Shutting my office door and pumping ambient white noise through my AirPods remains devastatingly boring but strikingly effective!