Jen West Honored as a 2024 Virginia Business Women in Leadership Recipient
Congratulations to Spotts Fain President and Shareholder Jen West, who was honored as a 2024 Virginia Business Women in Leadership recipient. Over the past four years, Virginia Business has introduced readers to many outstanding executives through the Women in Leadership Awards, including 2024’s impressive cohort of 38 women, chosen from a pool of more than 250 nominees.
All winners work in Virginia and hold C-suite or equivalent positions. They also have demonstrated extraordinary professional achievements, including breaking glass ceilings, mentoring others, engaging in civic work and bringing their leadership skills to nonprofit and company boards.
Jen has been with Spotts Fain since graduating from William and Mary School of Law in 2001. She held many leadership roles within the firm before becoming President in 2021. She is President-Elect of the Richmond Bar Association, and her amazing dedication to Firms in Service and other Pro-Bono work has been a priority throughout her career.
The article about Jen in Virginia Business can be read here, and is also copied below:
"Ever since she was a child, Jennifer West knew she wanted to be a lawyer.
“I always felt like advocating for others was going to be my calling,” she says. And now she serves as president at Richmond-based Spotts Fain, where she also heads up the law firm’s pro bono practice and community outreach activities. Although she’s a creditors’ rights attorney, she also feels compelled to work on the other side of the issue.
“I do a lot of work where I’m collecting bad debt, working in the bankruptcy world, and I see people at their worst,” she says. “I do a lot of pro bono work almost to balance out my moral compass.” For her, pro bono work is both a responsibility and a privilege, she says.
West is also president-elect of the Richmond Bar Association, with which she’s been involved for more than 20 years. As president-elect, she’s responsible for overseeing programming and member appreciation — but also mentors attorneys, paralegals, staff and other legal professionals.
As a woman in the legal industry, West’s biggest advice is to “keep going,” even in a field that’s still largely male-dominated.
“Keep showing up,” she says. “People notice what you’re doing. Keep supporting other women. We as women owe it to one another to do everything we can to support each other.”
Congratulations to Jen and to all the Women in Leadership award recipients!
Read the full Virginia Business article here.