Danielle Spinelli ’85 is slated to be the guest speaker at Mary Baldwin’s Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) initiation ceremony during Commencement weekend. A partner at WilmerHale — a leading international law firm in Washington DC — Spinelli is an experienced litigator and appellate advocate whose practice focuses on representing clients in the United States Supreme Court, in the federal and state appellate courts, and in trial-level matters involving complex legal questions. Her cases have taken up issues such as administrative law, bankruptcy, constitutional law, criminal law and procedure, federal jurisdiction, Native-American law, insurance law, and international trade.
The Legal 500 recognized Spinelli as “a great lawyer in every sense,” saying she “has superb legal acumen, is a very effective oral advocate, and provides an excellent written product.”
She was inducted into PBK at Mary Baldwin in 1985 and graduated magna cum laude that same year. After earning a master’s degree from Columbia University, she served as executive editor of the Harvard Law Review, graduating magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1999.
The PBK initiation and reception will take place at 5 p.m. on May 16 in Miller Chapel. PBK is the nation’s oldest academic honor society recognizing excellence in the liberal arts and sciences.