Justice for all

Research, strategize, persuade. This is the approach Jessica Bigby takes when representing her clients. A senior associate in the Washington, D.C., office of global law firm Hogan Lovells, she advises multinational and international clients during government investigations involving white-collar crime and fraud. Her cases range from allegations of insider trading to investor fraud, criminal and civil health care fraud, and more.

“I enjoy digging through documents to establish the chronology, interviewing people to get their perspectives on what happened, and then developing a legal strategy,” said the 2004 graduate of University of Richmond’s Jepson School of Leadership Studies and 2018 graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center. “While leading teams, I am managing up and down — helping people below me grow and helping people above me understand my position.”

In addition to working on high-stakes, high-dollar industry cases, Bigby tackles some of Hogan Lovells’ pro bono cases. She represents victims of domestic violence, asylum seekers, and defendants charged with misdemeanors. Noting that she is biracial, has a physical disability, and is the first in her family to become a lawyer, she said she embraces servant leadership, with its focus on helping others.

“It’s an honor and privilege to be a lawyer,” she said. “We have the education to advocate for people, and it is important to do our part, to give back.”

One of her most memorable pro bono cases involved an El Salvadoran woman seeking asylum in the U.S. “My colleague and I made a case for gender-based asylum, which is very difficult to prove,” Bigby said. “Our client was sexually assaulted by men she believed to be military officers. She fled after they threatened to kill her.”

Bigby and her colleague not only ensured their client received asylum in the U.S., they also helped bring her three children to the U.S. a few years later. Their client shared a photo, taken at Dulles Airport, of her joyful reunion with her children, whom she had not seen in five years.

The Richmond alumna gives back in other ways too. For a decade, she has served on the American Bar Association Commission on Disability Rights, mentoring prospective law students with disabilities. She also serves on the Jepson School Executive Board of Advisors and on the alumni board of St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School, the college-preparatory school she attended in Alexandria, Virginia.

Bigby established the Jepson School’s Servant Leader Award in memory of Michael Clements, her best friend at college. She tries to return to campus each spring to present the annual award to a Richmond student, professor, or staff member who exemplifies servant leadership.

This year it was her turn to be recognized. On June 1 during Reunion Weekend, the Jepson School presented her with its annual Alumni Award in honor of her professional and civic accomplishments. Later in June, she experienced another thrill: Being sworn in at the U.S. Supreme Court, a ceremony that confers on her the right to argue a case in front of the nation’s highest court should the opportunity arise.

“I joined a cohort of Georgetown Law graduates for the swearing-in,” Bigby said. “We processed into the courtroom, where I sat in the front row with a direct view of the justices. I made eye contact with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black female Supreme Court justice, and we exchanged smiles. I remembered her confirmation hearing when she was asked what advice she would give young attorneys. She answered, ‘Persevere.’

“And I will. Maybe in the future, I will argue a case at the Supreme Court.”