Twenty years ago, Noelle Alix received a life-changing phone call. Her former colleague and mentor, Karen Smith, joined Vinson & Elkins to build its Finance practice. Would Alix be interested in joining the firm?
Noelle Alix and her daughter, Cate
At the time Alix was grappling with serious family issues and had decided to quit Big Law and move to suburban Connecticut. Her daughter Cate, still a toddler, had been born with Down syndrome. Caring for her required being on constant call.
But Smith convinced both Alix and V&E to embark on an almost unheard-of arrangement for large corporate law firms at the time. Alix would telecommute, spending virtually no time in a V&E office.
The firm’s flexibility enabled Alix to thrive at V&E, where she was promoted to Counsel and has built a distinguished career as a secured lending project finance attorney. It also ensured she could provide Cate with the attention she truly needed.