Tania Archer, Moore & Van Allen

Charlotte

Law school: Vanderbilt Law School

Undergraduate: B.A. in English and Spanish, Vanderbilt University

When Tania Archer saw a portrait of Justice Thurgood Marshall in the front hallway of the Vanderbilt Law School, she was inspired to earn a law degree. Today, she uses that degree to help society through her pro bono work for those in need, and as an attorney who represents business and industry in the public domain.

Why do you enjoy practicing public affairs law?

Public affairs is a niche area of law. I provide compliance counsel to advance client priorities in business industries such as energy, environmental, manufacturing, healthcare and technology. I also advise on corporate and executive political giving and ethics compliance.

As a public affairs attorney, I have the opportunity to shape and create the very system of policy and laws I studied in law school. My area of practice enables me to maintain personal contact with communities and businesses, to bring stakeholders together, and to lobby on issues which further our society’s ability to operate successfully.

What led you to pursue a law career?

As a college sophomore, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer when I saw the portrait of Thurgood Marshall in the front hallway of Vanderbilt Law School. I had accepted an invitation from a law student to sit in on a class, and was stunned by the portrait of our nation’s first African-American Supreme Court Justice. Observing the class amplified the feeling, and I realized that a law career would exercise and tone my strongest mental muscles – issue analysis and resolution, strategy development, public speaking, writing and advocacy. I wanted to be a part of that legacy of lawyers who uphold and improve the legal system.

What is your definition of justice?

The law is an imperfect but amazing system with the ability to mold a communal definition of fairness. A law license is a contract for service to society, a promise to protect the line between right and wrong. Justice happens when attorneys fulfill their responsibility to not only uphold the law and provide zealous representation, but to also advocate for policies and laws which are responsive to real world needs.

What do you like to do for fun?

I have a background in performance dance. I co-founded a performance group in college and taught dance fitness classes part-time after getting my law license. When I’m not practicing law, I still enjoy taking classes, in various forms of dance. A law license is a contract for service to society.