May 6, 2026 *
Mikaela Phillips Receives 2026 Young Lawyer of the Year Award
The Virginia State Bar Young Lawyers Section has named Mikaela Phillips, Assistant Solicitor General for the Virginia Office of the Attorney General, as the R. Edwin Burnette Jr. Young Lawyer of the Year. The award has been a harbinger of future success, with recipients going on to serve as VSB presidents, in the Office of the Attorney General, and as esteemed members of the bench and bar, and recognizes young lawyers who demonstrate dedicated service to the section, the legal profession, and the community.
As an Assistant Solicitor General, Phillips represents the interests of the Commonwealth in federal and state courts, including high-profile matters of national and statewide importance. She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable now-Chief Justice Cleo E. Powell of the Supreme Court of Virginia and the Honorable William T. Newman, Jr. of the Arlington County Circuit Court. During her brief period in private practice, she represented plaintiffs in employment discrimination matters.
Phillips has been an active volunteer with the Virginia State Bar, focusing her efforts on programs to increase diversity in the profession and reach aspiring lawyers. She has served as the chair of the Oliver Hill/Samuel Tucker Pre-Law Institute since January 2025. This is a joint program of the Young Lawyers and Diversity Sections, which reaches future lawyers at a young age to provide them with exposure and opportunity to explore the legal profession, all at no cost to the participants. As the sole chair of the 2025 institute, she planned and executed a week-long pre-law summer camp for 35 high schoolers. Under her leadership, the Institute received a record number of applications (approximately 85-90).
Phillips tapped two co-chairs to help her with this year's program. She noticed many of the institute's applicants and participants hailed from schools with mock trial, debate, and model UN teams, as well as other legal-related extracurriculars. To better achieve the institute's purpose, Phillips and her team made it a goal to expand its reach and recruit students from geographically diverse areas throughout the Commonwealth. To that end, Phillips and her co-chairs have made contact with nearly every public high school in the Commonwealth. She exceeded 2025’s record and received nearly 130 applications this year.
Phillips has volunteered with Rule of Law Day since 2024. The purpose of the this program is to educate middle and high school students about rule of law principles and operations of government. This year, she served as a co-chair for YLS on the Planning Committee. To streamline volunteer sign-ups and ensure effective and timely communication, Phillips implemented a Google Form sign-up and a dedicated Gmail account. She had a record number of attorney and judge volunteers.
Phillips will receive her award at the VSB's Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach.
* This article was updated on May 12, 2026.