When Courtney Duncil, ’99, was a student at Meredith, she was unsure of what career path to pursue. Now, as a discovery counsel at Moore & Van Allen in Charlotte, N.C., she realizes how her time at Meredith prepared her for a successful career. 

One of her most formative experiences at Meredith was serving as the station manager for MCTV. In this role, she applied her creativity and developed various skills. Another highlight during her college career was studying abroad, which Duncil said helped her gain independence. 

“It was important to me to attend a college where I could be in a leadership role. Meredith was a great environment for that, especially it being a women’s college,” said Duncil. “I learned great study skills and habits that helped me succeed in law school and my career.”

After graduating with degrees in speech communication and political science from Meredith, Duncil moved to Washington, D.C., and took time to think about what career she wanted. A few years later, she decided to pursue law and earned her law degree from the University of D.C. David A. Clarke School of Law. Through job experiences early in her law career, Duncil was introduced to the field of discovery.

“E-discovery certainly was not anything I would have known about when I entered law school in 2002,” said Duncil. “I think it’s important to discover what your strengths are and realize you can find a career that may not be obvious.”

In her current role, Duncil works in a small team that manages the discovery process for the firm’s civil litigation cases involving e-discovery. “E-discovery can be any electronic data that could be relevant to the case,” said Duncil. “As you can imagine, it can be millions of pages or documents. I find ways to narrow that down and keep what is relevant.” 

Duncil also has experience inside the courtroom as a litigator. From 2008 to 2013, she worked as an assistant district attorney for the Mecklenburg County District Attorney’s Office. “I did not want to be in the courtroom for my entire career,” said Duncil. “Having that experience gives me an advantage in e-discovery, however. I understand what my colleagues need to be prepared for when they are going to court.” 

Duncil said her experiences at Meredith, such as building supportive relationships with faculty and students and participating in campus traditions like Cornhuskin’, taught her how to work well in a team. She also learned her greatest strengths were her perseverance and eagerness to learn. Although she was not always sure of what her career would be, she had the opportunity to explore her interests and gain valuable skills that she uses to this day.  

In her career, Duncil continues to seek opportunities to expand her knowledge. Recently, she wrote and published her first legal article in Bloomberg Law. Duncil hopes to work in e-discovery for as long as she is able to work. “This field is changing all the time and the role is expanding,” said Duncil. “I become more and more involved as new technologies are developed. It will never be boring.”