Making Her Own Way Laure Sudreau-Rippe discusses the highs and lows of her success as a lawyer and her determination to save her husband’s life.
G
raduation day 1997 at Pepperdine School of Law. The moment of truth. The culmination of three years of hard work. For Laure Sudreau-Rippe (JD ’97), it was just the beginning. The ceremony served as a stepping-stone to the obstacles that lie ahead. “I remember that day like it was yesterday,” she said. “And when you look at that moment and you think, ‘Oh my. It’s finally over.’ But you are still looking out at the future thinking, ‘Am I going to make this?’ It’s pretty daunting because you are just starting off.” There was the bar to pass, the job at the law firm to find, and the financial expectations to fill that often accompany the role of a lawyer. And on top of it all, there was the sadness that her father couldn’t be there. He had lost his battle to lung cancer when SudreauRippe was just 21. 11
L AW. P E P P E R D I N E . E D U