Julianne Lackey Angelova uses her experience to mentor and inspire the next generation of attorneys
Although law runs deep in her family, Julianne Lackey Angelova (’18) hadn’t planned on becoming an attorney. While planning her return to Nashville after several years in Los Angeles, Belmont’s new law program caught her attention. The opportunity to pursue the family profession in a fresh, pioneering way inspired her to enroll.
“My plan after graduating from Samford was to only take a year off and then go into medical school,” she said. “After one year turned to five, I knew I wanted a career I would be proud of and to be back in Nashville with my family. Belmont’s new law school was an exciting option. Growing up in Nashville, I had always driven by its beautiful campus and had only heard wonderful things of the school’s reputation.”
When she thinks back on her time at Belmont Law, Lackey Angelova remains candid about the obstacles she faced as a student. A family health crisis during exams greatly affected her GPA early on, making the rest of her academic journey an uphill climb.
Her resourcefulness and determination helped her persist and find a path to complete her degree. “I didn't do the best in law school, but I figured out the system at the end. I knew I wanted to pay that knowledge forward and prevent others from dealing with the same struggles I did,” she shared.
Roots and Resilience
Earning her Belmont Law degree made Lackey Angelova the fifteenth Tennessee attorney in the Lackey family. Upon graduating, she joined her family’s firm, Lackey & Lackey PLLC, now Lackey McDonald, PLLC. In March 2025, she transitioned into a new role as in-house counsel at Asurion.
While at Lackey McDonald, she successfully represented several individuals against the "Selfie Scammer," cases that were recently dramatized as a Netflix documentary.
After witnessing the positive effects that serving as a mentor had on her husband, who is also a lawyer, Lackey Angelova joined Belmont’s Inns of Court, a mentoring program for first-year law students.
She herself has always had a passion for mentoring. Whether it be through coaching or teaching, she loved giving back to younger generations in hopes they could learn from her experiences.
Lackey Angelova’s first experience with Belmont Inn of Court was as a mentee in her 1L year, an experience she often looks back on with gratefulness.
For the past four years, she has been active in the Inn, serving as social chair for two of those years. Her openness in sharing her own experiences, paired with her dedication to supporting students, has provided confidence to her mentees in having a successful career in law school and after.
“One semester doesn’t define the rest of your life,” she said. “I’ve helped build a practice. I’m now in-house counsel at a major company, and I get to mentor future lawyers. I give back to remind students that success in law isn’t one-size-fits-all.”
Shaping Students through Mentorship
Pull quote widget: The key to having a better future is being in touch with and mentoring those younger than us- Julianne Lackey Angelova
For Lackey Angelova, the rewards of mentorship are well worth the investment. Although each student expresses varying levels of interest in the program, she reminds all her mentees that “this program is what you make of it.”
While she has had mentees take a back seat approach, others who fully embraced the opportunity have gone on to excel by clerking for judges, transferring into top programs or securing competitive internships.
“Each of my mentees that has bought into the program is doing outstanding things,” she said. “They've taken advantage of this opportunity, and I love it. It's extremely rewarding to see someone who I've mentored be successful.”
In addition to fostering mentor-mentee relationships, the Inn offers networking opportunities that Lackey Angelova emphasizes as essential.
“The legal world can be a really beautiful thing if you come out of law school with a mindset of collaboration instead of competition,” she advises.
The self-proclaimed introvert also understands the hesitation some students feel about networking. As the Inn’s social chair, she designs events with a clear purpose: breaking down the traditional hierarchy between students and mentors.
“In three years, they won’t be students,” she said. “Networking within the Inn is also about meeting people who will soon be your colleagues — we’ll all be out here practicing law together.”
Lackey Angelova works to make students comfortable in networking settings and encourages them to take advantage of opportunities she admits she would have approached differently during law school if given the chance.
“I wish I would have understood how valuable this experience could have been as a 1L,” she said. “When I was a 1L, I was so overwhelmed. My mentor was wonderful, but I wish I would have invested more in the whole process.”
Redefining Success in Law
Today, Lackey Angelova’s career reflects both resilience and generosity. By turning her own challenges into a source of encouragement for others, she embodies the belief that success is not defined by a perfect path but by persistence and purpose.
“My personal experiences are part of why I mentor,” she said. “I want students to know you don’t have to be in the top 10 percent to succeed. No matter how you finish law school, you can still build a great career and make a meaningful impact.”
Learn more about Belmont Law and the Inns of Court.