When parents of kids on the soccer team she was coaching heard that Annie Musacchio Croslow was applying to law schools, several urged her to choose Vanderbilt.
Croslow had returned to her hometown, Nashville, in 2010 to work as an auditor for Deloitte & Touche after earning her master’s in accountancy at Notre Dame. A college and semi-professional soccer player who received both academic and sports scholarships to attend Belmont University, she was soon tapped to coach a travel soccer team. “Several parents of girls on my team were Vanderbilt Law graduates, and they were all excited to tell me about their great experiences at Vanderbilt,” she recalled. “At community events, I’d also run into Vanderbilt Law students who loved the school.” A visit to Vanderbilt cinched her choice. “The first time I walked into the building, I felt a sense of collegiality and collaboration,” she said. “It was really important for me to find a school where I could be both academically and personally successful.”
Croslow coached soccer throughout law school while she prepared for a career in securities law. She spent summer 2014 as an intern with the Securities and Exchange Commission. “Through my work with Deloitte, I knew the role the SEC plays in the business sector, and the internship gave me an opportunity to work on enforcement out of their field office in Atlanta,” she said. She then spent summer 2015 working at Debevoise & Plimpton’s Washington, D.C., office–which she joined as an associate after graduation–after interning with the U.S. Attorney’s office for Middle Tennessee last spring. “All of these experiences have been great,” she said.
As an undergraduate at Belmont University, Croslow considered majoring in history before choosing accounting because of the employment opportunities it would afford. She has enjoyed her first-year law classes because “you use a totally different side of your brain.” Her first-semester Civil Procedure class with Professor Suzanna Sherry set the tone for her law school experience. “Professor Sherry is an absolutely wonderful teacher on so many levels,” she said. “It was great to have her first semester, because she has this very professional demeanor that indoctrinates you into what law school is about. She teaches you not only about civil procedure, but also how to read cases. You learn skills that set you up for success during the rest of your law school career.”
Croslow earned the Law and Business Certificate, offered through the Law and Business Program, and joined the student Law and Business Society. She was also active in the Women Law Students Association. “At Vanderbilt, I’ve made terrific friendships and had professors that helped me grow as a student and professional and personally,” she said. “There are several really good law schools, but at Vanderbilt, I got more than just an academic workout—I’ve also gained a professional network and personal friends.”
Croslow joined Debevoise & Plimpton as an associate based in Washington, D.C., after graduation.