Johnna Story Honored with 2025 Richard Pearson Award for Excellence in Legal Professional Development
August, 2026 (McLean, VA) The Professional Development Consortium (PDC) proudly announces Johnna Story, Director of Professional Development and Well-Being at Finnegan, as the recipient of the 2025 Richard Pearson Award, PDC’s highest honor recognizing excellence in legal professional development.
Chosen from a competitive pool of nominees nationwide, Story was honored in front of her peers at the 2026 PDC Summer Conference in Atlanta.
Her nominators praised her for an impact that reaches beyond the walls of her own firm. She has helped shape important conversations about professional development, attorney growth and well-being, and the future of legal learning.
At Finnegan, Johnna has been a leader in professional development and well-being, creating programs and experiences that help lawyers and professionals grow in practical, human, and sustainable ways. Johnna is incredibly dedicated to attorney well-being and mental health and, as her nominators highlighted, is someone who is willing to challenge conventional thinking and bring new, innovative, and forward-looking ideas to the table.
Within the PDC, her contributions have been just as meaningful. From board leadership, committee service, conference presentations, mentorship efforts, to the many, many ways she has built connection across our community.
And, as one of her nominators said, “Underlying all of these accomplishments is her passionate, lifelong love of learning, which reminds me of Richard Pearson in so many ways. She embodies the belief that professional growth is a continuous journey. Through ongoing self-study (she is always learning and positing about something new), professional engagement (she always shows up and leans in), curiosity, and a commitment to personal development, Johnna models the very qualities that inspire others to learn and improve. Her enthusiasm for learning is contagious, fostering cultures of growth, collaboration, and excellence wherever she goes.”
The Richard Pearson Award is presented annually to a distinguished professional who exemplifies excellence, innovation, and leadership in advancing legal professional development.
About the Professional Development Consortium (PDC): The PDC is an association of individuals working at law firms, law schools, government agencies, and corporations who are responsible for developing and administering training and professional development for lawyers. For more information, visit http://www.pdclegal.org or follow us on LinkedIn.