In law school, Mrs. McConnell served as an articles editor for the University of Memphis Law Review Volume 51 in addition to serving on the moot court board and participating in the ABA national appellate advocacy competition. Mrs. McConnell was also a recipient of the Robert L.J Spencer, Jr. Moot Court Award, the outstanding brief award in legal writing, and she received CALI Awards in Property II, Torts II, Securities Regulations, and Business Organizations.