In 1978, U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan became the third woman to join the then-Edwards & Angell firm in Providence. A few years later, she became the first associate to get pregnant, launching the storied firm into unknown territory.

Sullivan recently recalled in chambers thick with files of telling only her longtime secretary about her big news. Her secretary, in turn, told another secretary, who just so happened to tell her boss, an executive committee member.