Anu Mullikin worked as a law clerk at Devine Millimet, her current firm, before heading to Boston University to pursue her J.D. Following the completion of her J.D., Devine Millimet offered her the position of associate in criminal litigation. Mullikin subsequently transitioned to trusts and estates, utilizing her M.A. degree in tax law and taxation. In 1999 she became a partner, and in January 2022 she became the president of the firm. Mullikin cites her appointment as president as the proudest moment of her career.
Mullikin envisioned becoming a lawyer early in her educational journey, despite the challenges the male-dominated field presented. She recounted stumbling upon her gifts for taxation, trusts, and estates because of her talents in manipulating and balancing numbers.
Originally, Mullikin believed she would pass on an offer to become a president of a firm, as it meant paring back her client list—relationships she nurtured and grew over many years. She also knew the lead position would force her to trade administrative responsibilities for full-time litigation. Mullikin had a change of heart when the presidential search committee approached her sharing she was unanimously endorsed by her peers. The collective faith in her abilities to lead the firm, swayed her to accept the position. Looking back, she is confident of her decision and looks forward to celebrating Divine Millimet’s 75th anniversary this year.
Mullikin believes Derryfield provided the foundational skills for analytical thinking and writing, for both her and her daughter Kaitlyn ’15. She fondly reminisced that Mr. Anthony’s challenging coursework helped her to become the leader, thinker, and businesswoman she is today. Mullikin is excited to see Derryfield’s equity and belonging initiatives evolve and hopes the work will continue through gifts that support students.
“Derryfield taught me how to think analytically and write at a level that I didn’t learn anywhere else. It was in Mr. Anthony’s class, a class where nobody ever earned an A, that I learned how to push to get what I wanted. Those lessons still stick with me in the work I do every day.”