A former LeClairRyan shareholder has been given the green light by a federal bankruptcy judge to begin collecting the nearly $1 million she won when she sued the now-shuttered law firm for gender discrimination.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Huennekens of the Eastern District of Virginia ruled that Michele Craddock can collect the money from the bankrupt firm, where she worked for 12 years until she was allegedly forced out in 2015 by discriminatory compensation practices. This includes trying to collect from LeClairRyan's insurance, Huennekens ruled.

If Craddock is unable to collect from the full amount "from sources other than property of the estate," she'll become a creditor in the LeClairRyan bankruptcy, Huennekens determined. Lynn Tavenner, the Tavenner & Beran attorney who is the Chapter 7 trustee of LeClairRyan's estate, offered no objection to Craddock's motion to collect that money.