VLW names 2023’s Leaders in the Law, Up & Coming Lawyers

Virginia Lawyers Weekly is pleased to announce the Leaders in the Law and Up & Coming Lawyers Class of 2023.

“Leaders in the Law” is an annual award that celebrates those lawyers who are setting the standard for other lawyers.

Leaders’ accomplishments include outstanding contributions to the practice of law in the commonwealth, significant achievements through the practice of law, leadership in improving the justice system, acting as role models and mentors, and making essential contributions to Virginia’s legal community and/or the community at large.

Our “Up & Coming Lawyers” award recognizes attorneys who have excelled in the profession and are standouts among their peers — all in their first 10 years of practice. These lawyers have been making a name for themselves and display the determination and accomplishments that establish them as leaders of the future.

We look forward to honoring these exceptional practitioners at our signature event. Join us at The John Marshall in downtown Richmond on Oct. 24 for this year’s Leaders in the Law and Up & Coming Lawyers celebration.

The members of the Class of 2023 Leaders in the Law Up & Coming Lawyers can be found below. 

Class of 2023 Leaders in the Law

• John D. Adams, McGuireWoods, Richmond
• Donna R. Banks, Office of the Fairfax County Attorney
• Amanda Tapscott Belliveau, McCandlish Holton, Richmond
• Carla D. Brown, Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft, Reston
• Elisabeth Culpepper, Suffolk Public Defender’s Office
• David L. Dallas Jr., Williams Mullen, Charlottesville
• Lauren Ellerman, Frith & Ellerman Law Firm, Roanoke
• Razan J. Fayez, Fayez Goriup McRae, Fairfax
• Heather M. Fields, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, Richmond
• Jonathan P. Floyd, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders, Richmond
• Matthew D. Green, Sands Anderson, Richmond
• Jeffrey A. Hunn, Pender & Coward, Virginia Beach
• Donald E. Jeffrey, Office of the Attorney General, Richmond
• Benjamin D. Leigh, Troxell Leigh, Leesburg
• Harris W. Leiner, Barnes & Diehl, Richmond
• Isaac A. McBeth, Halperin Law Center, Richmond
• Bill O’Mara, Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers, Norfolk
• Marcia Payne, Prince William County Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney
• Melissa G. Ray, Nichols Zauzig, Woodbridge
• Robert M. Rolfe, Hunton Andrews Kurth
• Stephanie M. Sauer, The Geller Law Group, Fairfax
• John M. Scheib, Gentry Locke Attorneys, Norfolk
• Olaun Simmons, Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, Manassas
• Shari Skipper, Hanover County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office
• Daniel C. Summerlin, Woods Rogers Vandeventer Black, Roanoke
• D. Margeaux Thomas, Thomas Law Office, Fairfax
• David Tiller, Tiller & Tiller, Lebanon
• Henry “Harry” N. Ware Jr., Spotts Fain, Richmond
• Carolyn A. White, ThompsonMcMullan, Richmond
• Julia A. Yolles, The Havrilak Law Firm, Fairfax

Class of 2023 Up & Coming Lawyers

• John Badman IV, Miles & Stockbridge, Richmond
• P. Thomas DiStanislao, Butler Snow, Richmond
• Will Egen, Virginia Commission on Youth, Richmond
• Alicha M. Grubb, Gentry Locke Attorneys, Roanoke
• Clay S. Hester, Spotts Fain, Richmond
• Rachel E. Hinson, Pender & Coward, Virginia Beach
• Veronica Holmes, The Geller Law Group, Fairfax
• Natasha Hudgins, U.S. Department of Justice, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys
• Gowri Janakiramanan, Fredericksburg Office of the Public Defender
• Daniel D. Kim, Harness IP, Herndon
• Jessica Lehman, Verizon, West Springfield
• Anne E. Mickey, Sands Anderson, Richmond
• Monica Munin, Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, Manassas
• Eva C. Roffis, McCandlish Holton, Richmond
• Soulmaz Taghavi, Taghavi Immigration Law, Richmond
• Brooke Taylor, Reinhardt Harper Davis, Richmond
• Laurel E. Via, Barnes & Diehl, Richmond
• Amanda M. Weaver, Williams Mullen, Richmond