Virginia Lawyers Weekly is proud to present the Class of 2026 of the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame!
The Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame event honors members of Virginia’s legal community who have been practicing for 30 years or more.
Started in 2018, the Hall of Fame awards program celebrates attorneys who have made lasting marks on the legal field across the commonwealth of Virginia.
Criteria for selection include: career accomplishments, contributions to the profession, contributions to the development of the law, contributions to the bar and the commonwealth and efforts to increase access to justice.
Event Date
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Hall of Fame Honorees
Maryse Allen, Compton & Duling
Keith Bangel, Bangel, Bangel & Bangel, L.L.P.
Alexandra D. “Sandy” Bowen, Bowen Ten Long & Bal, PC
Joseph Cammarata, Chaikin, Sherman, Cammarata & Siegel, P.C.
Victor Cardwell, Woods Rogers
David Corrigan, Harman Claytor Corrigan Wellman
Craig Davis, Reinhardt Harper Davis
Hon. Nolan Dawkins, Retired Circuit Court Judge, City of Alexandria
Robert Donnelly, GoodmanAllenDonnelly
John S. Edwards, Law Office of John S. Edwards
Karen Elliott, Elliott Law Office, PLLC
Guy Harbert, III, Gentry Locke
James G. Harrison III, Marks & Harrison
Susan Massie Hicks, Hicks Crandall Juhl
Judith “Judy” Jagdmann, Troutman Pepper Locke
Wade Massie*, Penn Stuart
Martha Medley, Daniel, Medley & Kirby, P.C.
Frank “Bunky” Miller, III*, Sands Anderson
John B. Mumford Jr., Hancock, Daniel & Johnson, LLC
Jay B. Myerson, The Myerson Law Group
J. Thomas O’Brien Jr., Spotts Fain PC
Randall Parks, Hunton Andrews Kurth
Patrick M Regan, Regan Zambri Long PLLC
F. Douglas Ross, Odin Feldman Pittleman
Stanley Sacks, Sacks & Sacks
Richard Shapiro, Shapiro Washburn & Sharp
Robert Stoney, Blankingship & Keith
Ashley Taylor, Troutman Pepper Locke
Hon. John Charles Thomas, Virginia Supreme Court
Nan Walsh, Walsh, Colucci, Lubeley & Walsh, P.C.
*posthumous honoree
2025 Top Settlements:
- Paul B. Terpak, Blankingship and Keith
Scott D. Helsel, Walton and Adams - Kevin Biniazan, Jeffrrey Breit, Justin Sheldon and Lee Floyd, Breit Biniazan
- Edward L. Allen and Parker E. Allen, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
- Bryan Slaughter, Kyle McNew and Ashley Davis, MichieHamlett
- Drew LaFramboise, Bridget Cardinale, Andrew Greenwald and David Kopstein, JGL Law (Joseph Greenwald Laake)
- Kevin Biniazan, Justin Sheldon and Lauren A. Martin, Breit Biniazan
- Matthew W. Broughton and Jared A. Tuck, Gentry Locke
Melvin B. Wright, Colling Gilbert Wright - Katie Rose Marion, Kevin Biniazan, Breit Biniazan
John Cooper and Bailey Gifford, Cooper Hurley - David E. Bateman and Daniel M. Rathbun, Rathbun Bateman
- Kevin W. Mottley and Benjamin P. Kyber, The Mottley Law Firm
2025 Top Verdicts:
- Diane Toscano, Jeffrey Breit and Kevin Biniazan, Virginia Beach
- Christopher D. Davis and Erin C. McDaniel, Davis, Burch & Abrams, Chesapeake
- Joshua Erlich and Katherine Herrmann, Erlich Law, Arlington
- Edward L. Allen and Anna Katogiritis, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
- Derrick Walker and Kari La Fratta, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
- Jason W. Konvicka, P. Wilson Van Winkle, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
- Charles J. Zauzig and Melissa G. Ray, Nichols Zauzig
- Lee Livingston and Anthony Greene, Livingston Law Group
- Anthony M. “Tony” Russell, Les Bowers, MichieHamlett
- Thomas K. Plofchan Jr. and Jacqueline A. Kramer, Westlake Legal Group
2025 Hall of Fame Honorees
Edward L. Allen, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
Peter Boatner, Staunton Public Defender’s Office
Elaine C. Bredehoft, Charlson Bredehoft Cohen Brown & Nadelhaft
Susan M. Butler, ShounBach
Stephen J. Cannella, Cannella & O’Neal
Roy V. Creasy, Roy V. Creasy PC
James (Jim) M. Daniel, Jr., Hancock, Daniel & Johnson
Michael Davis, George Mason University Antonin Scalia Law School
Paul E. Fletcher, Virginia Bar Association
Lisa M. Frisina, PennStuart
Michael Goodove, Swartz, Taliaferro, Swartz & Goodove
Jim Hurley, Cooper Hurley, PLLC
Hon. Raymond A. Jackson, Eastern District of Virginia
John T. Jessee, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith
Kristina Keech Spitler, Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian
David Masterman, Masterman Krogmann
William R. Mauck, Jr., Spotts Fain
Stephen E. Noona, Kaufman & Canoles
W. Joseph Owen III, Owen & Owens
W. David Paxton, Gentry Locke Attorneys
Paula L. Peaden, Parker, Pollard, Wilton & Peaden
James B. Pittleman, Odin Feldman Pittleman
Thomas K. Plofchan, Jr., Westlake Legal Group
Lewis F. Powell III, Hunton Andrews Kurth
Colleen M. Quinn, Quinn Law Centers
Craig W. Sampson, Barnes & Diehl
Michael W. Smith, Christian & Barton
Edward L. Weiner, Weiner, Spivey & Miller
Stanley P. Wellman, Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman
Elizabeth L. White, Sands Anderson
Edward W. Wolcott, Jr., Wolcott Rivers Gates
2025 Top Settlements
1.
Thomas “Bo” Frith IV, Frith & Ellerman
2.
Stephen Canella, Robert W. O’Neal, Christopher J. Pitera, Cannella & O’Neal
3.
Ryan T. Walker, Mike J. Braggs, Bryan L. Meadows, Marks & Harrison
4.
Jason W. Konvicka, Parker E. Allen, Ashley T. Davis, Allen Allen Allen & Allen
5.
Mark Obenshain, Justin Wolcott, Obenshain Law Group
2025 Top Verdicts
1.
Kevin Biniazan, Lee Floyd, Justin Sheldon, Scott Perry, Breit Biniazan
2.
Charles Molster, The Law Offices of Charles B. Molster, III (DC)
Shereef Akeel, Akeel & Valentine (Michigan Firm)
Baher Azmy, Center for Constitutional Rights (New York)
Michael Buchanan, Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler (New York)
3.
J. Michael Sharman, Commonwealth Law Offices PC
4.
Kevin Martingayle, Matthew Moynihan, Bischoff Martingayle
Brett Spain, Bethany Fogerty, Wilcox Savage
5.
Bob Carter, Mary Estfanous, Robert Carter Law
Class of 2024 Hall of Fame honorees:
• Hon. Rossie Alston Jr., U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
• Alan Anderson, AAA
• Thomas Bondurant Jr., Gentry Locke
• Richard Bonnie, University of Virginia
• Dabney J. Carr, Troutman Pepper
• Ben Chafin, former Senator/Chafin Law Firm (posthumous)
• John Cooper, Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers
• Roger Creager, Marks & Harrison
• Darragh J. Davis, Flag Hill Law
• Chief Judge Marla Graff Decker, Court of Appeals of Virginia
• Robert “Bob” Diamond, Reed Smith
• Mark Dray, Hunton Andrews Kurth
• Hugh M. Fain III, Spotts Fain
• David Feldman, Odin Feldman Pittleman
• Claire Gastañaga, Dunlap Law
• Howard E. Gwynn, Commonwealth’s Atty. Newport News
• Judge John Samuel Johnston Jr. (posthumous)
• Trent Kerns, Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen
• Melissa Katz, McGavin, Boyce, Bardot, Thorsen & Katz
• Hon. William T. Newman Jr. (ret.), The McCammon Group
• Wendy Purdue, University of Richmond School of Law
• Paul Terpak, Blankingship & Keith
• Lucia Trigiani, Mercer Trigiani
• William “Bill” Walsh Jr., Hirschler
• Charles James Williams III, Burnett & William
Our inaugural 2024 Newsmakers of the Year are:
• Elliott Harding — Blue Pearl Veterinary Partners, et al. v. Anderson
• Kevin Martingayle — McKinnon v. Croatan Investments, LLC, et al. and Suffolk City School Board, et al. v. Wahlstrom
• Charles Power and Alvin Lockerman Jr. — Lisann v. Lisann
• Diane Toscano, Kevin Biniazan and Jeff Breit — Zwerner v. Newport News Public Schools
2023’s top million-dollar verdicts and settlements as reported to Virginia Lawyers Weekly are:
Verdicts
• Travis W. Markley, Richard L. Nagle and Benjamin M. Wengerd, Reston — $6,146,575.34
• Thomas K. Plofchan Jr. and Jacqueline A. Kramer, Sterling — $5 million
• Jonathan M. Petty and Christopher P. Yakubisin, Richmond — $5 million
• Kevin W. Mottley and Benjamin P. Kyber, Richmond; Jonathan T. Wren and Robert E. Byrne Jr., Charlottesville — $3.5 million
• Les Bowers, Charlottesville, and Anthony M. “Tony” Russell, Roanoke — $3 million
Settlements
• Elliott Buckner, Scott Bucci and Jeff Stedman, Richmond — $16 million
• James McCauley, Edward Scher, Ryan Walker and Joel McClellan, Richmond — $9 million
• Matthew W. Broughton, Michael J. Finney and Jared A. Tuck, Roanoke — $7.75 million
• Scott M. Perry, Arlington; Jeffrey Breit, Virginia Beach; and Adam R. Leighton, Washington, D.C. — $7.5 million
• Craig B. Davis, Richmond — $7 million
• Griffin M. O’Hanlon and John G. Baker, Norfolk (tied for 5th) — $7 million
Membership in the Hall of Fame is reserved for Virginia lawyers who have been practicing for 30 years or more. Criteria for selection to the Hall will include:
- Career accomplishments
- Contributions to the development of the law in Virginia
- Contributions to the bar
- Contributions to the commonwealth of Virginia
- Efforts to improve the quality of justice in Virginia
Nominees may include retired lawyers, retired members of the judiciary and deceased lawyers. Current nominations will be considered for the Class of 2025.
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