Dare to be Different

In a field previously made up mostly of males, we are a women-led firm and have ALWAYS been diverse in our hiring and promotion decisions at the firm. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is not a new concept to us. Equality and authenticity has been part of our firm’s DNA from its founding. Our firm has been women-owned and women-led for decades. We seek to partner with clients that share our vision and values of equity and inclusion. We are a women-owned law firm that provides not only a diverse group of legal professionals, but extremely qualified and experienced litigators to assist clients when they need it most. Our clients can have outstanding service and representation and embrace a law firm committed to equity.

We additionally support the LGBTQIA+ community in our own firm personnel and in assisting clients with various legal issues. We have individually and collectively worked for justice in a variety of social and legal arenas to strengthen protections for everyone in our community.

We are proud of our diversity and what we can bring to the table because of our differences and our unique culture that embraces and values our varied experiences. Our strengths lie in working together as a team, combining our diverse backgrounds, cultures, experiences and knowledge to better serve our clients and our communities.

We ARE Different
· 66% of our firm partners are women
· 33% of our firm partners are LGBTQIA+
· 75% of our attorneys are women
· 100% of our leadership team is led by women

We Lead by Example in Our Profession and in Our Community

Melissa W. Robinson – Member of the Virginia State Bar Client Protection Fund Board and a former member of the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board and Board of the Roanoke Bar Association. She is also a Board Member, past President and Master of the Ted Dalton Chapter of the American Inns of Court. In 2019, she was named a Virginia Super Lawyer in the field of Insurance Coverage. She has been a Boyd Graves Conference Member since 2012 and a Fellow in the Litigation Counsel of American since 2015, the Roanoke Law Foundation since 2014, and the Virginia Law Foundation since 2012. Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly awarded her a Women of Achievement in 2011. Ms. Robinson is currently a member of the Roanoke Women’s Foundation, a philanthropic organization that supports arts and culture, education, environment, and health and human services through a competitive grants process.

Mark K. Cathey – Mark was President of the Roanoke Bar Association in 2008-2009, is a fellow of the Roanoke Bar Foundation, and served as a member of the Virginia State Bar Council from 2011-2016. He has served on many local boards and currently serves on the Roanoke City School Board, on which he has served since 2015. He previously served as chair of the Roanoke Valley Governor’s School Board and chaired the RCPS Audit Committee.

Victor S. “Dinny” Skaff, III – Dinny is a member of, and has served in leadership roles in, many national, state and local professional organizations to include the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, Roanoke Bar Association, Virginia Bar Association and Defense Research Institute. He is very active in the Roanoke community, having served on many different types of local boards, including his long-standing position with the Legal Aid Society of Roanoke Valley. He particularly enjoys working as a coach and administrator with various youth sports organizations.

Johneal M. White – Past president, current member of the board of the Virginia Women Attorneys’ Association, Roanoke Chapter.

Madison C. Guidry – Alumni of Leadership Roanoke Valley whose purpose is to recruit, educate and motivate a diverse mix of community leaders to effectively address the challenges facing the Roanoke Valley. Ms. Guidry is also a former member of the Roanoke Junior Women’s League.

Logan Bartley – Logan has had valuable experience in both criminal and civil law matters prior to joining our firm.