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Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame Honors the Best of Richmond Law

April 11, 2024
Six Law Spiders to be inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.

Six Richmond Law Spiders will be inducted into the Virginia Lawyers Class of 2024 Hall of Fame. 

Congratulations to:

  • Thomas Bondurant Jr., L'79 | Gentry Locke
  • Ben Chafin, L'85 | Former Senator/Chafin Law Firm (posthumous)
  • Marla Graff Decker, L'83 | Chief Judge Court of Appeals of Virginia
  • Melissa Katz, L'90 | McGavin, Boyce, Bardot, Thorsen & Katz 
  • Wendy Perdue | Dean, University of Richmond School of Law
  • Lucia Anna (Pia) Trigiani, L'83 | Mercer Trigiani


The Hall of Fame honors Virginia lawyers who have been in practice for 30 years. Criteria for inclusion includes career accomplishments, contributions to the development of law in Virginia, contributions to the bar and the commonwealth at large, and efforts to improve the quality of justice in Virginia.

In addition to the Hall of Fame, this year, two new honors categories have been added.

Newsmakers of the Year are attorneys who handled significant or newsworthy cases in 2023. Alvin Lockerman Jr., L’03, will be recognized in this category for his work on Lisann v. Lisann.

Verdicts & Settlements recognize attorneys who took the top spots in 2023’s million-dollar verdicts and settlements. Three Richmond Law alumni will be honored for reaching some of Virginia’s highest settlements.

  • James McCauley, L’83 | $9M
  • Matthew W. Broughton, L’85 | $7.75M
  • Craig B. Davis, L’94 | $7M

The Class of 2024 Hall of Fame, Newsmakers of the Year, and the attorneys who prevailed in the top verdicts and settlements will be celebrated at an awards ceremony on May 23.

See the full Virginia Lawyers Class of 2024 Hall of Fame.