Virginia Business// November 30, 2018//
Title: Co-founder; partner
Other legal specialties: Appeals, civil litigation, civil rights, commercial litigation, constitutional law, estate litigation, land use and zoning law, municipal and administrative law
Birthplace: Richmond
Education: Bachelor’s degree in economics (cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa), Hampden-Sydney College; law degree, University of Virginia School of Law
Spouse: Elisabeth
Children: Harrison, 21; Doria, 19; and Jackson, 17
Hobbies: Volunteer work for bar groups, legal organizations and several civic causes; participant in and organizer of many sporting events; fan of and sometimes participant in anything my family is doing.
First job as a lawyer: Epps & Brown in Virginia Beach
Fan of: Hampden-Sydney, U.Va. and LSU sports
Favorite vacation spot: New Orleans
Recently read book: “Higher Calling: The Rise of Nontraditional Leaders in Academia” by Scott Beardsley, dean of the U.Va.’s Darden School of Business
Career mentors: Sonny Stallings (former law partner) and Bill Bischoff (co-founder of my firm and current partner)
What new developments are you seeing in labor/employment law?
Protections and benefits for the average worker are getting less attention, while corporate profits and the stock market are getting a lot. All politicians claim to care about blue- collar workers and the middle class, but those of us who represent the labor force aren’t seeing a lot of meaningful action.
Do you expect a tightening labor market to result in an increase in the federal minimum wage?
Maybe. The market forces should drive up wages, but increasing the federal minimum wage is far more political than based on economics, and these days, predicting political outcomes is nearly impossible.