Richmond/Virginia Beach – Virginia Business has named 22 Troutman Pepper Locke attorneys to its 2025 Legal Elite list. The annual list recognizes top attorneys in the state across 21 practice areas based on peer nominations.
2025 Legal Elite:
Robert Angle (Intellectual Property)
Pamela Belleman (Real Estate Land Use)
Carl Bivens (Real Estate Land Use)
Sarah Bennett Bures (Legal Services Pro Bono)
Dabney Carr (Civil Litigation)
David Constine (Labor Employment)
Gene Fishel (Cybersecurity Data Privacy Technology)
Christopher Forstner (Intellectual Property)
John Owen Gwathmey (Business Law)
Erin Harrigan (Criminal Law)
William Homiller (Real Estate Land Use)
Michael Lacy (Civil Litigation)
John Lynch (Civil Litigation)
David Mancini (Construction)
David Meyers (Business Law)
Stephen Piepgrass (Administrative Government Legislative)
Brooks Smith (Environmental Law)
Ashley Taylor (Administrative Government Legislative)
John West (Criminal Law)
Erin Whaley (Health Law)
Gillian Williston (Civil Litigation)
Andrea Wortzel (Environmental Law)
For 26 years, Virginia Business has partnered with the Virginia Bar Association to identify the top legal talent in the state. More than 14,000 attorneys from over 50 law firms were asked to nominate the honorees.
Troutman Pepper Locke
Troutman Pepper Locke helps clients solve complex legal challenges and achieve their business goals in an ever-changing global economy. With more than 1,600 attorneys in 30+ offices, the firm serves clients in all major industry sectors, with particular depth in energy, financial services, health care and life sciences, insurance and reinsurance, private equity, and real estate. Learn more at troutman.com.
A longtime energy client wanted to collaborate with the firm on a pro bono initiative benefiting U.S. military veterans.
Our Approach
We mobilized a dedicated team to join the client in representing an Army veteran in a significant U.S. Supreme Court case focused on whether veterans could access expanded educational benefits under both the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill. Our combined pro bono team successfully secured a landmark victory, affirming the entitlement of billions in educational benefits under these programs.
The Outcome
The Supreme Court’s decision enables over 1.7 million veterans to receive additional educational benefits previously denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs. This ruling significantly expands educational opportunities for veterans, underscoring the importance of supporting their academic pursuits and honoring their service with comprehensive benefits.
A longtime client was interested in partnering with the firm on pro bono projects, especially work that aligns with their commitment to education as outlined in its corporate impact goals.
Our Approach
One of our nonprofit partners asked us to serve as the settlement trustee for a $3 million settlement in an ongoing class action lawsuit against a former juvenile justice center, involving 1,800 potential claimants. We partnered with our client to assemble a task force to notify potential claimants, assist students with preparing documentation to support their claims, review the student applications to determine eligibility, and disburse settlement funds.
The Outcome
By assisting potential claimants with receiving compensation from the settlement funds, we will play a pivotal role in reinforcing their education rights and helping them build a better future.
A longtime energy client was interested in partnering with the firm on pro bono projects to address systemic challenges and enhance access to preventative legal services for underserved populations.
Our Approach
We collaborated with the client to develop a program to help families with heirs’ property matters, which involves land or real estate inherited without a will or clear legal documentation. We partnered with LEARN VA, to identify individuals eligible for the program, and assisted families by providing them with the necessary legal tools and support to stabilize property ownership.
The Outcome
This partnership stabilizes property ownership and empowers families, preventing costly partition disputes. The program enhances access to preventative legal services as a means to advance environmental justice and community resilience.
A client in the financial services industry wanted to partner with our firm on a pro bono project that would have a significant impact on the client’s local community.
Our Approach
Our pro bono team organized an expungement clinic jointly hosted by our firm, the client, and Lakeshore Legal Aid to help individuals with criminal records navigate the expungement process.
The Outcome
We counseled several individuals on how to proceed through the expungement process, setting them up to successfully petition the court to clear their records and paving the way for future employment, housing, and other opportunities.
The U.S.-based in-house team of a Japanese pharmaceutical company needed to report weekly on their pipeline of projects and contracts executed. The team spent hours manually compiling this information in spreadsheets and graphs.
Our Approach
We developed a custom project management platform that allows the in-house team to seamlessly log and update projects in progress. The platform automatically creates the reports needed for leadership in Tokyo.
The Outcome
The new platform has been adopted by the full U.S. in- house team, saving them hours of manual work each week. A new version of the platform is being prepared for use by the company’s European subsidiary.
We manage a large portfolio for a real estate investment management firm, which involves several critical deadlines and frequent client communication about the status of projects. The client team needed a way to stay abreast of the deadlines and provide the client with regular project updates.
Our Approach
We worked with the client to build a web-based platform to manage its projects, including a comprehensive list of the client’s assets, critical project dates, upcoming deadlines, and key documents. The platform also gives the client team insights about the individuals within the real estate firm with whom they regularly interact.
The Outcome
Each team member working on the client’s projects has current knowledge of the status of each project and a clear understanding of what is important to the client. This helps ensure consistent service, increases transparency, and reduces relationship friction.
A family-owned grocery store chain lacked the resources and expertise to effectively handle complex regulatory requirements and needed a system to track internal compliance interviews.
Our Approach
We developed a custom client collaboration portal to help the client manage its compliance needs. We also highlighted compliance-centered conferences and identified compliance professionals in the client’s geographic area and industry for strategic introductions.
The Outcome
The client now has a streamlined approach for ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements. The client’s enhanced expertise and access to a support network have created a proactive compliance culture.
A global chemical and ingredients distributor did not have a formal RFP process in place to evaluate its candidates for external legal services. The general counsel sought our advice on designing the RFP and establishing evaluation criteria for the respondents.
Our Approach
We developed an advisory document that guided the client on evaluating their priorities for outside counsel, recommended best practices for the RFP process, and supplied potential RFP questions. These ensured the client received comprehensive information from the respondents, enabling strategic decision-making when selecting the most suitable counsel for their needs.
The Outcome
The client is now well-equipped to manage their internal RFP process, allowing them to effectively evaluate both current and potential outside counsel firms.
A multinational medical technology company needed a repository of continuously updated materials for their internal law group. The goal was to ensure that the content was relevant and aligned with their legal practice needs.
Our Approach
We met with the client to better understand their needs. Following this meeting, we sent the client three of our regularly updated blogs and three of our regularly updated podcasts.
The Outcome
The client now has Troutman Pepper Locke content in their repository, enhancing their internal resources with high-quality, continuously updated materials. By incorporating our content, we have established a reliable presence that supports their ongoing needs and fosters collaboration.