Monday, January 1st, 2018
ROANOKE, Va. (January 1, 2018) – Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that Roanoke office attorneys Jonathan D. Puvak and Daniel R. Sullivan have been promoted to the position of Partner, effective January 1, 2018.
Puvak practices on the firm’s Business & Corporate team, assisting businesses, business owners, and governmental entities with corporate governance, commercial transactions, employee benefits, and tax and real estate matters. Before attending law school, Puvak gained business and real estate development experience by working with NVR Inc., one of the nation’s largest homebuilders. He is a member and holds leadership positions with the Virginia State Bar’s Young Lawyers Conference, and The Virginia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division. He serves the local bar community through the Roanoke Bar Association and as a Barrister Book Buddy volunteer to local elementary schools, and contributes to the business community as an ambassador for the Roanoke Regional Chamber of Commerce. Within the firm, he coordinates Gentry Locke’s annual fundraising campaign for the United Way of Roanoke Valley. He earned his B.A. summa cum laude from Bridgewater College and his J.D. from the College of William and Mary.
Sullivan practices on the firm’s Business Litigation team. His litigation experience includes business, insurance, product liability, and professional liability lawsuits. Sullivan represents public and closely-held businesses in both straightforward and complex cases in state and federal courts. He is fluent in Spanish and is licensed to practice in Virginia and West Virginia. Sullivan is a member of the West Virginia State Bar, the Federal Bar Association, The Virginia Bar Association, Virginia State Bar, and Roanoke Bar Association. He serves on The Virginia Bar Association Young Lawyers Division’s Executive Committee, is active in St. Andrew’s Catholic Church’s adult ministry, and as a Roanoke Bar Association Barrister Book Buddies volunteer. In 2017, Sullivan was named a “Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star” in business litigation. He earned his B.A. from the University of South Dakota and his J.D. from the University of Virginia.
“I have enjoyed watching Jon and Dan grow their respective practices and flourish at the firm,” said Gentry Locke Managing Partner Monica T. Monday. “They are committed to serving our clients and our community, and we are proud of their accomplishments.”
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Friday, December 15th, 2017
We are sad to report that Richard C. (“Dick”) Rakes passed away on December 12, 2017 at the age of 90.
Dick was born in Roanoke, Virginia. After moving with his family several times, he landed in Norfolk and graduated from Granby High School in 1944. He served in the U.S. Army Infantry from 1945 to 1947, and was commissioned a First Lieutenant, Judge Advocate General’s Corps in 1951. After graduating from college, Dick attended the University of Richmond Law School. He served as VP of the Student Bar Association and was electe
d to the McNeil Law Society.
Having graduated from the University of Richmond Law School in 1951, Dick approached Fred Gentry in Roanoke, who at that time was practicing with an associate named John Locke. In the summer of 1951, Dick began to work for the firm. When Dick was named Partner in 1958, the firm’s name changed to Gentry Locke & Rakes. Dick spent his entire career at Gentry Locke, retiring in 1991 after 40 years in the active practice of law. That year, he was honored as the Roanoke Valley Legal Secretaries Association award of Boss of the Year. Even after retirement, each year Dick made a point to learn the names of new Gentry Locke attorneys and their spouses.
Dick developed a thriving insurance defense practice and gained a reputation as an excellent litigator. He served as president of the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys and received that organization’s award for dedicated service – the Robert M. Furniss, Jr. Award. Dick was also a committed member of the Kiwanis Club, performing innumerable good deeds through this valuable community organization. With over 40 years of membership in the Kiwanis Club, Dick was a member of its Legion of Honor. He also served as club president, and had a staggering 33 years of perfect attendance at Kiwanis Club meetings. But Dick is perhaps best known at Kiwanis, and to those at the firm who did not work with him, as the man who sold the Kiwanis pancake tickets every year, earning him the affectionate moniker “Pancake Man.” Not surprisingly, he was one of Kiwanis’ top fundraisers.
According to Monica Monday, Managing Partner of Gentry Locke, “It was a pure pleasure to look up from your desk and see Dick waiving those tickets and asking how many you were going to buy that year. And as a gesture of our firm’s admiration and pride for all of Dick’s contributions to the Kiwanis Club, we established an annual scholarship in his name, The Dick Rakes Kiwanis Scholarship. Dick kept close ties to the firm after his retirement and we are all better for that long relationship with him. He will be missed, but his commitment to public service will live on in the annual scholarship in his name.”
Dick Rakes Kiwanis Scholarship award ceremony
Dick was a lifelong and active member of Kiwanis, a founder of the Adult Care Center, and also served the community as a mediator. In recognition of his remarkable career as a citizen-lawyer, he received the Roanoke Bar Association’s Bo Rogers Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013.
Dick both regularly and recently remarked about his pride in the firm and what it has become. His kindness, generosity, and zeal for service are permanently woven into our firm’s culture. It was a joy to see him in the halls and offices of our firm, always smiling. He will be remembered with immense fondness as someone who never stopped caring for the needs of others. We are blessed to have been in his presence and will always be indebted to him for his leadership, his loyalty, and his thoughtfulness.
Friday, December 8th, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (December 8, 2017) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that 11 firm attorneys have been named to Virginia Business magazine’s “2017 Virginia Legal Elite” list:
The annual Legal Elite list recognizes lawyers across 18 practice areas who are selected by their peers as outstanding attorneys. Virginia Business and The Virginia Bar Association established the list in 2000 and voting is open to any licensed Virginia lawyer. For 2017, approximately 1,400 lawyers nominated more than 4,000 attorneys. More than 1,000 lawyers, about a quarter of the total nominees, made the final Legal Elite list, which can be seen in its entirety here.
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Tuesday, November 14th, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (November 13, 2017) – Two Roanoke partners in the Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke have earned recognition from Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Gregory D. Habeeb was named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s 2017 class of “Leaders in the Law” and Lindsey A. Coley was named to the publication’s 2017 class of “Up & Coming Lawyers.” All 2017 recipients were formally honored during an awards ceremony on October 26.
According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly editor-in-chief Paul Fletcher, the Leaders in the Law program was established to recognize attorneys who are setting the standard for other practitioners – “those who changed the practice, advanced the law or improved the justice system in Virginia.” Up & Coming Lawyers are those in their first 10 years of practice “who are establishing a name for themselves and displaying the ambition, drive, determination and accomplishments that set them apart from their peers.”
Habeeb is a litigation partner who specializes in complex business and catastrophic injury cases. He represents individuals and companies in courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and the nation. Habeeb is also a member of the Virginia House of Delegates, where he represents Virginia’s 8th District and serves on the Courts, Commerce & Labor, Rules, and Transportation committees, as well as on the Code Commission and the Coal & Energy Commission.
Coley focuses her practice on labor and employment law and estate planning. She advises private businesses and government contractors on employment-related compliance issues relating to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), Title VII, and other employment laws; responds to complaints filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC); represents companies during compliance investigations by the Department of Labor (DOL) and Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP); and develops employment policies and contracts to protect the interests of the employer. Coley also prepares estate planning documents and advises clients on issues relating to estate and trust administration.
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing in a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Wednesday, November 1st, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (November 1, 2017) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is included in the 2018 “Best Law Firms” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers®. In its 24th edition, Best Lawyers in America highlights the top 5 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S. The firm secured rankings in 25 practice areas, including Metropolitan Tier 1 rankings – the highest regional honor – in 18 practice areas:
Metropolitan Tier 1 – Roanoke
Metropolitan Tier 2 – Roanoke
Metropolitan Tier 3 – Roanoke
About “Best Law Firms”
The U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes the collection of client and lawyer evaluations, peer review from leading attorneys in their field, and review of additional information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process. To be eligible for a ranking, a law firm must have at least one lawyer listed in the 23rd edition of The Best Lawyers in America© list for that particular location and practice area.
About Best Lawyers
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation. More than 83,000 leading attorneys globally are eligible to vote, and more than 13 million votes have been cast to date on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2017 edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 7.3 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 55,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed, so inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Friday, October 20th, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (October 20, 2017) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that Daniel R. Sullivan, an associate on the firm’s Business Litigation team, has been admitted to practice law in West Virginia.
“We congratulate Dan for receiving this additional admittance. Being licensed in West Virginia will allow Dan to more effectively represent our clients who are based in the state,” said Guy M. Harbert III, chair of the firm’s Insurance practice group. “It will also enable the firm to continue to expand its footprint, and attract and retain clients in West Virginia.”
Sullivan’s work extends across several different litigation practice groups. His litigation experience includes business, insurance, product liability, and professional liability lawsuits. He represents public and closely-held businesses in both straightforward and complex cases in state and federal courts. Sullivan earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and his B.A. from the University of South Dakota.
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing in a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017
Alicha M. Grubb joins Commercial Litigation group and Ariel S. Wossene joins Plaintiff’s group
ROANOKE, Va. (October 4, 2017) – Two lawyers have joined the Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke as associates in the Roanoke office. Alicha M. Grubb will work in the Commercial Litigation group helping clients resolve their business disputes, and Ariel S. Wossene will handle Qui Tam/Whistleblower matters while providing support to the firm’s Plaintiff, Employment, and Litigation practices. Both Alicha and Ariel join Gentry Locke after serving as law clerks at the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia. 
While at the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia, Alicha Grubb researched criminal and civil motions before the Circuit Court; advised on facts, legal precedent and probable case outcomes; and assisted on large projects, such as editing the Virginia Model Jury Instructions. She also previously held roles at the Roanoke County Commonwealth Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of North Carolina. Ariel Wossene researched civil and criminal issues to draft bench memoranda and opinions for six judges; updated the Virginia Model Jury Instructions; and researched procedural issues for consideration by the General Assembly during her time at the 23rd Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia. Her other previous government experience includes roles at the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
Alicha earned her B.A. cum laude from Bob Jones University and studied abroad in Hermosillo, Sonora, and Mexico City, Mexico. She earned her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, where she was recognized as the highest-ranking oralist on the Wake Forest Jessup International Law Moot Court team, received a CALI Award for trial practice, and was also honored with the North Carolina Advocates for Justice Award. She belonged to the Wake Forest Journal of Law and Policy and the Black Law Student Association, and donated significant time to a variety of pro bono initiatives. In addition to her legal practice, Grubb, who speaks fluent Spanish, serves with Blue Ridge Literacy and Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Ariel earned her B.A. summa cum laude from Fisk University, and her J.D. from Washington and Lee University School of Law. During law school, she received the Randall P. Bezanson Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to diversity life, participated on the National Frederick Douglass Moot Court as both a national competitor and a moot court coach, and served as president of the Black Law Students Association. She has been active in the Ted Dalton American Inn of Court, and recently led a volunteer project that earned an award from the National Inns of Court.
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing in a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Friday, September 29th, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (September 29, 2017) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke and two of its attorneys have been selected for recognition in the 2018 edition of Benchmark Litigation, which ranks leading local firms and star attorneys in the U.S. commercial litigation and plaintiff markets.
Gentry Locke has been ranked as a “Recommended” firm for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and Gentry Locke partners J. Rudy Austin and W. David Paxton have been named 2018 “Local Litigation Stars.” Both Austin and Paxton have been recognized by Benchmark consecutively since 2012.
Austin, who was recognized in the realms of General Commercial and Insurance, is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Bar Foundation, Virginia Bar Foundation, and was Emeritus Master of the Bench for the Ted Dalton American Inn of Court. He is a senior litigation partner with 50 years of experience with Gentry Locke in the practice areas of insurance defense, insurance coverage, workers’ compensation, construction, and legal ethics.
Paxton, who was recognized in the realms of General Commercial, Insurance, and Labor and Employment, is a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation. He advises and represents businesses, business owners and executives. He serves clients specifically in the areas of employment law, complex litigation and whistleblower claims. He chairs the firm’s labor and employment practice and frequently speaks at national and regional employment law seminars.
Benchmark, now approaching its 12th year of publication, exclusively covers the litigation and disputes market in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Annual results stem from a six-month research period where Benchmark researchers conduct extensive interviews with litigators and their clients to identify leading litigators and firms. During these interviews, researchers examine recent casework handled by law firms and ask individual litigators to offer their professional opinions on peers.
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
Tuesday, August 15th, 2017
ROANOKE, Va. (August 15, 2017) – The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke is pleased to announce that 21 of the firm’s attorneys were selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® (2018 edition), a national legal ranking. Attorneys were nominated by their peers and recognized for their outstanding professional achievement in several legal practice areas, including appellate practice, banking and finance law, bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation, criminal defense, employment law, insurance law, medical malpractice law, tax law, trusts and estates, and more.
Of the firm attorneys listed in the Best Lawyers in America, six have been on the list for at least 20 years.
The 2018 Best Lawyers in America list is based on more than 7.4 million evaluations and recognizes more than 58,000 attorneys in 140 practice areas. In its 24th edition, Best Lawyers in America highlights the top 5% of practicing attorneys in the US.
Attorneys listed include:
- J. Rudy Austin (Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants)
- Thomas J. Bondurant, Jr. (Corporate Compliance Law, Criminal Defense: White-Collar)
- Matthew W. Broughton (Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs, Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs)
- G. Franklin Flippin (Banking and Finance Law, Corporate Law, Financial Services Regulation Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law)
- W. William Gust (Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law, Tax Law)
- Gregory J. Haley (Commercial Litigation, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Government Relations Practice, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Municipal)
- Guy M. Harbert, III (Insurance Law)
- Kevin W. Holt (Commercial Litigation)
- Paul G. Klockenbrink (Employment Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment)
- Todd A. Leeson (Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment)
- K. Brett Marston (Construction Law, Litigation – Construction)
- Monica T. Monday (Appellate Practice)
- S.D. Roberts Moore (Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants, Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs)
- W. David Paxton (Employment Law – Individuals, Employment Law – Management, Labor Law – Management, Litigation – Labor and Employment)
- Glenn W. Pulley (Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants)
- William R. Rakes (Antitrust Law, Appellate Practice, Banking and Finance Law, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Law, Financial Services Regulation Law, Litigation – Banking and Finance, Litigation – Mergers and Acquisitions)
- J. Scott Sexton (Commercial Litigation, Oil and Gas Law)
- Bruce C. Stockburger (Leveraged Buyouts and Private Equity Law, Tax Law, Trusts and Estates)
- Charles L. Williams, Jr. (Environmental Law)
- Clark H. Worthy (Real Estate Law)
- Kathleen L. Wright (Litigation – Municipal)
About Gentry Locke
With more than 55 lawyers practicing across a range of disciplines, Gentry Locke brings uncommon thinking and deep experience to the legal and business challenges of companies, institutions, organizations and individuals—a commitment the firm has met since 1923. Operating from offices in Roanoke and Lynchburg, Va., Gentry Locke serves clients in Virginia and across the U.S., as well as worldwide as a member firm of the ALFA International Legal Network. Meet the firm’s dynamic attorneys and learn more about its fierce drive to achieve success for its clients by exploring this website.
About Best Lawyers
Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence. Best Lawyers lists are compiled based on an exhaustive peer review evaluation. Over 83,000 leading attorneys globally are eligible to vote, and we have received more than 13 million votes to date on the legal abilities of other lawyers based on their specific practice areas around the world. For the 2017 Edition of The Best Lawyers in America, 7.3 million votes were analyzed, which resulted in almost 55,000 leading lawyers being included in the new edition. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed; therefore inclusion in Best Lawyers is considered a singular honor. Corporate Counsel magazine has called Best Lawyers “the most respected referral list of attorneys in practice.”
Tuesday, August 1st, 2017
Gentry Locke partner Christen Church, who handles health care regulation and compliance, and data privacy and security, was recently quoted in a Dan Casey article in The Roanoke Times regarding on an ongoing, inadvertent medical data breach.
A local CPA has been receiving faxes with private medical information for four years.
Christen is quoted as follows:
Christen Church, an attorney at Gentry Locke whose practice areas include intellectual property, health care regulation compliance and data privacy and security, said what I described seemed to clearly fall under the category of “inadvertent” breaches, rather than “malicious” ones. But either way, under the law it sounds like a breach, she said.
In the early days of HIPAA, its security rules included exemptions for information transmitted between two actual fax machines. The law considered such data “telephonic,” rather than “electronic.” And in that case, errant faxes were not necessarily a breach, particularly if there was little risk of harm to the patient, Church said.
But if the fax originated from a computer — which is more likely these days — the exemption doesn’t apply. HIPAA breach notification rules, finalized in 2013, also removed much of the discretion health care entities have in determining the risk of harm to the patient, Church said.
Now, any unauthorized disclosure of protected health information, in paper or electronic form, is presumed to be a breach unless it meets limited exceptions, she added.
Health care entities covered by HIPAA are obligated to notify affected patients when breaches are discovered, Church said.
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