Sunday, January 13th, 2013
Managing Partner Monica T. Monday was featured in an interview that The Roanoke Times published in its business section on Sunday, January 13, 2013 entitled “One Question with Monica Monday”.
In the interview, Monday describes how it felt to rise to the highest management level in a 90-year-old law firm. “We have a really strong history of leadership in this firm. Bill Rakes was the managing partner for 20 years, Mike Pace for 14 years. In watching them I have learned a lot about their leadership, and I think they feel very strongly as I do about the firm’s involvement in this community and in the state. And that I think my principal focus will be to maintain the work that they and all the attorneys in the firm have done to make Gentry Locke a part of this community and a contributing part of the community. That’s very important to me.”
As one of only a handful of female managing partners in the Commonwealth, Monday was forthright about the role of women in law firms. “Women are graduating, and have been for some time, from law school at an equal rate as men. And yet law firms have had a difficult time in retaining women lawyers. So it’s been an interest of mine at this firm, because I think that there are such great opportunities for all lawyers, but for women I think this is a great place to be. While it may be a unique statistic that I’m joining and a very small statistic, it’s not really a surprise to me that a woman could become a leader of this firm based on my experience.”
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP is pleased to announce that attorneys Brooke Rosen and Michael Finney have been named partners with the Roanoke, Va.
Brooke C. Rosen joined Gentry Locke’s General Commercial group in 2006. She focuses 
on employee benefits matters such as the implementation of qualified retirement plans, including 401(k) and Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOP), executive nonqualified, deferred compensation and incentive programs, cafeteria plans, health benefit plans and other welfare and fringe benefit arrangements. She also works with entities applying for tax exempt status and assists in ongoing tax exempt compliance matters.
Brooke earned her Juris Doctor cum laude from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University, in Washington, D.C. in 2006, and her undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College in Nashville, Tennessee in 2001. In 2009 she was named a Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star in the area of Business/Corporate Law, and she currently serves on the Board of Directors for Child Health Investment Partnership of Roanoke Valley (CHIP-RV) and the Kirk Family YMCA.
Michael J. Finney has a diverse litigation practice. His experience includes 
complex commercial litigation, employment disputes, and products liability cases. Prior to joining Gentry Locke, Michael practiced in Washington, DC and clerked at the United States District Court in Roanoke for the Honorable James C. Turk.
Michael earned his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School in 2006, and his undergraduate degree from Stanford University in 2000. In 2012, he was named a Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star in Business/Corporate Law.
Tuesday, January 1st, 2013
Monday succeeds G. Michael Pace, Jr. who will continue his practice in business, real estate law
The Roanoke, Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP has named Monica Taylor Monday as the firm’s Managing Partner, effective Jan. 1, 2013. Monday will succeed G. Michael Pace, Jr., who will continue his law practice at Gentry Locke while pursuing leadership opportunities at the Center for Teaching the Rule of Law, and its flagship program, the Virginia Law Foundation/Virginia Bar Association Rule of Law Project.
Monday is a partner at Gentry Locke, chairs the Appellate practice group, and frequently writes and lectures on appellate issues. In addition to continuing her practice focusing on Appellate Law, Monday will now be responsible for strategic planning for the firm as well as overseeing day-to-day operations. She is the third managing partner in the firm’s nearly 90-year history, following Pace and William R. Rakes, a senior partner with the firm.
“Monica is a highly respected lawyer within our firm and by the bar and judiciary as a whole,” says Rakes. “She will provide the leadership to assure the continued quality representation of our clients and our stature as one of the leading law firms in Virginia.”
A 1991 law graduate of the College of William and Mary, Monday is one of only a few female managing partners of a major law firm in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Nationally, approximately 8 percent of the top 200 law firms have female managing partners.
Before joining Gentry Locke, Monday clerked for the Honorable Lawrence L. Koontz, Jr., former Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, and current Senior Justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia. She has been named to Virginia Business’ “Legal Elite,” Law & Politics’ “Virginia Super Lawyers” and Best Lawyers in America® publications. She currently serves on The Virginia Bar Association’s Appellate Practice Section Council and as Chair of the Appellate Practice Committee of the Virginia State Bar Litigation Section.
“Monica will be an outstanding managing partner for Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore,” adds Pace. “She has served on our Management Committee for several years and knows how the firm operates from top to bottom. Monica has the respect of everyone here. Her character, good judgment, people skills, professionalism and commitment ensure her success. And, she has an excellent reputation among lawyers and judges in Virginia that reflects very well on the firm and everyone here. We are very proud of who and what we are, and Monica is the one to take Gentry Locke onward and upward. I am so pleased she will succeed me, and am very excited about our future.”
The Virginia Bar Association president Hugh M. Fain III congratulated Pace and Monday on their new leadership roles. “Mike, a former President of the VBA, and Monica, a current member of our Board of Governors, exemplify the professionalism, collegiality and commitment to the legal profession that are hallmarks of our Association,” says Fain. “It is no surprise to our members to see Mike continuing and expanding his service to the Rule of Law and to see Monica take on the leadership of one of the truly great law firms in the Commonwealth.”
Friday, December 28th, 2012
While performing research on behalf of their clients, Gentry Locke attorneys Scott Sexton and Tony Russell uncovered discrepancies in what Insight Imaging – Roanoke told patients and insurance companies they were injecting and what drug was actually injected.
On December 27, 2012, Gentry Locke Rake & Moore filed the first in a series of cases against Insight Health Corp. and related parties. These cases detail allegations of billing improprieties, negligence and misrepresentations related to the injections received by local patients of Insight Imaging – Roanoke. The lawsuits seek relief for the patients on five different counts: (1) Negligence Per Se, (2) Virginia Consumer Protection Act, (3) Negligence, (4) Gross Negligence, and (5) Fraud. Gentry Locke sees these cases as separate and independent from those filed against New England Compounding, which recently filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on December 21, 2012.
The lawsuit alleges that Insight Imaging – Roanoke provided patients with invoices that falsely itemized the injected drug as “Depo-Medrol”, the trademarked name of a drug produced by the FDA-regulated company Pharmacia & Upjohn Company, a division of Pfizer. The drug that was purchased and injected into patients was actually methylprednisolone acetate, a generic version produced by New England Compounding Center (“NECC”) in Framingham, Massachusetts. While there are FDA-regulated drug manufacturers that produce sterile generic versions of methylprednisolone acetate, NECC was not only not FDA regulated, but its building was surrounded by a garbage recycling facility.
Insight Imaging has 50 facilities in the United States. Only its Roanoke location purchased the generic version of this drug that was produced by NECC.
This development was reported heavily in local news media:
- Article in The Roanoke Times (12/28/2012)
- WDBJ 7 News (CBS affiliate)
- WSLS Channel 10 News (NBC affiliate)
- WSET Channel 13 News (ABC affiliate)
Gentry Locke is seeking $25 million on behalf of the widow of Douglas Gray Wingate, who died as a result of the tainted injection. The Firm has also been retained by other clients for whom lawsuits have or will be filed.
Aerial photograph of area behind New England Compounding Center (NECC). Copyright © 2012 Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
Wednesday, December 19th, 2012
Gentry Locke has begun filing a series of Federal Complaints against New England Compounding Pharmacy, its chief pharmacist, Barry Cadden, and its marketing company, Medical Sales Management. These cases seek between $5 million and $25 million in damages. We anticipate filing more cases in the coming weeks.
Gentry Locke attorney Scott Sexton was quoted in a recent article by The Roanoke Times:
The latest lawsuits advance a new claim: The drug made by New England Compounding might have been contaminated by debris and dust from a recycling plant next door.
Knowing the risks posed by the operation, New England Compounding “engaged in what amounted to ‘Russian Roulette’ with its practices,” lawyers from the Roanoke firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore alleged on behalf of six patients.
According to the CDC’s website, the CDC continues to receive reports of patients presenting with paraspinal/spinal infections (e.g., epidural abscess, phlegmon, discitis, vertebral osteomyelitis, or arachnoiditis at or near the site of injection). These syndromes have occurred in patients with and without evidence of fungal meningitis. At the date of this posting, there are two such cases in Virginia (of a total of 51 cases statewide).
Current Case Count from the CDC
Aerial photograph of area behind New England Compounding Center (NECC). Copyright © 2012 Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
Wednesday, December 12th, 2012
Gentry Locke Partner Monica T. Monday was chosen to be featured in a full-page profile in Virginia Business magazine.
In the December issue, which names Virginia’s Legal Elite, editors of the magazine highlight only one attorney in each practice area with a full-page profile. Monday, who chairs Gentry Locke’s Appellate Law group, was featured for Appellate Law in recognition for her focus in handling appeals before the higher courts.
In addition to many other honors, Monday was a 2006 “Leaders in the Law” honoree by Virginia Lawyers Weekly.
Learn more about Monica Monday at www.gentrylocke.com/monday.
Thursday, November 8th, 2012
In 2012, Gentry Locke’s United Way Campaign resulted in the Firm being awarded a Campaign Achievement Award.
Thursday, November 1st, 2012
U.S. News Media Group and Best Lawyers have named the Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP to its 2013 list of “Best Law Firms”.
The rankings, presented in tiers, showcase more than 10,000 law firms ranked nationally or by metropolitan region. Firms were ranked nationally in one or more of 80 legal practice areas and by metro or state in 118 practice areas. These rankings feature law firms given consistently impressive performance ratings by clients and peers, as the rating procedure combines hard data with peer reviews and client assessments
Gentry Locke’s 2013 Best Law Firms Rankings
National Tier 2
Land Use & Zoning Law
Roanoke Tier 1
Antitrust Law
Appellate Practice
Banking and Finance Law
Commercial Litigation
Construction Law
Corporate Compliance Law
Corporate Governance Law
Corporate Law
Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law
Employee Benefits (ERISA) Law
Employment Law – Individuals
Employment Law – Management
Environmental Law
Financial Services Regulation Law
Government Relations Practice
Insurance Law
Labor Law – Management
Land Use & Zoning Law
Litigation – Construction
Litigation – Labor & Employment
Litigation – Mergers & Acquisitions
Litigation – Municipal
Litigation – Real Estate
Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Municipal Law
Oil & Gas Law
Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs
Private Equity Law
Product Liability Litigation – Plaintiffs
Real Estate Law
Tax Law
Trusts & Estates Law
Roanoke Tier 2
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Governmental Investigations
Criminal Defense: White-Collar – Litigation
Litigation – Banking and Finance
Litigation – Eminent Domain & Condemnation
Friday, October 26th, 2012
The Virginia law firm of Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP is pleased to have been named one of the 2013 U.S. Top Ranked Law Firms. The list will appear in Fortune magazine’s December 24th Special 2013 Investor’s Guide, as well as in the January 2013 editions of Corporate Counsel and The American Lawyer, published by American Lawyer Media.
The list was compiled by LexisNexis Martindale-Hubbell and is based on Gentry Locke’s large percentage of AV-rated attorneys. AV Ratings are the highest an attorney can attain from Martindale-Hubbell, and is based upon reviews by judges and peers. Retaining top-rated attorneys is a reflection of the Firm’s high regard for experience, integrity, and overall professional excellence.
Friday, October 26th, 2012
As more Virginia residents have become seriously ill with meningitis associated with tainted epidural steroid injections, Gentry Locke has assembled a diverse team of professionals to handle these cases. While our clients are busy recovering from fungal meningitis to which they should have never been exposed, our attorneys and experts are devoting great attention to the developing details and the individual circumstances of each case. We have consciously chosen to carefully review all of these issues in order to develop a comprehensive strategy for recovery and success before filing lawsuits.
Facts are continuing to develop. Gentry Locke attorneys are focusing on: (1) the conditions at the New England Compounding pharmacy in Massachusetts, (2) results from official investigations, and (3) questions as to why local medical facilities would purchase drugs from an unaccredited pharmacy producing thousands of doses of medication per batch in a facility surrounded by a garbage recycling facility. We have conducted an aerial visual inspection of the facility, the results of which raise serious concerns as to how conditions at the “pharmacy” may have impacted contamination.
Aerial photograph of area behind New England Compounding Center (NECC). Copyright © 2012 Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission prohibited.
