I count motherhood as my greatest accomplishment, and I prefer the titles “Dance Mom,” “Cheer Mom“, and “Volleyball Mom” to “Esquire.” God has entrusted my husband and me with two amazing daughters, and I never wanted to miss a moment of the precious years of childhood. So for over twenty years, I was a Solo Practitioner operating as DVKLAW. I’ve made every awards assembly, science fair, sporting event, and recital, and I have never missed an opportunity to chaperone a field trip or to serve as “Room Mom” or ‘Team Mom.” Whew!
But now that my children are older, and I’m more of a “smother” than a “mother,” I've transitioned to public service. I joined the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia in August 2023, and I serve as the "Homeless Veterans Staff Attorney" in the Disability Rights and Homeless Outreach Unit (DRUHOP). I bring more than three decades of legal experience to the position.
In private practice, my primary practice areas were criminal defense and family law. I spent six years honing my trial skills as a prosecutor for the City of Hampton, and I am regarded as a specialist in juvenile criminal defense. I have served as Special Counsel for the Division of Child Support Enforcement, and I can help you navigate Virginia’s complex child support provisions and safeguard your financial future. I have been certified by the Virginia Supreme Court to serve as Guardian ad litem for children since 2002, so I am well equipped to assist you in highly contested custody cases. I have received hundreds of hours of training in child development and family dynamics and disfunction, and I can help you protect your children.
Virginia is not my first home. I was born in Louisiana ‘round da’ bayou. I was born at a time when people who looked like me lived on “our side” of the levy and went to “our” schools. There were men in fancy suits who would come and sit in the living room with my Papa. They talked about two things, changing the “rules” that kept us separated by that levy and my MaDear’s peach cobbler. That cobbler was legendary!
I think I was about four years old when I learned that those men in fancy suits were called “lawyers,” and they had to go to a place called “court” to change those “rules.” I remember them talking about a lawyer named Thurgood Marshall who became the first African American Justice to serve on the United States Supreme Court in 1967, the year that I was born. I suppose that’s why I’ve never wanted to be anything other than a lawyer.
When I’m not lawyerin’, I’m screaming all of the lyrics to my favorite songs at a live concert. Music is my Prozac! And when I’m not chasing pop stars, I’m planning my next trip to Disney World. I’ve served my community for more than thirty years as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. I am a proud alumna of The Alma Mater of a Nation, The College of William and Mary, and I continue to support the Tribe as a Class Ambassador for the Class of 1989. And as a 1992 graduate of Tulane University Law School, I know what it means to miss New Orleans. Roll Wave!
And like every woman lucky enough to have been born in Louisiana, I love to cook. My peach cobbler is not as legendary as MaDear’s, but I fix a mean pot of gumbo!
