Flora Pettit congratulates Skip Roberts who has achieved a milestone seldom reached by most attorneys—50 years as an active member of the Virginia Bar.

Skip started his law practice in 1971 in Harrisonburg, Virginia with the law firm of Wharton, Aldhizer & Weaver, PLC.  He was one of several second-generation lawyers in that firm, who led its very successful expansion. While practicing there, he helped to increase the firm’s presence in the community and statewide.  Skip developed his tax-exempt bond financing practice from scratch to become one of the few recognized bond lawyers in western Virginia.  Skip also provided legal services to some of the Valley’s largest businesses, financial institutions and wealthiest families.

From 1991 to 1998, he broadened his experience base as the Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the VMI Foundation, running one of the largest college endowments in Virginia while helping to guide VMI through its litigation over its all-male admissions policy.

In 1998 he returned to the law practice by joining Christian & Barton, LLP, in its Richmond, Virginia office, as co-head of its business practice group. He was then named the Managing Director and General Counsel for Ivor & Co., LLC, a New York based investment firm, overseeing the business, legal, charitable, investment and tax affairs of a leading Wall Street investment banker and private equity firm founder.  In 2003 he returned to the Valley to practice and joined Flora Pettit in 2016.

His service to the Bar has included being a member of the Virginia Bar Association’s Executive Committee and a member of the Board of Directors and President of the Virginia Law Foundation.

Skip’s extensive nonprofit experience includes acting as the Interim President of the George C. Marshall Foundation in Lexington, Virginia from November 2013 to May 2014 and serving as a member and Chairman of the Board of Directors of VMI Investment Holdings, LLC, which oversees the VMI endowments now in excess of $600,000,000, one of the largest endowments on a per student basis of any public college or university in America.

In all his roles in law firms and with VMI Skip has always been a recognized leader whose engagement on any matter is a singular focus on his clients’ best interests with the highest level of trust and integrity.  In addition, mentoring younger lawyers has been one of his callings that his law firms and mentees have appreciated.  His intellect, wit, humility, and knowledge of the profession have made an impact wherever he has been.

Flora Pettit congratulates Skip on his milestone achievement.