William C. Bischoff was recently named president of the Virginia Beach Bar Association. He provided the folling information about his background.
Fre Pre-Med to History Major
I became interested in law when my older brother was attending law school. Initially, I was pursuing a degree in pre-med at the University of Virginia. Unfortunately, the chemistry classes were too much for me.
I graduated U.Va. as a history major. I’ve always had an interest in government and history. All of it ties together, and it appealed to me.
Stallings & Bischoff
Our firm is based in Virginia Beach, and we do quite a bit of litigation. We’ve been around for 30 years. I specialize in civil and commercial litigation as well as corporate disputes.
What I really enjoy the most is getting good results for a client who deserves it. It’s very satisfying to me to have a client come out on top. The firm also does pro bono work.
Sometimes it doesn’t necessarily start off as a pro bono case. Often clients get in a situation where they simply can’t pay you. Instead of getting out of the case, you stick with it because you feel strongly about the client’s situation.
Virginia Beach Bar Association
The association has been around for 53 years. It started out as a social group with the intention of helping lawyers develop and maintain working relationships.
We’ve now gotten more involved in charitable causes and supporting groups who support the courts and various aspects of the courts. Our association is also the voice of the legal community in Virginia Beach. Out members have spoken up on issues that are important to judges, clerks, lawyers and the community.
Role as President
I’m in charge of a variety of things at the association such as educational courses for lawyers and nonlawyers, monthly meetings, state bar events and other events in Hampton Roads.
It’s a one year position that is rotated thorough the ranks. I’m highly interested in building and cultivating the relationship with the Virginia Beach Bar Foundation. It’s our charitable and fundraising arm.
Our main concern is trying to raise monies that will help out the community. For instance, First Colonial High School is one of several schools that have a legal academy. We would love to be more involved in that.
The foundation will help us out in that area. It will help us raise money for other groups and try to help folks gain access to the courts. For example, many domestic-relation petitions that are filed are by single moms who don’t have access to lawyers. The foundation supports these efforts and allows us to work on cases like these.
For the Future
Over the years, more and more of the association events have been geared towards charity. It’s something that we are definitely focusing on in the future.
By Lakeshia Artis
The Virginian Pilot
April 04, 2010