Contact Info:

Phone: (540) 343-9350
(800) 519-2065
E-mail: rwall@bwlawplc.com

Born:
December 16, 1952
Radford, Virginia

Education:
Vanderbilt University, BA, 1974 (Phi Beta Kappa)
University of Virginia School of Law, JD, 1977

Residence:
Roanoke, Virginia

• 1977-1990—Law practice in Radford, Virginia
• 1990-1994—Resident partner of Roanoke firm of Lutins & Shapiro (Radford, Virginia office)
• 1994-present—Founding member of the firm of BWLAW PLC, based in Radford, Virginia.

Works primarily with family-owned and closely-held businesses on tax and non-tax matters relating to business organization, business planning and estate planning; handles issues and transactions involving purchase and sale of business assets, including commercial real estate; considerable experience in shareholder/partner business disputes; extensive background and experience in estate planning, estate administration and complex family and business problems. Rated “AV Preeminent” by Martindale-Hubbell. Member of National Association of Dealer Counsel, a nationwide organization of attorneys who represent motor vehicle dealers.

Community involvements:

• Past Board Member—Minnick Educational Center, a private, non-profit school offering intensive educational and developmental services to seriously emotionally-disturbed youth
• Past Board Member—Roanoke Catholic Educational Foundation—instrumental in development of the Cornerstone Scholarship program, providing tuition assistance to economically disadvantaged students
• Member, Board of Trustees, Fork Union Military Academy – 2008-present
• Boys Basketball Coach, Roanoke Catholic School 1993-2004

Family:

Wife, Carol (married in 1972), died in December, 2014.  Carol was an accomplished teacher and writer. Her book, Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening (Amy Einhorn Books/Penguin March 4, 2014) has received acclaim from Good Housekeeping, USA Today, People, New York Times Book Review, and Oprah.com. The book has also been published in Australia/New Zealand, Holland, Norway and Brazil. Paperback was released by Berkley on February 3, 2015. Since Carol’s death, Dick has been traveling the country and promoting her book.  In November, 2017, Dick married Teresa George of Roanoke. They met in a grief support group for those who had suffered highly publicized losses. Teresa’s husband, Jeff, a gifted heart surgeon, and their daughter, Hannah (age 15), were killed in an automobile accident in 2008. Teresa and Dick live in Roanoke and in Harbor Springs, Michigan.

Three children and five grandchildren

• Chad (married to Ashley, a special ed. Teacher in Floyd County, VA)— B.S. (2001) from Western Carolina; M.S. from WVU in Sports Management; candidate for doctorate in Educational Leadership Studies at WVU; served as Director of Compliance in WVU Athletic Dept., Asst Athletic Director for Compliance and Student Affairs at VCU in Richmond,  and Asst. Athletic Director for Compliance at Radford University; now Production Advisor for Volvo Group Trucks Operations. Chad and Ashley have two daughters, Madeline and Caroline. They live in Christiansburg VA.
• Jennie Gelfand (married to Dr. Kenneth Gelfand, clinical psychologist and Manager of Psychology at Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital in Baltimore)—B.A.—William & Mary, 2003; Ed.D. in Clinical Psychology, Loyola (Baltimore)  May, 2008;  residency in Pediatric Psychology—DuPont Children’s Hospital, Wilmington DE; lives and works in York, PA and Lutherville, MD.  Jennie and her husband have two sons, David and Joshua.  Kenny has one daughter, Rachel.
• Phil—B.A. Williams College, 2007 (co-captain of basketball team); owner of Phil Wall Productions, LLC (www.philwall.film) Award-winning documentary filmmaker, living in Brooklyn. He has three finished feature films—(1) Unbelievable is Believable Here, chronicling VCU’s historic run to the Final Four in 2011, a 2014 official selection of the Richmond International Film festival and streaming on iTunes, Hulu and Amazon Prime; (2) The Standard, also available on Hulu and Amazon Prime;  and (3) The Book Keepers, (winner of the Jury Award and the Audience Award at the Austin Film Festival in October, 2020, and official selection of numerous film festivals in 2021), his first-hand account of his father’s journey to promote his mother’s work following her death.  He has one other documentary in post-production, The Passing Game, a portrait of Fletcher Arritt, legendary basketball coach at Fork Union Military Academy in Virginia.