June 09, 2023

Sherry A. Fox Awarded 2023 Specialty Bar Leader of the Year

Sherry A. Fox of Fox Family Formation in Glen Allen has been awarded Specialty Bar Leader of the Year by the VSB Conference of Local and Specialty Bar Associations (CLSBA). The award recognizes specialty bar association leaders “who have committed to offer important service to the bench, bar, and public.”

As the 2022-23 president of the Metropolitan Richmond Women’s Bar Association (MRWBA), Fox demonstrated inspired leadership while guiding the MRWBA to a return to in-person programming after the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her emphasis on developing personal as well as professional relationships between association members resulted in an increase of social events including coffee socials and an outing to a Richmond Kickers game. Between these events and informative newsletters, Fox enhanced a sense of community within the MRWBA.

The MRWBA’s regular programming also thrived under Fox’s watch and included CLEs on pertinent topics like the recent Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, a presentation on salary negotiation, and a film screening in honor of Black History Month. Additionally, a mentorship program between MRWBA members and female law students at the University of Richmond School of Law continued to flourish.

In her nomination, 2023-24 MRWBA President Mary Wilkins Hunt praised Fox’s leadership style, noting that Fox was “a welcome combination of professionalism and compassion, a perfect fit with the Virginia State Bar’s focus in recent years on lawyer well-being.”

Hunt continued: “It has been an honor to serve on Sherry Fox’s Board of the MRWBA. She is an unassuming but unfailing leader in our profession.”

Before becoming president, Fox was a dedicated MRWBA member for about a decade, chairing several MRWBA committees and holding a number of Board positions in that time. In particular, she chaired the Judicial Candidate Endorsement Committee during the 2021-22 MRWBA year. In that position, Fox dedicated a large amount of time to interviewing candidates seeking an endorsement for the bench and was crucial to providing this information to the General Assembly.

Fox earned her law degree from Washington & Lee University School of Law after graduating from George Mason University. The award will be presented at the CLSBA Annual Meeting & Awards Breakfast at the Hilton Garden Inn on June 16 during the VSB Annual Meeting in Virginia Beach.