April 29, 2026
The Hon. Roger L. Gregory Receives the 2026 Dunnaville Award
The Hon. Roger L. Gregory, judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, has been awarded the 2026 Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr. Achievement Award, given by the Virginia State Bar (VSB) Diversity Section to a VSB member who exemplifies the section’s goal of encouraging full and equal participation in the Commonwealth’s legal profession.
In 2000, Judge Gregory became the first African American appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He later served as the court’s chief judge from 2016 to 2023, becoming the first African American to hold that title as well.
Judge Gregory grew up in Petersburg and received his bachelor’s degree from Virginia State University and his law degree from the University of Michigan School of Law. After a brief stint in private practice in Michigan, he returned to Virginia and joined the firm Hunton & Williams LLP in 1980. Two years later, Judge Gregory co-founded the law firm Wilder & Gregory in Richmond with L. Douglas Wilder, who became governor of Virginia in 1990. After Wilder’s election, Judge Gregory served as managing partner of the firm until he joined the bench.
Previous leadership positions held by Judge Gregory include president of the Old Dominion Bar Association; president of the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia; rector of the Board of Visitors of Virginia Commonwealth University; and member of the Board of Visitors of Virginia State University, his alma mater. Currently, he serves as a trustee emeritus of the University of Richmond.
Brian T. Wesley of Thornton Wesley, PLLC, in Richmond, nominated Judge Gregory for the Dunnaville Award.
“Judge Gregory is the embodiment of an excellent lawyer and jurist,” Wesley wrote in his nomination letter. “[He] has routinely ensured that the rule of law is observed and protected for all citizens of the Commonwealth, the Fourth Circuit, and the country.”
Wesley, a former president of the VSB Young Lawyers Section (YLS), also highlighted Judge Gregory’s participation in two YLS-sponsored events: the Rule of Law Day at the Capitol, where he helped instruct middle and high school students on the rule of law, and the Bench-Bar Dinner, where he interacted with young Virginia lawyers.
“I have personally observed his dynamic speaking, inclusivity, and accessibility to all,” Wesley added.
The Dunnaville Award, which commemorates the life of civil rights leader Clarence M. Dunnaville Jr., will be presented at the Diversity Section Lunch on Friday, June 5, at the Hilton Oceanfront Hotel in Virginia Beach. This event is part of the 2026 VSB Annual Meeting.