March 24, 2022

Ronald S. Evans Honored for Lifetime Achievement in Family Law

Ronald S. Evans of Barnes & Diehl in Richmond has been named the 2022 recipient of the Betty A. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award by the Virginia State Bar’s Family Law Section. 

The award honors “…an individual who has made a substantial contribution to the practice and administration of family law in the Commonwealth of Virginia.” The Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented at the 38th Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar April 12 at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.

Evans began his legal career in 1976 at a litigation firm founded by the late Hon. Robert R. Merhige, where he practiced in an array of civil and criminal matters before transitioning to family law. 

Evans was nominated by Carl Witmeyer as well as his law partner, Edward D. Barnes, who said of him: “His dedication to family law over the years, and his reputation for fair dealing and collegiality, while zealously representing the interests of his clients is widely understood.” 

Evans is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, and served as the President of the Virginia Chapter from 2016 to 2018. He was also on the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar’s Family Law Section, serving as its Chair from 1991 to 1992.

In his career, Evans has been a frequent lecturer, and tried a number of appellate cases. The grandson of a Lehigh Valley Railroad detective, Evans had an early interest in justice and the law. Today, he focuses his practice in the area of family law. 

Says Evans, “Early on, I was taught to love and respect the American system of justice and the rule of law. There is no higher calling.”

Having been recruited by Betty Thompson herself, Evans continues to work closely with the Family Law Coalition to give guidance to the legislature on creating and maintaining laws that are beneficial to families that are experiencing the difficulties of divorce.

Over the course of his 46-year legal career, Evans has received numerous awards including Lawyer of the Year in Family Law in Richmond in 2013, Best Lawyers in America from 1993 to the present, Leader in the Law in 2019, and the Virginia Lawyer Hall of Fame in 2021.

Evans graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University and received his law degree from the University of Richmond.