Robert “Robin” C. Wood III, a pioneer in the Lynchburg Bar Association’s ambitious efforts to support pro bono work, was honored by Virginia Legal Aid Society with its annual Pro Bono Award today.
Wood was a charter member of the Lynchburg Task Force that spearheaded the volunteer work of dozens of Lynchburg attorneys for VLAS clients for the past three decades. Wood, of counsel for the Woods Rogers law firm, also has been a prominent fundraiser for VLAS and other community organizations. Three years ago, a roast titled “The Trial of Robin Wood” became one of the most successful fundraising events in VLAS’s 42-year history.
Wood explained his dedication to pro bono work as simply an obligation that comes with practicing law. “It’s part of your duty as a lawyer,” he said. “There’s nothing extraordinary about it.”
Private attorneys who provide legal services to VLAS clients pro bono are a vital part of VLAS’s mission to champion equal justice. Wood focused on helping low-income people obtain divorces, an area of high demand for people who reach out to VLAS. Wood frequently handled two to three cases a year for VLAS.
A graduate of E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, Wood received his undergraduate degree from Washington and Lee University in 1962 and his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1975. He began his legal career in Richmond but returned to Lynchburg after two years, joining the firm that eventually grew into Woods Rogers.
In his career focused on corporate, employment and family law and commercial litigation, Woods has argued cases before the Virginia Supreme Court and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals He also has taught law for nearly 40 years, serving as an adjunct professor for Washington and Lee University School of Law. He is the author of Civil Procedure in Virginia and Virginia Law and Practice: a Handbook for Attorneys. In 2015, the Virginia State Bar’s General Practice Section gave Wood the Tradition of Excellence Award, recognizing lawyers who have embodied the highest tradition of personal and professional excellence.
Wood’s extensive community contributions include serving on the boards of United Way of Central Virginia, Lynchburg Fine Arts Center and Lynchburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority. He also is a member of VLAS’s board of directors, scheduled to retire from the board later this year. “VLAS is a very effective organization,” Wood said. “It has been especially effective in promoting the concept of pro bono work among the bar here.”
