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Culpeper Times • April 14-20, 2016

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USINESSES TO KNOW IN & AROUND OUR COMMUNITY

Walker Jones: Coppage offers a caring legal hand By Anita L. Sherman STAFF WRITER

For nearly 40 years, the firm of Walker and Jones has provided legal expertise for their clients relying on a cadre of attorneys proficient in specific legal areas. One of those, Allison Coppage, joined the firm in March 2001. While she can handle cases involving a DUI or if you get a speeding ticket or need a simple will prepared, her focus is family law. “That is where I spend 90 percent of my time,” says Coppage, a native Virginian born in Hampton. Coppage muses about her original career idea. “I actually wanted to be a judge when I was in high school,” says Coppage who has great admiration for former district court judges Dudley Payne Jr. and Charles Foley. A student at Fauquier High School in Warrenton, Coppage also contemplated being a biology major but it was political science classes in college at Virginia Polytechnic Insti-

tute & State University and then public speaking and debate that confirmed her legal path. “I found that I had no problem standing in front of people,” says Coppage who spent three years working in Washington, D.C. for the National Association of Attorneys General. “That’s when I knew what I wanted to be,” says Coppage who spent nights attending law school at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio. She was admitted to the Ohio bar in 1999 but her southern roots beckoned. “Virginia is home for me so I moved back in 2000 and took the bar in Virginia in 2001.” Going on 16 years, she’s been with Walker Jones ever since. In family law, you are dealing with a lot of divorces. “When you’re dealing with clients involved in a divorce you see people at their worst,” says Coppage, “divorce is similar to the death of a loved one...you’re an attorney and also a counselor at law...I find that more often than not you’re in the

counselor role as well as legal advisor.” When not in the courtroom, Coppage can be found on playing fields throughout the area. “I coach my daughter Claire’s softball team,” says Coppage who is also the JV softball coach at Fauquier High School. Her daughter attends the same middle school that she attended - Warrenton Middle School - although it was Warrenton Jr. High at the time. Her son, Grayson, is involved in travel baseball. When it comes to role models, there are two attorneys that stand out for Coppage: longtime Fauquier native litigator Robin Gulick and Julia Savage, a colleague at Walker Jones. “Robin has a great way about him as a person and Julia is amazing,” says Coppage adding, “you can be a new attorney out of law school and they’ll take the time to talk with you.” It’s the compassion and caring at Walker Jones that is a hallmark for Coppage.

COURTESY PHOTO

Allison Coppage is an attorney with the Walker Jones office in Warrenton. Her specialty is family law.

When her husband passed away in 2013, Coppage said the entire firm stepped up. “I would say the best thing about Walker Jones is that they are family oriented and, although a large firm, embrace a very small town culture.” “They were amazingly supportive during that time...we conduct ourselves as a family unit...it’s a great network...everybody does things together.”

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