Sometimes, the best-laid plans fail to work out. Such
was the case with Leisa K. Ciaffone, who graduated as
a psychology/art major from Hollins University in Roanoke
in 1983. Her first job reflected a passion to help those
less fortunate: She was a counselor in a group home for
teenagers unable to live at home because of family problems.
After two years of "hard work that wasn't very
valued," Ciaffone realized she could earn more in
the courtroom as an advocate for troubled families.
Her clients are grateful for the career switch, although
opposing attorneys probably feel differently. Ciaffone,
46, is regarded as one of Virginia's best family-law
attorneys, praised by colleagues as a savvy litigator.
Outside of court, "Leisa is a
gracious Southern lady. In court, she's deadly," says
J. Scott Sexton, who met Ciaffone 19 years ago when both
worked at Roanoke law firm Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore,
where Sexton still practices commercial law.
Ciaffone spent about 14 years at Gentry
Locke after graduating from University of Richmond's
law school. She launched a solo family-law practice in
Salem in 2001 handling cases involving divorce, custody
and child support. She also has a growing personal-injury
business. "I
enjoy the personal aspect of helping someone who is in
a crisis. Anyone with a family-law issue is in crisis
and is looking not only for help navigating the legal
system, but also for somebody whose advice they can rely
on," says Ciaffone.
The success of her private practice enables Ciaffone
to take on many cases in which she serves as court-appointed
counsel in juvenile court for parents and children. She
also serves as guardian ad litem, a legal term for acting
on behalf of people who are incapable of watching out
for their own interests, including children or incapacitated
adults.
Court-appointed cases don't pay
much: The sole reward in such cases lies in seeing
the justice system work as intended. Ciaffone sees "the worst of the worst":
children suffering from neglect and abuse, often as a
consequence of parents' drug addiction or serious mental
health problems. "Many of those cases are memorable
because we see the unspeakable atrocities that children
endure in our society," says Ciaffone.
Exposure to such suffering might
make some people jaded about the human condition. Ciaffone
says she avoids pessimism through a persistent belief
that she can make the system work on behalf of people
in need. "It's a really
good day for me when the system works and gives parents
the resources to put their family back together again."
Sad as it is, taking children
away from unfit parents marks another kind of success,
she says. Those children are often put in foster care,
and many wind up being adopted. "That's part of
what our legal system does: It protects the most vulnerable
people."
Ciaffone tries to help younger
attorneys, especially women, adapt to the legal profession. "Even though
we were in different practice areas, she instantly became
a mentor to me," says Lori Thompson, now a bankruptcy
lawyer with LeClair Ryan in Roanoke who met Ciaffone
at Gentry Locke in 1997.
Aside from her private practice and court-appointed
cases, Ciaffone also serves as commissioner of chancery
for the 23rd Judicial District, which includes Roanoke
County and the cities of Roanoke and Salem. That role
requires sifting through evidence and making recommendations
to courts on how facts should be determined in cases
involving property settlements, divorces and similar
matters.
Since 2002, Ciaffone has served
as a substitute judge for the general district and
juvenile and domestic relations courts - a role that
has given her a new perspective. "Right
now I find that it really makes me a better lawyer. When
I'm a judge and I'm listening to arguments, it makes
me think, 'What is it I want to be hearing in this case?'" says
Ciaffone.
Ciaffone teaches a required professionalism course to
new attorneys being admitted to the Virginia State Bar.
She recently completed a three-year stint as a member
of the state bar's executive committee and serves as
treasurer of the Roanoke Bar Association.
When not working, Ciaffone enjoys
spending time with her husband of 19 years, Jerry,
and their two teenage children, "who are the joys
of my life."
