The staff members at the Law Office of Alan Caudell have more than 30 years of combined experience working with us — and our clients. They are our front line of contact with you and have the experience to help you navigate many critical areas of your legal needs. We recommend that you reach us by telephone between 9 a.m. and noon, or by email at any time. As much as possible, we reserve the mornings for appointments and responding to client requests.

Alan Caudell

Alan is an experienced, trusted legal adviser and litigator. He has been practicing law in Virginia since 1986, when he graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law and returned to his hometown of Galax to start his practice. Since then, he has been admitted to practice in the Virginia Supreme Court and all courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia, as well as the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia and the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. 

Alan has handled appeals, including oral argument, before the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Virginia Supreme Court. Reported decisions include:

• Porter v. Wilson, Virginia Supreme Court,  (1992). 
• Phipps v. Liddle, Virginia Supreme Court, (2004).
• Patton v. City of Galax, Virginia Supreme Court, (2005).
• Kelker v. Schmidt, Virginia Court of Appeals, (2000).

A Tribute To L. Harvey Neff Jr. (1925 – 2012)
 

My senior partner, L. Harvey Neff Jr., died on Feb. 15, 2012, at 86 years of age. I lost a friend and a mentor. Harvey practiced law for 55 years, many of those before my start with him in 1986. He was often a strict taskmaster, but he demanded no more of me than he did of himself.

Harvey came up hard, on the heels of the Great Depression. Like steel is tempered by heat, Harvey was strengthened by the hardships he endured.

Harvey was faithful to the tasks he was given. He personified Luke 16:10 (“He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much.”). Even after retirement in 1998, Harvey was not satisfied that he had finished the race. He kept going and going, visiting the office to his last day.

As my teacher, Harvey instilled principles with lasting usefulness. Harvey never claimed to be the smartest lawyer or the smartest person in the room. But he taught me that you can outwork someone that you can’t outsmart. Harvey would take a case, and worry it like a bone. He was persistent to a fault. There just was not much quit in Harvey.

I hesitate to say Harvey was stubborn, but he might not have hesitated to say that. One dictionary defines “stubborn” as “tenaciously unwilling to yield.” That definition certainly fit Harvey.

Other principles Harvey preached to me daily, and lived himself:

• Stay sober and work hard — you will be successful.
• Do good work and the money will come.
• Do all the free work you can stand.
• Read to them from the book.

Thanks be to Harvey for the gifts to me of his time and his talents. I am the richer for these gifts. May I share them with others.