Robert E. Richardson has announced his candidacy for re-election as Circuit Judge for Greenbrier and Pocahontas Counties, pledging to maintain a high standard of integrity and impartiality. “During my ten years on the bench, I have always strived to uphold the law and to protect the values of our community,” he said.
Judge Richardson is the son of John Richardson and the late Frances Richardson of Lewisburg. He grew up in Greenbrier County, attended the county’s public schools, and earned his bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University in 1984. While a student at WVU, he was the University’s first recipient of the Truman Scholarship (a national award presented to recognize leadership potential in public service), and served as the WVU Mountaineer mascot during the 1982-83 academic year. Judge Richardson received his legal education at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an editor of the Virginia Law Review and recipient of the Ritter Prize for Honor and Integrity.
After law school, Judge Richardson began his legal career in Washington, DC, where he worked primarily on matters concerning the civil rights of persons with disabilities, including extensive work on behalf of the Paralyzed Veterans of America. While in Washington, he also served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center. He returned to West Virginia in 1990 as the managing attorney of a legal aid office in Clarksburg, and also taught part-time as an adjunct faculty member at the WVU College of Law.
In 1997, Judge Richardson returned to Greenbrier County to pursue the private practice of law. His experience as a lawyer included both civil and criminal litigation, as well as an extensive practice in estate planning, real estate and business transactions. “My broad background in the law has been particularly helpful to me as a judge, because of the wide variety of cases that come before the Circuit Court,” Judge Richardson said. “When many people think about the court system, they think first about criminal cases, but those cases make up only about a quarter to a third of the actual workload of a Circuit Judge. Having experience in all areas of the law is a great asset for a judge.”
Since taking the bench, Judge Richardson has continued his education at the National Judicial College and through programs of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals. As judge, he has been particularly concerned with drug abuse issues and their effect on the community. He is an active member of the West Virginia Judicial Association and regularly speaks at the Association’s semi-annual educational conference, giving presentations to his fellow circuit judges about developments in the law concerning civil cases.
Judge Richardson’s community service has included work on the boards of directors of several local and statewide organizations, including the Greenbrier County Youth Camp, Almost Heaven Habitat for Humanity, Habitat for Humanity of West Virginia, Legal Aid of West Virginia, and HospiceCare. For 25 years before his appointment to the bench, he served as the director of the West Virginia Older 4-H Members Conference, a weeklong leadership development program for high school and college age youth.
He is a 4-H All Star and has been inducted into the West Virginia 4-H Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Susan, have been married for almost 39 years, and have two daughters.
