Daniel, Medley & Kirby, P.C. is the outgrowth of a law firm which was formed in 1920 when Edwin B. Meade joined his father, Julian Meade, in the practice of law. James A. L. Daniel joined the firm which was then known as Meade, Tate & Meade in 1970 with Martha White Medley joining the firm in1981. In 1989 the firm became known as Daniel, Vaughan, Medley & Smitherman.

In keeping with its commitment to historic preservation and downtown revitalization, the firm moved its Danville office in 2000 to 110 North Union Street in Downtown Danville. The firm undertook the renovation and remodeling of three (3) buildings which had been constructed in the 1880’s. The unique design of the office space has drawn the attention of planners and architects throughout the region and has played a dramatic role in the revitalization of Downtown Danville.

In 1999 the firm expanded and opened an office in Downtown Martinsville located in the Keesee Building at 106 East Main Street. In 2006 the firm merged with the practice of William L. Kirby, III. Mr. Kirby had formerly been a partner in the firm of Gendron and Kirby, a firm established in Martinsville in 1972. When Mr. Gendron ascended to the bench the two firms discussed merging their practices, joining forces effective March 1, 2006.

The firm provides legal advice to businesses, individuals and governmental entities on a regular basis in ten (10) counties and three (3) cities in Southside Virginia as well as the Federal Court System. Lawyers with the firm are proficient in a variety of legal specialties with emphasis on business organization, estate planning, civil litigation, creditor’s rights, product liability, real estate development, employment law, health care or medical practice law, and workers’ compensation.

The firm’s mission is to provide clients with the very highest quality of legal representation by continually striving to develop and refine innovative methods for meeting clients’ objectives. The firm is committed to employing the finest personnel, to fostering an atmosphere where employees work together to accomplish common goals, and to provide training and support to enable each employee to achieve his or her fullest potential and career objectives. The firm makes extensive use of paralegals and legal assistants who specialize in particular areas of the firm’s practice in order to deliver the highest quality legal advice to clients at reasonable legal expense.

The members of the firm are involved in a variety of community and professional activities as community involvement is encouraged. Members of the firm have served on the Danville School Board, as Chair of the Board of a private elementary and high school in Martinsville, Chair of the Young Lawyers Section of the Virginia Bar Association, member of the Executive Committee and Secretary of the Virginia Bar Association, President of the local Bar Association, President of the Danville YMCA—and as coaches for local T-ball and Jr. High basketball teams!

The firm represents on an ongoing basis in all areas of defense litigation numerous insurance companies, servicing companies or corporations, including CMI Octagon, Crawford & Company, The Hartford, Liberty Mutual Insurance Companies, North Carolina Farm Bureau, Progressive Insurance Companies, Southern Insurance Company of Virginia, Travelers, Virginia Farm Bureau, Virginia Mutual League Insurance Programs, Vision Insurance, Dan River, Inc., Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, Food Lion, Inc., and DanChem Corporation.

The firm has served as general counsel for Averett University (a four year liberal arts institution located in Danville) for the past twenty-five years. The firm also serves as counsel for several construction companies including Frith Construction Company, Inc. of Martinsville and Roy N. Ford Company of Blairs. The firm has organized and provides ongoing legal advice to numerous medical practices, corporations and businesses in Southside Virginia. The firm serves as local Right-of-Way Counsel for the Virginia Department of Transportation, in addition to handling civil litigation for the Virginia Attorney General’s Office on a local basis. The firm members engage in extensive practice before various administrative agencies, including the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission, the Virginia Employment Commission, and the Social Security Administration. The firm also serves as general counsel for numerous other professional corporations and local corporations, in addition to providing counsel to many non-profit organizations, including the North Theatre, Inc., Womack Foundation, Project Access of Dan River Region, Inc., Free Clinic of Danville and the Anchor Commission.

The firm also provides counsel to many non-profit organizations including The North Theatre, Inc., Womack Foundation, Free Clinic of Danville, Anchor Commission, The Danville Museum of Fine Arts and History, The Danville-Pittsylvania Chapter of Habitat for Humanity, and The Danville Historical Society.