History of Hofheimer Family Law Firm

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  • Charlie Hofheimer
    Charlie Hofheimer

Back in 1991, Charlie Hofheimer, a Virginia Beach area attorney, noticed that there was a need. Women, he saw, were unable to get the divorce information they needed, and were often railroaded in divorce and custody cases. He partnered up with a group that was offering divorce seminars, and licensed the rights to perform the seminar in Virginia Beach—and so Second Saturday was born.

Eventually, Charlie decided to expand beyond the divorce seminars and open up his own firm dedicated to representing women only in divorce and custody cases. It was the first of its kind in Virginia, and remains the largest women’s only family law firm in the country.

Of course, for Charlie, this wasn’t out of nowhere. Charlie has a pretty illustrious history of fighting for the underdog, from volunteering for a year in the Alaskan backcountry, to getting kicked out of Russia by the KGB, and campaigning to have women admitted to Washington and Lee School of Law (where he is an alumnus). He also worked as an advocate for abused children alongside a local nonprofit, Champions for Children, and, more recently, was an aggressive participant in the local Norfolk Women’s March. He’s also happily married to his wife, Diane (who also worked with Charlie as his paralegal), of 50+ years, and the proud father of three children: Kristen, Kerry, and RD.

Charlie’s daughter, Kristen, went to law school at the University of Virginia as a single mom, sometimes even bringing her son, Shay, to class with her. She wrote an article for the law review, Breastfeeding as a Factor in Custody and Visitation cases in Virginia (which you can read and request a copy of by clicking here), which was a great segue into a career in family law at the firm her parents built.

  • Kristen Hofheimer
    Kristen Hofheimer

Kristen took over with gusto, maintaining many of the things Charlie had espoused, but also bringing her own flair to the firm. She announced that she wanted to start offering a custody seminar, Custody Bootcamp for Moms in addition to the Second Saturday seminars (which, by this point, had been running for over twenty years), designed to help Virginia moms learn how to represent themselves in their own custody and visitation cases at the juvenile court level.

Not satisfied yet, Kristen also decided to also start hosting Girl’s Night Out events, social events designed to help women connect with each other (no divorce or custody case required). It was something that she saw was needed from her experience with women going through divorce and custody cases, but even she was surprised to see how widespread that need was. The event series is a huge success, and the firm continues to offer these events for women from all over Virginia.

Kristen is a courageous and spirited advocate for women facing divorce and custody cases, much like her father before her, but with a modern spin. She was known for her skill in the courtroom and her compassion with her clients, constantly striving to make the firm better and offer HFLF clients even more opportunities. Unfortunately, health issues forced Kristen into an early retirement; Kristen, her son, Shay, and his wife, Morgan, moved to Burnsville, North Carolina (with Charlie and Diane) in summer 2017 to live together in “Hofheimer Holler.”

Enter Sheera Herrell. A Certified Financial Planner, trained collaborative attorney, and Charlie’s so-called “good” daughter, Sheera took over management of HFLF in May of 2017 following Kristen’s sudden retirement.

Sheera can handle anything, an attitude we originally noticed when she gave birth to her second child in the car on the way to the hospital, but which continues unabated to this day. She’s a passionate, meticulous, quick-thinking, and intelligent advocate whose motto is “efficient and effective”.

Sheera’s main goal for the firm is keeping up with all the programs and seminars Kristen and Charlie originally cultivated, and providing more avenues for Virginia women to get more educated about divorce and custody cases than ever before. Under Sheera, we’ve revamped our website to include all of our free books and reports on one easy to use page, and even added some new titles to our collection (including a four part “special issues” in custody series).

We’re missing Kristen and Charlie, but there’s no question that we boast one of the most talented group of lady lawyers in Virginia:

Meet Our Current Attorneys

Sheera Herrell – Our managing partner and CEO, our fearless leader! Sheera is a Certified Financial Planner and a member of the HFLF family for nearly 20 years. She loves a challenge, and is the perfect person to take on the cases with business or complicated assets to divide.

Katie Wilcox Carter – The voice of the firm, Katie is the author of most of our online content in the form of blogs, articles, and free reports, including her book, “The Woman’s Guide to Selecting an Outstanding Family Law Attorney.”  Katie is a knowledgeable and spirited advocate and advisor for her clients.

Lori Michaud – Lori is a 30 year family law veteran. A tough as nails, no nonsense trial attorney, Lori has done and seen it all. She’s a fearsome competitor in the courtroom, and a compassionate advocate for Virginia women. She’s also the author of the free report, “What You Need to Know When Your Marriage is Over: Virginia Divorce Survival Guide.”

Ashli Pack – A resident of Smithfield, Virginia, Ashli is the lead attorney in our Newport News office. She’s sweet as can be, but packs a powerful punch. She’s a caring, clever, and pragmatic attorney you’d be lucky to have in your corner.

Lorna Rhoades– New on the scene, but young and hungry, Lorna loves to go to court. She’s fun and funny, full of personality, and a formidable opponent. Astute and resourceful, Lorna is on top of her game.

Caitlin Walters – Caitlin is the hardest worker! Often the first to arrive at the office and the last to leave, she leaves no stone unturned to ensure that her clients are fairly represented. She cares deeply about her clients, is quick thinking and clever on her feet, and particularly enjoys custody cases. Caitlin is also the author of several of our special issues in custody free reports.

We’re not going anywhere, and, under Sheera, there’s no doubt that HFLF will continue to be the innovative group of women attorneys representing women only that you’ve come to know and love. We look forward to representing you.

Separation is the first step. Whether you’re moving towards divorce or hope to eventually reconcile, we can help provide solid advice about what you should be doing now to protect yourself later.

Charlie Hofheimer

Charlie Hofheimer
Founder & Attorney at Law

Meet Charlie:

Charles R. Hofheimer is a tough, no nonsense divorce and custody lawyer who has a long history of fighting for the advancement of women. As President of the Student Body of Washington and Lee Law School, he successfully advocated for the acceptance of women by the law school. During his Presidency of Old Dominion University Intercollegiate Foundation, the University granted the first women’s basketball scholarships. As a former General Counsel for the Democratic Party of Virginia, he advocated for the rights of women and minorities in the political process. For over 20 years he has lectured monthly on “What Women Need to Know About Divorce.” He founded the Hofheimer Family Law Firm in an effort to provide skilled, efficient, knowledgeable representation that focused on women’s issues in divorce and custody cases. A committed and knowledgeable advocate for women, he has, over the course of a long and illustrious career, successfully represented and fought on behalf of women who are now judges, lawyers, housewives, doctors, school bus drivers, educators, business owners, military wives and shipyard workers throughout the Hampton Roads Community.

Charlie is also the author of the book “What Every Virginia Woman Needs to Know About Divorce” and a co-author of “What Every Virginia Military Wife Should Know About Divorce,” both of which have provided thousands of local women with information about the divorce process in Virginia.

Charlie is a lifetime resident of Hampton Roads. His parents were co-owners of Hofheimer’s, a Norfolk based shoe chain. He lives in Virginia Beach with Diane, his wife of 50 years (and a leading advocate for women and the prevention of child abuse in her own right). He has three children, Kristen, Kerry, and Richard, and three grandchildren, Shay, Chase, and Mackenzie, who all live in Virginia Beach. Charlie enjoys walking on the Virginia Beach boardwalk, Reuben sandwiches, and listening to Ted Talks. He has a perfect 10.0 score on Avvo, has been named a Virginia SuperLawyer, and is known locally for his family’s support of the Friends School. If you’re looking to bump into him, you can find him most days at either Nick’s Restaurant or the Beach Pub. Charlie deeply loves the City of Virginia Beach, his family, and the women that he has been able to represent.

Charlie’s Reputation:

Charles Hofheimer earns the sole recommendation of Chuck Roulet, thanks to his knowledge of the law and his dedication to improving the lives of clients.

I met Charlie at a family wealth planning conference in Orlando. Over the course of the conference, I was fortunate enough to spend significant time with Charlie and really got to know him and his practice well. Charlie clearly is a knowledgeable and skilled attorney. What really stood out though was his deep commitment to enriching the lives of his clients. If I had a client in need of an attorney in Virginia Beach, not only would I recommend Charlie, he would be my ONLY recommendation.

Chuck Roulet, Attorney and Counselor at Law



Education:

Old Dominion University (B.A., 1969); Washington & Lee University (J.D., 1972). Phi Alpha Delta. President, Washington & Lee Student Bar Association, 1972. Co-Author, “Weary and Wary of Expert Testimony” Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, The Journal, Winter, 1996-1997. Member, Hampton Roads Family Law Organization.Author,” What Every Virginia Woman should know about Divorce.” published 2008 Certifications: Virginia Beach, Virginia and American (Member, Family Law Section) Bar Associations; Virginia State Bar (Member, Family Law Section); Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (Former Chair(2 terms), Family Law Section; Member, Board of Governors, CLE Committee); Virginia College of Trial Advocacy (Board of Directors); I’Anson Hoffman American Inn of Court (Member, Board of Governors, now Emeritus member).Former Chair and a founding member Virginia Institute of Collaborative Professwionals(VICP), Founding member and Immediate Past Chair of statewide interdisciplinary collaborative practice group, VaCP Virginia Collaborative Professionals. Founding member and Officer of the interdisciplinary collaborative practice group Collaborative Divorce Solutions of the Virginia Peninsula. Substantial hours expended in training both in the collaborative profession and in it’s allied mediation field. Designated a “Personal Family Lawyer” by the Family Wealth Institute, member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals.

Experience:

Domestic Relations/Family Law (Women Only); Divorce Planning and Divorce Protection private meetings with clients,Complex Divorce Trials and Appeals; Complex Equitable Distribution Trials; Post Judgement Modification and Enforcement; Custody Trials; Military and Federal Employee divorces Domestic Violence; Child Sexual Abuse.

Professional Honors & Activities:
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Kristen Hofheimer

Kristen Hofheimer
Founder & Attorney at Law
(April 15, 1969- January 18, 2019)

In Memoriam- Everything is Alright

Meet Kristen:

Kristen Hofheimer grew up in Virginia Beach, where she attended Virginia Beach Friends School, Independence Junior High, and Kempsville High School. She spent her afternoons and weekends riding her horse and working at Wave Riding Vehicles.

Kristen’s love for horses led her to attend Sweet Briar College, where she was a Chung Mung (only a Sweet Briar graduate would know what that is!), resident advisor, president of the Philosophy Club, founding member of Amnesty International, WUDZ DJ, and was listed in Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. During her undergraduate career, Kristen completed original research on ability of the autonomic nervous system which culminated in the presentation of a paper for the Virginia Psychological Association. Kristen graduated cum laude with a major in psychology and a minor in chemistry.

Six years after her graduation from college, and as a newly-separated mother of a one-year-old, Kristen began law school at the University of Virginia. After her first year of law school, Kristen received a grant from the University of Virginia’s Center for Children, Families & the Law, which resulted in her note, “Breastfeeding as a Factor in Child Custody and Visitation Decisions,” published in the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. Kristen served on the editorial board of and then as manuscript editor for the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law. Kristen survived law school by swapping babysitting with the other single mother in her law school class, taking part in informal child care and cooking co-ops in UVA’s family housing community, and taking her son to class and journal meetings when necessary.

After graduation from law school, Kristen began practicing law with her father, Charlie Hofheimer, and the other attorneys at Hofheimer Family Law Firm. While Kristen handles all types of family law cases at the trial and appellate levels, Kristen especially enjoys litigating complex child custody cases with unique issues. Kristen is a former Barrister with the Hoffman-I’anson American Inn of Court, former State Liaison for American Inns of Court, a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Past President of the Family Law Organization of Greater Hampton Roads, is currently a member of the Virginia Beach Bar Association’s Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court’s Bar/Bench Liaison Committee, and was named in 2008 & 2009 Super Lawyers as one of Virginia’s Rising Stars. Kristen has published peer-reviewed articles and a book chapter on family law issues, has spoken at national conferences on child custody, and wrote the book “The Woman’s Custody Survival Guide.”

Kristen lived at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. In addition to bodysurfing and horeseback riding, she liked cappuccino, sunflowers, microbrews, and Ani Difranco.

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Kristen’s Reputation:

The Women's Custody Survival Guide was so helpful, I sent it to all the women in my email group!

Kristen,

Thank you so much for this wonderful book and website link. I sent it out to all the single moms in my email group. I have over 200!

May God bless your endeavors.

Sylvia