Attorney Vicki L. Francois (née Wiese), Esq.
Vicki was just named to the 2021 Influential Women of Law class by the Virginia Lawyers Weekly. This award honors women attorneys and judges for their “excellent work on behalf of the justice system and for their clients, their commitment to their communities and their service to the profession.” Vicki has also received the prestigious AV Preeminent rating by Martindale Hubbell, and this rating is only held by 10% of all attorneys. It is the highest rating awarded to lawyers for almost 140 years which is based on solely on peer reviews, and it reflects Vicki’s strong legal abilities and high ethical standards.
In October 2023, Vicki was welcomed as a member of Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America, a trial lawyer honorary society in which membership is limited to just one-half of one percent of lawyers, judges and scholars. Fellows are selected based on excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation.
In 2021, Vicki was also named a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. The American Bar Foundation limits membership to just 1% of lawyers practicing in each state. Fellows are distinguished attorneys whose public and private careers have demonstrated “outstanding dedication to the highest principles of the legal profession and to the welfare of society.”
In 2022, Vicki was designated as a Qualified Master Counselor in Trial Practice and Litigation and she was also designated as a Qualified Master Counselor in Divorce and Family Law Practice by The Virginia Law Foundation (2022-2024). In fact, she is the very first lawyer (and currently, the only lawyer) in Virginia to earn a dual designation.
Vicki obtained a B.S. in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. She then obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Oklahoma City School of Law, where she was awarded Order of the Barristers in recognition of excellence of courtroom advocacy.
As an experienced and assertive trial attorney, Vicki has successfully litigated in every level of the Virginia state courts. Her most recent victory was a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia in 2020 (Larsen v. Stack, 298 Va. 683). In 2020, she was also selected to serve as the Subcommittee Chair of the Eighth District Disciplinary Committee reviewing complaints against area attorneys for the Virginia State Bar. In 2021, she was awarded the Platinum Client Champion award by Martindale-Hubbell in recognition of her commitment to providing the best client service.
Vicki was licensed to practice law in Virginia (1998) and in the District of Columbia (1999). She is also licensed to practice law in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (1998). She has been a certified guardian ad litem for children in Virginia since 1999.
In 2019, she completed a graduate certificate program at the University of Pennsylvania graduate School of Social Policy and Practice. She also served as a law clerk for the Honorable James F. Lane of the Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals during law school.
She is a charter member and co-founder of the Ted Dalton American Inn of Court which focuses on ethics, civility and excellence in the law. She was an adjunct professor in the Paralegal Studies Program at Virginia Western Community College from 2018 until 2023. Vicki has served on the Board of Directors for the Legal Aid Society of the Roanoke Valley. In 2018, she received her Danger Assessment Certification from Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing to assist her clients in both pursuing and defending cases involving domestic violence and intimate partner violence.
From 2021 to date, Vicki also received Martindale-Hubbell’s Platinum Client Champion Award. This award is given to “an elite group of attorneys who have received exceptional reviews from the people who know them best, their clients.” Wiese Law Firm is proud to provide exceptional service to our clients.
As an active trial lawyer, Vicki’s practice continues to involve all facets of litigation, collaboration, and appellate work in the family law arena, as well as criminal law, administrative matters and civil litigation. She also prides herself on providing trauma-informed representation for her clients.
We are also able to meet with our clients and potential clients telephonically or via Zoom. Contact us today at (540) 206-3770.
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