CowanGates Names Melanie Friend New Partner

Oct. 4, 2012 - PRLog -- Chesterfield, Virginia’s multi-disciplinary and award-winning law firm CowanGates announced Monday that Melanie A. Friend has been named the firm’s newest partner.

Melanie Friend, a graduate of The College of William and Mary School of Law, has been with CowanGates since 2007. She focuses on family law, which includes divorce, child custody and visitation, spousal support, child support, adoption and prenuptial agreements. Melanie serves as judicial candidate endorsement chair on the board of the Metropolitan Richmond Women’s Bar Association. She is also a member of the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. American Inn of Court, the Richmond Bar Association, the Chesterfield County Bar Association, the Metro Richmond Family Law Bar Association, and the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar. An active member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, she serves on the Young Trial Lawyers leadership committee and authored an article about Fifth Amendment protection in adultery cases for publication in the VTLA Journal. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, Friend was named a Rising Star with Virginia Super Lawyers.

“Melanie is an excellent lawyer and we are pleased to have her as a principal in our firm,” says Frank N. Cowan, attorney and founding member of CowanGates.

Established in 1977, CowanGates houses 9 partners and offers a wide range of legal services, including personal injury, family law & divorce, business & corporate law, estate planning & probate, criminal defense, real estate law, eminent domain, local government, mediation, arbitration and alternative dispute resolutions.

“It is an honor to have been selected as partner at CowanGates,” said Melanie Friend. “I look forward to working closely with the other partners to make CowanGates one of the most prestigious firms in the Richmond area.”

About CowanGates
CowanGates is a full service law firm located in Chesterfield, Virginia, practicing personal injury, civil and criminal litigation, estate planning and taxation, family law, employment law, real estate law, and business and corporate law. The firm’s 12-member attorney team is experienced in serving litigation and business needs of individuals and small and large businesses.