Firm News

February 1, 2012

The firm currently has 62 cases set for trial from February 1, 2012 through November 30, 2012.

November 10, 2011

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. is pleased to announce its First-Tier Ranking in the 2011-2012 edition of the U.S. News – Best Lawyers “Best Law Firms” in the practice areas of Appellate Practice, Commercial Litigation, Education Law, Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Insurance Law, Litigation – Eminent Domain and Condemnation, and Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants) for the Roanoke metropolitan area.

The U.S. News – Best Lawyers® “Law Firms” rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes 3.9 million evaluations of 41,284 individual leading lawyers collected by Best Lawyers® in its recent annual survey, as well as client evaluations and information provided by law firms as part of the formal submission process.

October 10, 2011

Robert Ballou has been named a magistrate judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia.  He was selected by the region's U.S. District Court judges to fill a vacancy created when Judge Michael Urbanski was elevated to the district bench.

Magistrate judges preside over initial appearances for defendants charged with criminal offenses, preliminary hearings, trials in misdemeanor criminal cases, settlement conferences in civil actions, and all other matters referred to them by the District Court judges.

Magistrate Judge Ballou’s position officially began on October 3, with a formal investiture to follow at a later date.

October 8, 2011

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that eight of its attorneys have been named in the 2012 edition of The Best Lawyers in America:

• Ronald M. Ayers – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Personal Injury Litigation
• Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• John D. Eure – Appellate Practice and Insurance Law
• William P. Wallace, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Kenneth J. Ries – Insurance Law
• David B. Carson – Personal Injury Litigation - Defendants
• Jonnie L. Speight – Education Law and Workers’ Compensation Law
• Bryan Grimes Creasy – Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Real Estate, and Railroad Law

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession.   Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. In the U.S., Best Lawyers publishes an annual referral guide, The Best Lawyers in America, which includes 39,709 attorneys covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia and is based on more than 2.8 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

December 21, 2010

Best Lawyers, the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession, has named Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. as the "Roanoke Best Lawyers Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year" and John D. Eure as the “Roanoke Best Lawyers Insurance Lawyer of the Year” for 2011.

After more than a quarter of a century in publication, Best Lawyers is designating “Lawyers of the Year” in high-profile legal specialties in large legal communities. Only a single lawyer in each specialty in each community is being honored as the “Lawyer of the Year.”

Best Lawyers compiles its lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. The current, 17th edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2011) is based on more than 3.1 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.

The lawyers being honored as “Lawyers of the Year” have received particularly high ratings in our surveys by earning a high level of respect among their peers for their abilities, professionalism, and integrity.

Steven Naifeh, President of Best Lawyers, says, “We continue to believe – as we have believed for more than 25 years – that recognition by one’s peers is the most meaningful form of praise in the legal profession. We would like to congratulate Joseph A. Matthews, Jr., and John D. Eure on being selected as the ‘Roanoke Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year’ for 2011."

November 8, 2010

We are pleased to announce that Robert S. Ballou has been named as a member of Virginia's Legal Elite for 2010 in the category of Construction Law. Since 2000, Virginia Business magazine and the Virginia Bar Association have recognized top lawyers in 15 legal categories as selected by their peers. The recipients of this year's award are listed in the December issue of the Virginia Business.

October 28, 2010

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. is pleased to announce its First-Tier Ranking in the 2010 edition of the “Best Law Firms” in the practice areas of Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law, Insurance Law, and Personal Injury Litigation (Defendants) for the Roanoke metropolitan area. 

U.S. News and Best Lawyers joined to rank nearly 9,000 firms in 81 practice areas in 171 metropolitan areas and 7 states and launched this inaugural edition of “Best Law Firms”.

September 2, 2010

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that eight of its attorneys have been named in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America:

• Ronald M. Ayers – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Personal Injury Litigation
• Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation
• John D. Eure – Appellate Law and Insurance Law
• William P. Wallace, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation
• Kenneth J. Ries – Insurance Law
• David B. Carson – Personal Injury Litigation
• Jonnie L. Speight – Education Law and Workers’ Compensation Law
• Robert S. Ballou – Construction Law
• Bryan Grimes Creasy – Commercial Litigation and Railroad Law

September 2, 2010

The law firm of Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. announced that one of their founding partners, Ronald M. Ayers, was awarded the highest rating through Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review for the 25th consecutive year. 

Ayers, along with Joseph A. Matthews, Jr., John D. Eure and William P. Wallace, Jr., received an AV Preeminent rating, which is the highest rating given, indicating the highest level of professional excellence.

Ayers’ practice areas include Alternative Dispute Resolution, Civil Litigation, Construction Law, Eminent Domain, Local Government, Personal Injury and Product Liability. 

July 14, 2010

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C., is pleased to announce that five of its attorneys were recognized by their peers in the 2010 Virginia Super Lawyers:

• • Ronald M. Ayers – Eminent Domain
• • Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. – Civil Litigation Defense
• • John D. Eure – Appellate
• • William P. Wallace, Jr. – Civil Litigation Defense
• • David B. Carson – Civil Litigation Defense

Super Lawyers is a listing of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. The designation is based on the results of a survey of more than 19,000 lawyers across the state. The final published list represents no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state.

Also, Scott A. Webber was named as a 2010 Virginia Rising Star. To be considered for inclusion in the Rising Star listing, the candidate must be either 40 years old or younger or in practice for ten years or less. While up to five percent of the lawyers in the state are named to Super Lawyers, no more than 2.5 percent are named to the Rising Stars list. 

December 7, 2009

We are pleased to announce that Robert S. Ballou has been named as a member of Virginia's Legal Elite for 2009 in the category of Construction Law. Since 2000, Virginia Business magazine and the Virginia Bar Association have recognized top lawyers in 15 legal categories as selected by their peers. The recipients of this year's award are listed in the December issue of the Virginia Business.

August 20 , 2009

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C. is pleased to announce that eight of its attorneys have been named in the 2010 edition of The Best Lawyers in America:

• Ronald M. Ayers – Eminent Domain and Condemnation Law and Personal Injury Litigation
• Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation
• John D. Eure – Appellate Law and Insurance Law
• William P. Wallace, Jr. – Personal Injury Litigation
• Ken Ries – Insurance Law
• David B. Carson – Personal Injury Litigation
• Jonnie L. Speight – Education Law and Workers’ Compensation Law
• Robert S. Ballou – Construction Law
• Bryan Grimes Creasy – Railroad Law

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. In the U.S., Best Lawyers publishes an annual referral guide, The Best Lawyers in America, which includes 39,766 attorneys in 80 specialties, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

August 20, 2009

Johnson, Ayers & Matthews, P.L.C., has announced that three of their attorneys have been recognized by their peers in the 2009 Virginia Super Lawyers: 

• Ronald M. Ayers – Eminent Domain
• Joseph A. Matthews, Jr. – Civil Litigation Defense
• William P. Wallace, Jr. – Civil Litigation Defense

June 9, 2009

Jonnie Speight has been elected to a two-year term as Board Member by the Roanoke Bar Association. Jonnie previously served on the Board from 1997 to 1999.

February 14, 2009

Ron Ayers was recently recognized as one of 1,397 lawyers practicing in the United States who have been listed in The Best Lawyers in America publication for 25 consecutive years, beginning with the first publication in 1983. 

Best Lawyers is the oldest peer-review publication in the legal profession and is widely regarded as a signal honor, conferred on a lawyer by his or her peers.  The current edition of The Best Lawyers in America (2009) is based on more than 2.5 million detailed evaluations of lawyers by other lawyers.