Robert M. Rolfe

Bob is the firm’s general counsel emeritus and special counsel in the firm’s complex commercial litigation practice. Bob’s practice focuses on internal investigations, complex litigation, legal malpractice and other law firm related problems. He also extensively handles disputes involving the energy industry, and represents several major electric utilities and coal companies in complex construction, contract and environmental disputes, as well as tax, ERISA and corporate governance litigation. Further, he has represented clients in arbitrations in the U.S. and international tribunals.

As the firm’s general counsel and counsel to other lawyers, Bob has handled virtually every kind of legal issue that major law firms and their lawyers encounter. These include ethics advice and disputes, legal malpractice claims, disciplinary proceedings, partnership disputes, internal investigations and law firm management and partnership issues.

Bob has tried a variety of cases before juries and judges in state and federal courts and has argued many state and federal appeals. Bob is admitted to practice in the US Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals for Second, Fourth, Sixth, Seventh, D.C. and Federal Circuits, District Courts for Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, Eastern and Southern Districts of New York, District of Columbia, Eastern District of Michigan and Court of Federal Claims.

• Tried complex cases for commercial plaintiffs and defendants in federal and state courts throughout the United States and before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, U.S. arbitration tribunals and the LCIA.
• Defended construction litigation for major electric utility.
• Defended citizen suits against electric utilities under Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, Resource Conservation Recovery Act, as well as litigation seeking injunctions under NEPA.
• Argued appeals in Second, Fourth, Seventh and D.C. Circuits and Supreme Court of Virginia.
• Prosecuted action challenging EPA regulatory action involving mountain-top mining.
• Represented New York utility in licensing proceedings, appeals and civil jury trials regarding nuclear power plant.
• Led internal investigations for law firm and several major corporations.
• Handled numerous law firm and legal department problems including defense of state bar disciplinary charges, defense of malpractice claims and defense of disqualification motions.
• Prosecuted and defended litigation involving corporate governance disputes for publicly traded and privately held corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships.
• Represented major coal company in dispute over corporate governance and proxy fight with United Mine Workers in state courts, SEC and District Court for District of Columbia.
• Successfully attacked the unconstitutional levy of the coal excise tax on exported coal.
• Represented local governments and developers in land use disputes in trial and appellate courts.
• Represented life insurance guaranty associations in rehabilitation proceedings and related proceedings.
• Represented international air freight company in numerous matters including breach of contracts, customs disputes, government contracts issues.
• Defeated putative ERISA class action in United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and Seventh Circuit. Successfully defended against ERISA claim of more than 120 plaintiffs through trial and appeal in United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia and the Fourth Circuit.
• Defended and prosecuted claims in four LCIA arbitrations.
• Tried numerous large condemnation cases.
• Represented landowners and utility companies in numerous eminent domain trials.

• Selected as a Super Lawyer for Business Litigation, The Washington Post Magazine and Virginia & West Virginia Super Lawyers Magazine, 2006-2021
• Listed as a Litigation Star, Virginia, Benchmark Litigation, 2009, 2015-2022
• Named among The Best Lawyers in America, Commercial Litigation, Litigation-Environmental and Bet-the-Company Litigation, 2008-2024
• Selected as Lawyer of the Year for Litigation – Environment (2018) and Bet-the-Company Litigation (2019), Virginia, The Best Lawyers in America
• Named one of Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Leaders in the Law, 2023
• “Virginia Legal Elite,” Virginia Business Magazine
  
  

• Member, American Bar Association, Litigation Section
• Member, Richmond Bar Association
• Member, Virginia Bar Association