Sands Anderson Elects 2017 Board of Directors

Published on: 1/20/2017

Margaret Hardy elected as firm president

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA – Sands Anderson PC, a Mid-Atlantic law firm, is pleased to announce that their shareholders elected its 2017 three-member board of directors:

Margaret F. Hardy, Esq., to serve as President;
Brian R. Pitney, Esq., to join the board;
Benjamin W. Emerson, Esq., to continue service.

The board leadership will continue to focus on the development of the firm’s growth strategies and client services, and commitments to attorney excellence, diversity and community. Board members serve 3-year terms.

Hardy joined the board in 2016. She will also continue her leadership roles as the managing shareholder of the firm’s Fredericksburg office and as the Healthcare Group Leader. Hardy was named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Influential Women of Virginia,” in 2013, has been consistently included in Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” for legal services/pro bono and healthcare law, as well as listed in Super Lawyers® for medical malpractice defense. Along with her law degree, Hardy earned an MBA and holds a nursing license.

Pitney has served as the firm's Business Group Leader since 2005. He has been listed in Virginia Business "Legal Elite" since 2006 and included Super Lawyers® for business/corporate law. Pitney is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell.

Emerson has served on the board since 2000. He has been recognized by Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" in the areas of real estate and land use law, and in the "Best Lawyers in America©" directory for his practice in municipal law.

W. Ashley Burgess will now serve as the Business Group Leader and will continue to lead the firm's Creditors' Rights Team and serve on the Associates & Counsel and the Lateral Recruiting Committees. He has been listed in Super Lawyers® as a Rising Star in business/corporate as well as a Rising Star in bankruptcy & creditor/debtor rights. He was also listed among Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" for bankruptcy/creditors' rights.

The firm's outgoing president, L. Lee Byrd, served on the board since 2008, and was president of the firm for five years. During his tenure, he helped guide the firm through a move, transitions, enhancing procedures and client service initiatives. Byrd is AV-rated by Martindale Hubbell and he has been consistently listed in "Best Lawyers in America©" for commercial litigation, banking and finance litigation, environmental litigation, and municipal litigation. He's also listed in Super Lawyers® for business litigation and has been named in Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" for labor/employment and civil litigation.

About Sands Anderson PC
Founded in 1842, Sands Anderson PC provides innovative legal solutions to clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region with top-tier attorneys. Our firm represents businesses, healthcare providers, financial institutions, state and local governments, the insurance industry, and individuals from our five offices located throughout Virginia and North Carolina. Sands Anderson's shareholders are committed to providing an innovative and inclusive workplace for our lawyers and staff, as well as supporting the economic growth of communities where we operate.

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Media Contact:

Jennifer L. Yeager
Director of Marketing
Direct: (804) 783-6799
Cell: (804) 549-8102
Fax: (804) 783-7291