Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, May 10, 1990 TAG: 9005110174
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N7 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: TAMMY POOLE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
As Botetourt County's only female attorney, Layne says she likes the daily contact with clients.
She joined the Fincastle law firm of Trumbo and Tucker last December.
In addition to her regular caseload, she is the new town attorney for the towns of Troutville and Buchanan. Layne assumed these duties after Malfourd "Bo" Trumbo was elected a delegate last year.
"I also do criminal defense work, domestic relations, child support and custody cases . . . All that kind of stuff," she said.
Layne, a Lynchburg native, graduated from the University of Virginia and the Marshall Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg.
Afterward she worked for the U.S. Department of Labor and a Richmond insurance company.
So how did a big-city attorney end up in Fincastle? "I grew up in the mountains, and wanted to be back in them," she said.
Although most small-town attorneys don't earn the big bucks that their counterparts make, Layne said money was not a big consideration when she came to Botetourt County.
"I was more interested in getting into general practice. I like the atmosphere here. It's very friendly, open, informal, yet professional at the same time."
She said she liked the idea of general practice because she was tired of sitting at a desk all day, doing research and talking to people on the telephone.
"I'd talk to people all over the country. I knew I'd never meet them," she said. At Trumbo and Tucker, Layne gets to meet people face to face and often gets out of the office.
"Here I get to sit and talk with people. People come to you with everything. And they often call up and ask questions - anything you can think of. Every case is different, and I have to figure them out. I like that. It's a challenge."
Layne said she has met a lot of friendly people in the area. "Where I worked before, I only knew the names of the people in my office. Here everybody just drops by to chat."
Although Botetourt County residents are traditionally old-fashioned, Layne said she hasn't encountered any discrimination as the area's only female attorney.
"I represent both men and women. It's pretty much equal. I don't see where my being a woman has entered in."
When she's not practicing law, Layne plays volleyball or explores the countryside with her "significant other," who lives in Newport News.
by CNB