Roanoke, Va. – Olin R. Melchionna, Jr. and Paul M. Black, members with Spilman Thomas & Battle, have been named the 2009 Legal Elite by Virginia Business Magazine in collaboration with the Virginia Bar Association. Melchionna was selected for Taxes/Estates/Trusts/Elder Law. Black was selected for Bankruptcy.

Now in its ninth year, the Legal Elite awards honor the top lawyers in a variety of legal disciplines. The Legal Elite ballot, sent to 12,000 attorneys, allows the lawyer to nominate their peers in 15 legal categories, which are chosen in consultation with the Virginia Bar Association.

As member at Spilman Thomas & Battle's Roanoke office, Melchionna's primary areas of practice are estate planning, estate administration and corporate taxation. He is a member of the National Association of Estate Planners, McNeill Law Society, and Director Emeritus for the Foundation for Roanoke Valley, Inc. Melchionna received his B.S. from Hampden-Sydney College, his J.D. from the University of Richmond and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University.

Black is a member of the Roanoke office as well. He primarily practices in commercial and banking litigation, creditors' rights and bankruptcy. He is a member of the Virginia State Bar Disciplinary Board, the American Bankruptcy Institute and the Roanoke Bar Association. Black received his B.A. from Washington & Lee University, attended Emmanuel College at Cambridge University and received his J.D. from the University of Richmond.

 

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Spilman Thomas & Battle is a full-service law firm with more than 100 attorneys. Founded in 1864, Spilman has offices in Charleston, Morgantown and Wheeling, West Virginia; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Winston-Salem, North Carolina and Roanoke, Virginia.

 

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