Relentless Devotion. Proven Results.
Our attorneys are consistently listed in the Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s feature on “Largest Verdicts in Virginia.”
Dedicated to Cases of Personal Injury
We understand that when clients and their families arrive at our office, they are facing a sudden and life-altering situation through no fault of their own. Our clients come from all walks of life, yet none are prepared for the traumatic changes that occur with catastrophic injury and wrongful death. Their families are under tremendous stress dealing with this new reality and are overwhelmed by the physical and emotional challenges of caring for their injured loved one.
While we can’t fix injured bodies or prevent fatal mistakes, we are tireless in our commitment to helping clients find comfort, regain their dignity, and empower them to a new independence.
Dedicated to Cases of Economic Loss
We understand that suffering substantial damages as the result of a business or will dispute or legal malpractice can create tremendous stress on an individual’s family, finances and livelihood.
Our creative approach to handling commercial litigation can mean the difference between obtaining satisfaction or starting over financially.
Dedicated to the Highest Standard of Excellence
Because our attorneys agree to handle only the most serious plaintiffs cases, our clients receive exhaustive and aggressive representation in negotiations and in trial, and most importantly, are treated with the compassion and respect they deserve.
Our attorneys know the legal system and their particular areas of practice and have been recognized for their professional leadership, litigation experience and reputation for legal acumen.
All of the firm’s partners are listed in Best Lawyers in
Our attorneys have served as President for the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, the Virginia Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Lewis Powell Inn of Court, and the Metro Richmond Women’s Bar Association. They have served in leadership roles for numerous other legal, professional and charitable organizations.
CSFGB History
The roots of CSFGB were established in July, 1979 when Irv Cantor and Tom Rilee started the law firm of Rilee and Cantor. In 1981,
The firm’s first associate, Stanley Joynes, was hired in the early-80s. Joynes and Rilee, Cantor, Arkema & Edmonds were appointed as counsel for the future claimants in the Dalkon Shield bankruptcy case in 1987. The Dalkon Shield litigation lasted for several years and is considered a landmark case in mass tort/bankruptcy law.
Following the break-up of the well known Richmond law firm of Browder, Russell in 1991, several of that firm’s trial lawyers joined Rilee, Cantor, Arkema & Edmonds, and the firm changed its name to Rilee, Cantor and Russell. Aubrey Ford, who had been the head of the litigation section of Browder, Russell joined the firm. At this time, there were close to 25 lawyers on staff. After several years, the medical malpractice defense lawyers from Browder, Russell left the firm while the plaintiff personal injury practice still headed by Irv Cantor, continued to grow. The law firm then became Cantor, Arkema. Shortly thereafter, Lewis Stoneburner, a veteran trial lawyer with substantial experience and success in plaintiff medical malpractice cases, joined the firm.
The plaintiff litigation group of Cantor, Arkema flourished throughout the 90s and early 2000s. During this time, the firm had two distinct practice areas: a business group and a plaintiff litigation group. The plaintiff litigation group included, among others, Irv Cantor, Lewis Stoneburner, Aubrey Ford, Stephanie Grana, and Elliott Buckner. The lawyers in the plaintiff litigation group consistently achieved verdicts and settlements that were listed among the highest in Virginia and were voted into leadership roles in several state and national plaintiff’s trial bar associations. Some of the significant cases handled by the group in the 90s included recoveries that were the largest ever recorded in the particular jurisdictions where the lawsuits were brought, including a 5.95 million dollar recovery in a medical malpractice case in a rural North Carolina county and a 4.5 million dollar recovery in a motor vehicle case in a rural Virginia county. In the early-2000s, the group achieved numerous other significant results, including a 5.6 million dollar verdict in a motor vehicle case, a 5 million dollar recovery in an industrial explosion case, a 5 million dollar recovery in a motorcycle accident case, and a 4.4 million dollar verdict in a medical malpractice case.
The lawyers were not the only members of the firm to achieve national recognition. In 2008, Lori Tracoma, who has been a personal injury assistant with the firm since the early-80s, was named “The National Paralegal of the Year” by the American Association of Justice at the AAJ National Conference in Philadelphia.
In 2009, the plaintiff trial lawyers decided to form their own law firm, dedicated exclusively to serious plaintiff injury, malpractice and commercial cases. The newly organized firm was named Cantor, Stoneburner, Ford, Grana & Buckner, P.C.
