Service comes first

Benedict Roemer, L’25, never set out to collect accolades — though his record is full of them. With awards ranging from the Virginia State Bar’s Oliver White Hill Student Pro Bono Award to recognition from the Order of the Barristers, Roemer’s résumé reads like a checklist for civic-minded excellence. But for Roemer, service has always come first.

“I knew going into law school that I wanted to do public interest work,” he says. “But it was the professors and community at Richmond Law that helped me figure out exactly how.”

Roemer’s law school journey was shaped by meaningful mentorship. Professors like Corinna Lain and Mary Kelly Tate encouraged him to stay true to his interest in civil rights and criminal law. “They reminded me that I can choose a path I’m excited about and make meaning out of it — and they’d be there to help,” he says.

That support translated into action. Roemer took on externships with the ACLU of Virginia and the Legal Aid Justice Center, clerked for a federal judge, and worked in the school’s Institute for Actual Innocence clinic. He also served as president of the Moot Court board and the American Constitution Society.

“Benedict has always been about service,” wrote Professor Tara Casey in her nomination letter for the Oliver White Hill Award. “From teaching special education in Baltimore to organizing the Street Law program in Richmond, he brings joy to the work.”

Now preparing to begin his career as a public defender in Petersburg, Virginia, Roemer is focused on the future. “I’m most interested in motions practice and appellate work — the legal questions that shape what justice looks like in the courtroom,” he says.

With his bar exam ahead and a public defense career on deck, Roemer is ready to do what he’s always done: serve others, fully and fearlessly.