Robert E. “Bob” Hawthorne, a nearly 50-year veteran of law practice, is one of 25 lawyers that was accepted into the Virginia Law Foundation’s Fellows Class of 2019.

Members of the Fellows Class, according to documentation from the Virginia Law Foundation, “are recognized for leadership both in their practices and their communities.”

A banquet to honor the class is set to take place in Colonial Williamsburg on Jan. 24.

“It’s considered an honor,” Hawthorne said about the program.

Hawthorne & Hawthorne, P.C., where Hawthorne practices, has offices in Kenbridge, Victoria, Keysville, Farmville and Blackstone.

“A friend I serve with on a board said he was going to nominate me, and he did,” Hawthorne said. “And (the foundation) notified me that I was being invited.”

Hawthorne said he practiced law for 47 years. He was a graduate of the University of Virginia in 1967, and he had also graduated from the University of Virginia’s Law School in 1971. He has been a member of the bar since.

Hawthorne said he practiced for eight years in Roanoke before moving to Lunenburg. He has practiced in Lunenburg since 1979.