HOFHEIMER FAMILY LAW FIRM - Key Persons
A lifelong Virginian, Ashli comes to us from Crook & Pack, a general litigation firm located in Smithfield, Virginia. Ashli brings to the firm a great deal of experience in Suffolk, Smithfield, Isle of Wight, Newport News, Hampton, and York County. Having grown up in Suffolk and spent the majority of her post-law school life living in Smithfield, she has a familiarity with the courts and the judges in that area that can't be beat.
Ashli received her undergraduate education at East Carolina University, and attended law school at Widener College of Law in Delaware. At the time, she says she was hoping to eventually practice corporate law, but then realized she absolutely hated it! She returned back home after law school, to the practice where she originally worked as a paralegal, and discovered her love of family law cases-divorce, custody, protective orders, adoptions, and more.
A child of divorce, Ashli understands the unique circumstances involved in family law cases, and brings a compassionate understanding to issues specific to women only in divorce and custody cases.
Ashli married her high school sweetheart (though she insists isn't that romantic, even though we disagree), Brian, a lifelong Smithfield native. Brian is a co-owner of Smithfield Station, along with his brother, another prominent local business. Together, Ashli and Brian have four kids (two of the two-legged kind and two of the four-legged kind); a daughter named Lucy, a son named Turner, and two Labrador Retrievers, Sam and Abigail.
Aside from her family, Ashli's great love is the outdoors, where she enjoys boating, paddleboarding, and spending time at the beach. She's also incredibly athletic (and crazy competitive), and played basketball, volleyball and track in high school, and even continued to play volleyball on into her college years. These days, though, Ashli spends her time managing her active family, and you're likely to find her shuttling kids from t-ball to soccer and piano lessons. Ashli also loves sushi, the color pink (who doesn't?), Redskins football, and beating her husband in cornhole tournaments.
After a lengthy struggle with infertility, including IUI and IVF, Caitlin Walters and her husband, Lance, welcomed their son to the family. Convinced that they were called to bring another child into the world, they started to look into other options to complete their family before finally settling on adoption. They brought their daughter home in 2022 and finalized their open adoption in March 2023.
Though Caitlin would still welcome more children to the family if the opportunity presented itself, the strong likelihood is that her family - once so earnestly prayed for - is complete. Caitlin is grateful every day for her children, husband, friends, and faith, and the role that each has played in her long and complicated journey through motherhood so far.
Professionally, too, motherhood is a central focus for Caitlin. She joined our team in 2013 after training and practicing as a Guardian ad litem, an attorney who represents the children whose parents are involved in contested custody cases and ultimately makes recommendations regarding appropriate placement for the children based on the best interests of the child factors.
Though she doesn't currently do Guardian ad litem work, she brings this experience to the table in the custody cases she has handled in the past decade with our firm. Caitlin particularly enjoys representing Virginia moms in custody cases, especially in cases where breastfeeding, relocation, drug and/or alcohol abuse, and mental illness are factors. She has been featured in several episodes of the HofLine, the official Hofheimer Family Law Firm podcast, on issues related to custody and visitation.
Caitlin is a knowledgeable but approachable attorney who is as comfortable drafting documents regarding complicated property distribution as litigating custody arrangements in front of a judge. Caitlin is a fierce advocate for her clients and a meticulous and incredibly detail-oriented attorney. Both her faith and her journey to build her family inform her practice every single day, and her favorite part of the job is helping women navigate this difficult time in their lives and come up with creative solutions that allow them to be the kinds of moms to their children that they always wanted to be.
"I think it's important that women find representation by people who know the law but also care about them as individuals and understand that there is a lot more than just the ‘legal' stuff that goes into a divorce or custody case for our clients," Caitlin says.
Caitlin is happily married to her high school sweetheart, Lance; a gregarious former DJ turned IT services and staffing account manager, who she met when she was just 16 years old. She and Lance live in Virginia Beach with their two kids and their Weimaraner, Carp. They are also active members in their church, First Baptist Church of Norfolk, where they run an adult life group and lead worship regularly, which they have done together since they were in high school.
In her spare time, Caitlin enjoys reading and music. She was a member of her church choir from the age of 3 and can also play the trumpet and the piano. Caitlin loves the St. Louis Cardinals, her Kindle, swimming, traveling, being with her family, and being outdoors (except the beach/sand, which she hates).
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Virginia Beach / 1604 Hilltop West Executive Center
Lori joined the Hofheimer Family Law after building her solo practice in Virginia Beach. She has experience with complex custody, support, and equitable distribution matters, as well as domestic violence matters. She is a seasoned and comfortable litigator, but will always do her best to resolve matters that can be fairly resolved because she knows that settlements allow the parties to craft a resolution that truly works for their family! Lori is also trained to handle collaborative divorces.
Having weathered her own divorce - which rendered Lori a single mom - and relocating to Virginia to build a new life with her son, Lori understands all too well what a toll custody and divorce litigation can take on a family! She will help you to keep your head up as you walk through your own family law issues! Being a single mother was a very demanding path, but one that helped her find the strength she didn't know she had, as well as some great rewards along the way!
She also brings a level of financial savvy to her practice, having handled complex commercial litigation matters before finding her niche in family law. "I love helping women go through the process and discover their strengths! My clients inspire me to keep doing my best - and watching them succeed is very rewarding!"
After graduating from High School at the age of sixteen, Lori earned a BA from Rutgers College, where she was a NJ Bell scholar, and her law degree from Rutgers University School of Law, where she was a Philip J. Levin Scholar. She interned for the Honorable Maryanne Trump Barry, Judge on the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, and then clerked for the Honorable Murry D. Brochin, Judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey. She was associated with the law firms Greenberg Dauber & Epstein in Newark, New Jersey, and with Pitney Hardin Kipp & Szuch, a predecessor to Day, Pitney now located in Parsippany, New Jersey, before opening her own practice following the birth of her son.
Lori's son is now "grown and flown", and she could not be prouder of him! As an empty nester, Lori is finally finding time to "catch up with herself" and to re-establish hobbies that she has not had time to enjoy for years. When she is not chained to her desk or killing it in the courtroom, Lori enjoys biking, exploring, and swimming! She is also an avid reader and loves to cook for family and friends!
Lori was informative, yet compassionate. She was professional, yet personable. I cannot think of any way to improve the service I received. She helped me see that I was being naive Lori has a great set of skills that leave you feeling "heard," supported, and protected. She appears very confident and compassionate and she helped me see that I was being naive without actually saying so. I feel that Lori is very competent and will work hard to ensure the best possible outcome for me. My initial interaction with your firm left me feeling that I am in very capable hands. Lori helped me to see some of the dangers of continuing to be manipulated by my husband. I left her office feeling stronger in my decision to choose a healthier future.
…You did a GREAT job (as always) … Please know how much I appreciate everything you did - you're an amazing lawyer … I am grateful for Lori's effort …Thank you for all of the work that you had done on my behalf. You made a difficult situation easier. I am very grateful for all of your effort.
Lori not only got me divorced in a very favorable settlement, but she managed to keep a lid on a certain ‘delicate matter', preserving my reputation in the community. I couldn't have done it without you! Thanks for doing an outstanding job on my case to have custody, visitation and support decided in my home state instead of Virginia after I separated from military service. I couldn't have done it without you! Things are looking good here in our home state. I do appreciate your outstanding work and getting the issue resolved so quickly.
Lorna Cobb Rhoades comes from a family of ten children. The eldest of four biological children, Lorna's parents went on to adopt six more children - one from Korea, another through Catholic Charities, and four more through the foster care system in Pennsylvania.
Lorna interned with our office back in 2008, before life took her in about a million different directions - from Florida, where she attended law school, in Georgia, and Arizona, before returning to Virginia. After seeing firsthand what neglectful and abusive situations can come from the foster care system and working with Richard Ducote, one of the country's leading child abuse and domestic violence litigators, Lorna knew she wanted to focus her practice on family law.
Today, Lorna is married to Mick, a retired Navy flight officer with whom she shares two young children, Gracie and Callan.
Lorna's experience touches on a number of issues important to Hampton Roads women - as a Navy wife, she's intimately acquainted with the specific issues military spouses face and is comfortable navigating the tricky territory associated with military divorce law. In her work in the Pima County Attorney's office, she worked in the mental health area (specifically authorizing involuntary commitments), which makes her particularly well-informed when it comes to husbands with unique mental health issues. Obviously, too, her personal experience with adoption and her legal experience with divorce and custody cases brings an interesting and valuable perspective.
Lorna is an experienced and confident litigator, having handled a number of fully contested trials, as well as tons of contested custody, visitation, and support hearings. An ardent advocate for moms in the courtroom, She is also clever, quick, and comfortable in negotiations. Serving her client's best interests is her first priority, and she does so with zeal, professionalism, and confidence while still maintaining solid relationships with other attorneys and professionals in the field, including therapists, business evaluators, financial advisors, and other experts.
Lorna, Mick, and their children live in Chesapeake, near much of her extended family. Lorna is a passionate gardener and has built her own cut-flower garden oasis in her backyard, where she grows David Austin roses, peonies, sweet peas, tulips, dahlias, and more. She makes beautiful floral arrangements - and has even tried her hand at a few wedding bouquets!
Lorna also volunteers with Healthy Journey, a small nonprofit for pregnant women, and works extensively with her daughter's Girl Scout Troop. Lorna loves flowers, British history, fancy coffee and tea, traveling, and spending time with her family.
Job Titles:
- Attorney at Law
- Managing Partner
- Member of the Virginia State Bar
Sheera Herrell started practicing with Hofheimer Family Law Firm back in 1999 when she was a brand new graduate of Albany Law School. In fact, she and Kristen Hofheimer - daughter of firm founder Charlie Hofheimer - sat just a few chairs away from each other as they took the bar exam, though they were strangers at the time.
From the moment she started practicing, Sheera focused on representing women exclusively in divorce and custody cases. Sheera and Kristen worked together for twenty years, long after Kristen took over as one of the owners of the firm. After Kristen's second breast cancer diagnosis, however, Sheera stepped in.
Sheera became the managing partner of the firm in 2017 and owner in January 2019, shortly before Kristen passed away.
Though Sheera had never intended or even wanted to be the owner of a law firm, she stepped up when it became clear that there was no other way forward. Since 2019, Sheera has navigated a pandemic and kept together the #BestTeamEver - something for which the team at Hofheimer Family Law Firm will be forever grateful to her for doing.
If there's one thing to say about Sheera, it's that she can handle anything, from unexpectedly taking ownership of an entire law firm to delivering a baby in the car on the way to the hospital and even handling some of the most complex and heavily litigated family law cases in Virginia. Yes, you read that right: she delivered her second baby in the car, by herself, while her husband sped along 1-264, trying desperately to help her reach the hospital in time.
Sheera's clients have described her as a good listener, responsive, tough, and effective. One client even described her as a ‘kung fu' fighter. Sheera's goal is always to understand each client's unique circumstances and provide efficient and effective representation.
Sheera has a diverse background, both legally and personally. As a collaboratively trained attorney, Sheera works closely with Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Tidewater. She's also a skilled litigator, even successfully taking cases on to the appellate court level.
A Certified Financial Planner™, Sheera is exceptionally skilled at handling cases with complicated equitable distribution issues. She applies her considerable skills to obtain the best financial settlements for her clients.
Sheera is a member of the Virginia State Bar, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Virginia Beach Bar Association, Collaborative Divorce Solutions of Tidewater, International Association of Collaborative Professionals, and Virginia Collaborative Professionals. Sheera was selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars Edition 2008-2014, a Super Lawyer in 2015-2023, and is committed to providing all of her clients the personal attention they deserve.
Sheera and her husband live in Virginia Beach with their two children. Sheera is also a violist and a former member of Symphonicity, the Symphony Orchestra of Virginia Beach. She spends a lot of time watching her children play, and spends a lot of time traveling with her family to attend Champions League games (Tottenham, Chelsea, and Paris Saint Germain) and USWNT. Sheera is also learning Portuguese in her spare time, loves Peloton, collects recipes on Pinterest, volunteers with Tidewater Friends of Foster Care, and listens to true crime podcasts.