Four Pender & Coward attorneys, including one who practices at the firm’s office in Suffolk, have been selected to be included in The Best Lawyers in America, 19th Edition, for outstanding work in their individual practice areas: Jo Ann Blair-Davis, trusts and estates; Richard E. Garriott Jr., family law; Daniel M. Schieble; personal injury litigation; and E. Diane Thompson, trusts and estates.

Additionally, Thompson, whose office is in Suffolk, has also been voted Lawyer of the Year by peers in her practice area.

Best Lawyers is a peer review guide to the legal profession worldwide. The international program represents more than 70 countries and is known for its relationships with the most prestigious lawyers from all over the world.

The selection for Best Lawyers is based on a survey of nearly 4 million confidential evaluations by the top attorneys in the country.

Thompson, a firm shareholder, focuses on the areas of estate planning, trust and estate administration, fiduciary income taxation, federal estate and gift taxation and post-mortem tax and disclaimer planning.

She has been listed as a Virginia Super Lawyer each year since 2006 and has been recognized among the Legal Elite by Virginia Business. This is Thompson’s 20th year as a Best Lawyer in Trusts and Estates.