About Us

Attorney and Owner

John P. Fishwick Jr.

John P. Fishwick Jr. is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who represents individuals throughout Virginia in high-stakes civil and criminal matters. A Roanoke native, John has built his career handling difficult cases in the courtroom and in matters that draw public attention. Many of the cases he handles are referred by other lawyers who trust him with their most challenging matters.

From 2015 to 2017, John served as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia after being appointed by President Obama and unanimously confirmed by the U.S. Senate. As the district’s chief law enforcement officer, he focused on prosecuting violent crime and addressing the heroin and opioid epidemic, while also supporting gun violence prevention and offender reentry efforts.

In private practice, John has represented clients in personal injury, wrongful death, and has defended individuals and companies facing federal criminal investigations or charges. He appears regularly as a legal analyst on national media outlets and has been quoted by leading publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Deeply committed to his community, John has also led and supported a number of civic initiatives in Roanoke.

Professional Experience

  • United States Attorney, Western District of Virginia, 2015 to 2017
  • Founder, Fishwick & Associates PLC, Roanoke, Virginia
  • Law Clerk to the Honorable James C. Turk, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • Chair, United States Magistrate Selection Committees for the Western District of Virginia (1997, 2003, 2011, and 2019)

Education

  • Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., 1983 (cum laude; Note and Comment Editor, Washington and Lee Law Review)
  • Harvard University, B.A., 1979

Court Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Virginia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
  • United States Supreme Court

Professional Associations

  • Ted Dalton American Inn of Court, Master, 2004 to Present
  • Ted Dalton American Inn of Court, Executive Committee, 2004 to 2015
  • Ted Dalton American Inn of Court, President, 2011 to 2013
  • Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Board of Governors, 2004 to 2007
  • Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Executive Committee, 2007 to 2010
  • Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Chair, Business Litigation Section, 2008 to 2011
  • Virginia State Bar, Bar Council, 2001 to 2007
  • Virginia State Bar, Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, 2003 to 2007
  • Virginia State Bar, Board of Governors, Criminal Law Section, 2012 to 2013
  • Virginia Bar Association, Committee Member, Federal Judgeship, Western District, 2008 to 2013
  • Roanoke Bar Association, Board of Directors, 2019 to 2021
  • Virginia Bar Association, Member
  • Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, Member

Honors and Recognition

  • Selected, Virginia Super Lawyers, 2008 to 2016 and 2019 to 2026
  • Selected, Best Lawyers of America, 2005 to 2015 and 2019 to 2026
  • Selected, Virginia Business Magazine Legal Elite, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2024, 2025
  • Martindale-Hubbell Client Champion, 2025
  • Southern Christian Leadership Conference, Drum Major for Justice Award, 2016
  • Progressive Democrats of America, Leadership and Activism Award, 2011
  • President’s Volunteer Service Award, Bronze, 2018, 2020, 2021

Community Involvement

  • Led the effort to reopen Roanoke City’s Washington Park and Fallon Park swimming pools through a community fundraising campaign
  • Helped secure the renaming of Roanoke’s public tennis courts in honor of Carnis Poindexter
  • Launched and led  the successful campaign to rename Roanoke’s federal courthouse after Reuben E. Lawson
  • Served on the Board of Trustees of the Taubman Museum of Art from 2017 to May 2025, including as Chairman from 2024 to May 2025
  • Serves on the Board of Directors of the Roanoke Higher Education Center Foundation
  • Volunteer assistant coach for the Roanoke College Men’s Tennis Team

Senior Associate Attorney

Carrol Mullen Ching

Carrol Mullen Ching is the Senior Associate at Fishwick & Associates PLC, where she focuses on civil litigation, including medical malpractice and personal injury cases, as well as federal criminal defense. She is known for bringing both legal insight and financial fluency to complex matters, helping clients navigate difficult situations with practical, steady counsel.

Before entering the legal profession, Carrol spent more than a decade in accounting, including as a certified public accountant at Deloitte and in financial roles with major companies. That background gives her a strong advantage in cases involving commercial disputes, damages, and complicated financial records. Clients value her ability to bring clarity and structure to challenging cases.

A Virginia native, Carrol has called Southwest Virginia home since earning her law degree from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2004, where she graduated summa cum laude. She then clerked for the Honorable Glen E. Conrad of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, serving as both a term and career law clerk, before entering private practice.

Throughout her career, Carrol has handled personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, civil rights, commercial law, and vaccine-related injury matters, and she also represents clients in local government proceedings involving land use and regulatory issues. Outside her practice, she enjoys hiking and kayaking with her family, tending a large vegetable garden, reading, and caring for a lively household of chickens, cats, a rescue dog, and tropical fish.

Professional Experience

  • Senior Associate, Fishwick & Associates PLC, Roanoke, Virginia
  • Career Law Clerk to the Honorable Glen E. Conrad, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • Term Law Clerk to the Honorable Glen E. Conrad, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • Manager of Accounting, FoodBrand
  • Division Controller, Risk Manager, and Staff Accountant, Circuit City
  • Staff Accountant, Deloitte (Certified Public Accountant)

Education

  • Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., summa cum laude, 2004
  • College of William & Mary, Raymond A. Mason School of Business, B.B.A., magna cum laude, 1991

Bar Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Virginia, 2004
  • U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia

Associate Attorney

Daniel J. Martin

Daniel J. Martin is an associate attorney at Fishwick & Associates PLC, where he focuses his practice on personal injury, federal criminal defense and zoning matters. Clients know him as responsive, thorough, and genuinely invested in helping them through difficult and high-stakes situations.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Daniel made the Roanoke Valley his home after graduating magna cum laude from Washington and Lee University School of Law in 2017. During law school, he worked in the technology industry, interned with respected state and federal judges, and served as an editor of the Washington and Lee Law Review. His student note, Dispersing the Cloud: Reaffirming the Right to Destroy in a New Era of Digital Property, 74 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 467 (2017), earned the 2016 Roy L. Steinheimer Award for Outstanding Student Note.

After law school, Daniel clerked for the circuit judges of the Augusta County Circuit Court before joining Fishwick & Associates in 2018. He now represents clients in personal injury matters involving motor vehicle accidents, tractor trailer collisions, slip and fall cases, and other serious injuries, while also handling land use and zoning matters for individuals and businesses across Virginia.

Professional Experience

  • Associate Attorney, Fishwick & Associates PLC, Roanoke, Virginia
  • Law Clerk to the Circuit Judges of Augusta County Circuit Court, Virginia
  • Judicial Intern to the Honorable Michael F. Urbanski, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
  • Judicial Intern to the Honorable Stephen R. McCullough, now Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia

Education

  • Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude, 2017
    • Editor, Washington and Lee Law Review
    • Author, Dispersing the Cloud: Reaffirming the Right to Destroy in a New Era of Digital Property, 74 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 467 (2017)
    • Roy L. Steinheimer Award for Outstanding Student Note, 2016
    • Finalist, John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Brief-Writing Competition

Bar Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Virginia

Honors and Recognition

  • Selected, Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Stars, 2023-2026

Associate Attorney

Laura L. Wagner

Laura L. Wagner is an associate at Fishwick & Associates PLC and serves as the firm’s legal research and writing specialist. For more than three decades, she has built a reputation as the attorney other lawyers rely on when a case calls for careful legal analysis, a strong brief, or a persuasive appellate argument. Her work plays a central role in the firm’s litigation strategy, and she has worked closely with John Fishwick for more than twenty-seven years on personal injury, commercial, civil rights, and criminal defense matters.

Laura earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1982 and her J.D. from the George Mason University School of Law in 1990. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable David G. Lowe, United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, gaining valuable insight into how federal judges evaluate briefs, authority, and legal arguments.

Before joining Fishwick & Associates, Laura practiced with Wagner and Wagner, where she focused on appellate work, represented indigent individuals in civil and criminal matters, and developed a dedicated research and writing practice. She later served as a research attorney at Lichtenstein Law Group and its predecessor firms before continuing her work with John Fishwick at Fishwick & Associates. Known for her precision, clarity, and disciplined approach, Laura has helped shape litigation strategy and outcomes in cases across Virginia for decades.

Professional Experience

  • Associate Attorney, Fishwick & Associates PLC, Roanoke, Virginia
  • Research Attorney, Lichtenstein Law Group, PLC (and predecessor firms)
  • Associate Attorney, Wagner and Wagner
  • Law Clerk to the Honorable David G. Lowe, United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

Education

  • George Mason University School of Law, J.D., 1990
  • University of Virginia, B.A., 1982

Bar Admissions

  • Supreme Court of Virginia (member in good standing of the Virginia State Bar)

Meet Our Staff

Investigator

Davy Frey

 Legal Assistant

Danielle Hefler

Firm Runner

Richard Fishwick

Marketing Director

Jack Fishwick

Legal Assistant

Shelby King

Paralegal

Amy Guthrie

 Bookkeeper

Aaron Blizzard