ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Barbara C. Jones, Barbara C. Jones, Esquire / Fairfax County
Barbara C. Jones has enjoyed practicing adoption law for twenty-eight years in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She completed her B.A. degree from Albion College (Albion, Michigan), and her J.D. degree, from George Mason University School of Law (Arlington, Virginia), in 1988, and became licensed with the Virginia State Bar Association that same year. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys, a certified Guardian ad Litem in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and a member of the Christian Legal Society and Families for Private Adoption.
Mrs. Jones was appointed to serve as a member of the Joint Subcommittee designated by the Virginia General Assembly to provide a comprehensive review of Virginia’s adoption laws and policies in 2005, where she spearheaded the introduction of the Virginia Putative Father Registry. The work of the Subcommittee resulted in over one hundred legislative changes to the Commonwealth’s adoption laws.
Mrs. Jones co-edited the Virginia CLE® publication Adoption Procedures and Forms: A Guide for Virginia Lawyers in January 2010 and 2014, serves as counsel to licensed child-placing agencies and adoption-related associations, was named among “Top Lawyers” by Northern Virginia magazine, and was a recipient of the “Angel in Adoption Award” from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, in 2011.
Mrs. Jones handles direct parental placements, agency finalizations, foster care and special needs adoptions, readoptions, guardianships, stepparent, close relative, adult adoptions, name changes, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitions. She has lecture experience with the National Council for Adoption, Virginia CLE®, Lorman, National Business Institute, Families for Private Adoption, and local adoption organizations, and serves as a guest lecturer on Adoption at George Mason School of Law and the University of Richmond School of Law. Mrs. Jones serves as a consultant for various pregnancy crisis centers and Virginia adoption agencies.
Colleen M. Quinn, Locke & Quinn, PLC / Richmond
Colleen M. Quinn has represented thousands of adopting parents, birth parents, adoptees, agencies, intended parents, surrogates, gestational carriers, donors, and clinics since 1989. After graduating from the College of William and Mary and University of Virginia School of Law, she clerked for the Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, The Hon. Harry L. Carrico. She is a Fellow and the current President of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys (“AAAA”) and the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (“AAARTA”) serving on the Board of Trustees (2006-10, 2013-present) and on the Family Formation Charitable Trust Board (2016-17). For AAAA-AAARTA, she served as Chair of the Finance, Revenue, Awards, and Investment Committees (2013-16), Grievance Chair (2015-16), Webinar Chair (2013-15), on AAARTA Executive Council and as Membership Chair (2009-15), as 2011 Mid-Year Conference Chair and 2007 Annual Convention Chair, is an AAARTA Founder (2009), was on the ARTS Committee (2006-09), Chaired the Birth Parent Representation Committee (1999 to 2003), and published the AAAA “Representing Birth Parents Handbook” (2003). She is the co-author of the fifth and fourth Editions of the Virginia CLE® publication Adoption Procedures and Forms: A Guide for Virginia Lawyers, serves/has served: as program chair and speaker for numerous adoption and ART seminars/programs; an expert witness in adoption law and in surrogacy law; a certified Guardian ad Litem; a Fellow of LCA, a member of the LGBT Bar Family Law Institute, the VA Equality Bar Association, the ABA ART andAdoption Committees, ASRM, RESOLVE, AAJ, RBA, VSB, and VTLA (serving as Chair/Co-Chair for many Committees).
Ms. Quinn is the recipient of numerous awards for her work including: the Richmond NAWBO “Entrepreneur of the Year” award (2016), 2016 Women in the Law (in Family Law and Personal Injury) by “Best Lawyers in America” Business magazine (2014-16), Virginia State Bar Family Law Service Award (2015), “Best Lawyers in America” (2014-16), “Top 100 Trial Lawyers” by National Trial Lawyers (2012-16), the Richmond YWCA Outstanding Woman Award for Law and Government (2011), the “Hats Off to Women Award” by ABWA Cavalier Chapter (2011), as “Super Lawyers” Top 100 (2012 & 2013) and Top 50 (2011) in Virginia, Top 50 (2012-16) and Top 25 (2010 & 2011) Female in Virginia, and Top 50 (2013) and Top 25 (2012 & 2013) in Richmond, by Richmond magazine, by Virginia Business magazine as Virginia’s “Legal Elite” (2010-16, 2005), a “Leader in the Law” by Virginia Lawyers Weekly (2009), the Congressional CCAI “Angels in Adoption” award (2008), LDS Family Services Award of Appreciation in 2006 for Adoption Legislation Initiatives, and a “Super Lawyer” by Richmond magazine (2006-16).
Ms. Quinn is a partner and equity owner in her firm of Locke & Quinn, winner of the Trial Lawyers Board of Regents “2015 Litigator Award” featured on CNN and “Best Law Firms in America” 2015 & 16, and recipient of an “AV” rating, the highest given, by Martindale Hubbell. She is Past-President of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Richmond Chapter, Past-Secretary of the Richmond NAWBO Foundation Board, Past-Chairman of the Richmond Women’s Business Consortium, Past-President of the Metropolitan Richmond Women's Bar Association, and has served/serves on the Boards of Creating a Family, United Way Women’s Leadership Council, Girl Scouts of Virginia, and the Richmond YWCA (prior Advisory Council & President). She contributes/has contributed to AHA Go Red for Women, Bon Secours Fleur de Le Society (2013 to present), College of William & Mary Robert Boyle Legacy Society and Bell Society (Milestone Member), VSDV Action Alliance, Petersburg Domestic Violence Task Force & LINC. She is a 1996 graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond, a Lifetime Girl Scout member and, in her spare time, scuba dives, plays tennis, mountain bikes and teaches aerobics.