Stephen Pfeiffer
Ask Stephen Pfeiffer (‘07) how he arrived at a decision to go to law school, and he’ll tell you it wasn’t a complicated process.
“I first became interested in the law when I was 6 years old,” Pfeiffer said. “I’d watch football, and then I’d watch old episodes of Perry Mason. Law is always where I saw myself.”
Pfeiffer’s passion for the law and for political debate led him from the Midwest, where he grew up and played Division III college football, to begin looking seriously at law schools.
It was Regent’s commitment to excellence and integrity in legal education that sealed his decision. “The law’s purpose is to help people by providing for an ordered society. I wanted to come to a place where I could learn how to be a part of fulfilling that purpose,” Pfeiffer said. “This is the reason I chose Regent.”
While at Regent, Pfeiffer channeled his incredible work ethic into winning the 2007 ABA National Negotiation Competition along with teammate Dawn Young (‘07). After hundreds of hours of preparation, Pfeiffer and Young beat out teams from across the nation, including Harvard Law School, to capture the national championship. He attributes the ABA win, and his success at large, to the quality and commitment of the legal scholars and practitioners who teach at Regent.
“We have incredibly talented professors who are not only legal scholars but experienced practitioners,” he said. “I learned from men and women who are some of the best attorneys in their fields. As a former football player, my education at Regent would be comparable to learning from a team of Hall of Fame coaches.”
Pfeiffer currently practices law with Wolcott Rivers Gates, one of Hampton Roads’ oldest and largest local law firms, and specializes in business law, civil litigation and criminal litigation. Reflecting on how the education he received at Regent impacts his daily life, Pfeiffer said, “My legal education has instilled in me a commitment to excellence and integrity in everything that I do. As an attorney, that translates into putting forth the best possible work product, building relationships built on trust with my clients and treating my colleagues with respect.”
When he’s not busy helping clients navigate complex legal issues, he enjoys running half marathons, teaching the youth at Trinity Church and spending time with his wife, Shelly, who is also a Regent Law graduate. “It is a privilege and an honor to serve the Lord by serving my clients as their attorney, and it is a privilege that I do not take lightly,” Pfeiffer said. “The Bible mandates that as Christians we are called to do everything we do with excellence and integrity. I will continue to endeavor to meet that goal while serving as an attorney in Hampton Roads.”
