THE DECKER LAW FIRM - MICHELLE PARKER AND ED PITCAVAGE

“People helping people” guides 50 years of service

by Judi Tull

Bookkeeper Ed Pitcavage and attorney Michelle Parker

This is the seventh in a series of stories about The Decker Law Firm, its attorneys and staff.

For the past 50 years, The Decker Law Firm has distinguished itself throughout Hampton Roads, based not only on the reputation of its founder, Pete Decker Jr., for his legal and charitable work, but also on the genuine passions the firm’s attorneys and staff share for helping others.

For attorney Michelle Parker and bookkeeper Ed Pitcavage, their passions extend beyond the office and into their homes and private lives as well.

Born in Naples, Italy, where her Navy dad was stationed, Michelle came to Hampton Roads as a young girl and remembers that move almost to the day.

“We got here just as the blizzard of 1980 hit,” she recalls with a laugh. “That was my introduction to Virginia.”

Attorney Michelle Parker

She graduated from Princess Anne High School and then went on to Tidewater Community College for her Associate’s Degree in legal assisting, work she continued to pursue in the coming years. After graduating from Virginia Wesleyan College with a degree in Psychology — something that’s come in very handy in dealing with the wide variety of personalities she meets as an attorney — this vivacious single mom decided to take a year off and consider her next step.

As that yearlong sabbatical was coming to an end, her young son, Jordan, came to her with a question.

“How come I’m in school,” he wanted to know, “and you’re not?”

So back to school she went: this time at Regent University School of Law.

“It was perfect for me because I could go to school full time and continue to work as a legal secretary,” she points out.

She graduated from law school in the spring of 2004, studied for the bar exam, and passed it the first time out, something she’s particularly proud of but which she also  acknowledges was a “must” in her life.

“Taking prep classes was expensive, taking the bar exam was expensive,” she notes. “There was no way I was going to go through all that again.”

So there she was, from July to October of that year, fretting and wondering  if she had passed. (“That waiting is its own particular kind of torture,” she points out with a laugh.”) Not one to sit still for long, though, Michelle signed up with a legal staffing agency for temp jobs. Her first assignment was for just one day; her second assignment brought her to The Decker Law Firm, where she was immediately moved into the personal injury department as a paralegal based on her previous legal experience.

“I was really blessed to be here,” she says. “Everything fell right into place. It was the right firm, the right time, a perfect fit.”

Bookkeeper Ed Pitcavage

When she got word in October that she’d passed the bar exam, Pete Decker Jr. asked her to stay on as an attorney. Now, she focuses on personal injury cases, wills, trusts and estates. Her special passion is for working with families and the elderly.

“I was attracted to the law because I knew it would be a profession where I could really help folks out,” she says. “At the Decker Law Firm, ‘helping people’ is more than a slogan; it’s our mission.”

It’s important, she adds, for any client to have an attorney who’s well experienced in their particular field.

“Insurance companies will never tell you what you need to know, for instance. You need a lawyer who knows the rules and the law every step of the way,” she says emphatically.

And when it comes to wills and elder law, she has some cautions for people who wait too long or think they can even do it themselves.

"People need to realize that having a professional prepare their will is economical compared to facing the potential disaster of an improperly prepared or generic will,” she says emphatically. “If a will is contested, it can easily cost an estate $20,000 or more in attorney’s fee just to preserve the intentions of the deceased. No one wants that to happen.”

Michelle points out, too, that one of the privileges of working with The Decker Law Firm is that she and all of the attorneys pride themselves on being counselors at law as well.

“We listen to our potential clients, and give them some common sense advise and explain the reality of their situation,” she says.

Outside of the office, Michelle indulges her other passion: her son. Jordan’s 15 now, plays golf and baseball, and is a student at the Math and Science Academy at Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, where he was among the 125 students accepted from over 500 applicants.

With Jordan just about ready to get his learner’s permit, the two are planning to hit the road come summer.

“I think we’re going to set out to explore the United States,” Michelle says.

As a self-described “numbers freak,” bookkeeper Ed Pitcavage loves the job he’s held for nearly four years, surrounded by receipts, folders and records, primarily dealing with Pete and Bess Decker’s many commercial real estate properties.

He’s interested in other records outside of work, too — the ones he’s setting in the regional world of competitive bowling.

Last November, Ed broke the three-game record for South Hampton Roads with 33 strikes and a whopping score of 868.

“I’ve been in one of the top five spots for the past six or seven years,” he says, “but I always wanted to be number one. Now I am.”

Ed graduated from First Colonial High School in Virginia Beach and went on to Tidewater Community College, where he immersed himself in finance and accounting courses. He first worked at Grayson Financial until a chance meeting at a bowling alley with a friend of the firm’s  Administrator, Bobby Ross, led to his current position. He credits long-time head bookkeeper, Sheila Overfelt, with being his mentor in the early days.

“She made sure I did everything right because I was totally overwhelmed,” he says with a laugh. “I’m able to rely less on her now, but she’s always there for me.”

As  much as he loves bowling and numbers, Ed is quick to point out that his first real love lies elsewhere: his beautiful 20-year-old daughter Alaina.