Midkiff '70 Inducted as Honorary Member of Order of the Coif
Honorary Order of the Coif 2013 Dean Davison Douglas (at right) welcomes Charles Midkiff '70 to the Order of the Coif. Photo by David F. Morrill
Honorary Order of the Coif 2013 Charles Midkiff thanks the faculty for his induction and offers advice to the graduating law Class of 2013. Photo by David F. Morrill
Honorary Order of the Coif 2013 Charles Midkiff steps away from the podium as a new honorary member of the Order of the Coif. Photo by David F. Morrill
Charles F. Midkiff '70 was inducted as an honorary member of the Order of the Coif during William & Mary Law School’s Awards Ceremony on May 11 at the Kimball Theatre. The event, held the day before the Law School’s Diploma Ceremony at Lake Matoaka Amphitheater, included the presentation of dozens of awards and special recognitions to law graduates of the Class of 2013.
Originally from the Virginia Beach area, Midkiff received a B.S. in business administration and management from Old Dominion University. While in law school, he served as editor-in-chief of the William and Mary Law Review and was a member of the Student Bar Association and ROTC. After serving in Vietnam and earning a Bronze Star, he worked for Richmond law firm Christian & Barton until 1987, when he started his own firm, Midkiff, Muncie & Ross. An expert in energy law, professional malpractice defense, and civil litigation, he has been named to the list of the Best Lawyers in America every year since 1995, as well as the list of Virginia Super Lawyers every year since 2006. He also served as a member of the Law School Association board and on his 30th and 40th reunion gift committees.
Membership in the Order of the Coif is the highest academic honor a law student can achieve. It is equivalent to membership in Phi Beta Kappa for undergraduates. Coif chapters may elect to honorary membership "those who as lawyers, judges and teachers have attained high distinction for their scholarly or professional accomplishments." The Law School's Coif chapter inducted its first members beginning with the Class of 1981; law alumni chosen as honorary inductees graduated in earlier classes. William & Mary law faculty who are Coif members select the graduate who will receive this honor.
Midkiff thanked the faculty for the honor and offered some short but heartfelt advice to the Class of 2013. “Work hard, you’ll get there,” he said. “You’ll have a lot of fun--it’s a rewarding career.”