The Decker Law Firm
"People helping people"
guides 50 years of service
By Judi Tull

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

There are themes that run through the 50 years of The Decker Law Firm — commitment, community, and family among them. For everyone at the firm, continually working toward its motto of “People helping people” holds true. Attorney George Neskis and bookkeeper Sheila Overfelt share these values.

Sometimes people find their own career; for others, the career seems to find them. When George was a teenager, law found him in an unlikely and traumatic spot and he was led to spend his life with it.
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The Decker Law Firm
"People helping people"
guides 50 years of service
By Judi Tull

This is the third 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 attorneys and staff who continue its commitment to being “people helping people.” Attorney Richard Ratajczak and receptionist Anise Ward-Connor are among them.

Richard was just 10 when he got his first taste of what law suits mean for the real people involved. His family’s plastics business in his hometown of Lansing, Michigan, was just about to move into a new building when the old one burned down. The insurance company didn’t want to pay.
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The Decker Law Firm
"People helping people"
guides 50 years of service
By Judi Tull

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

At mid-day, the exquisitely appointed offices of The Decker Law firm, in Norfolk's oldest tall building, are quiet. That serenity belies that hard work going on throughout the expansive space, as attorneys and staff members work diligently to provide premier service for their clients.

Among those are attorney Joel Weintraub and paralegal Jerry Foley.

Joel has always loved puzzles. As a kid growing up in a suburban New Jersey and then in Hampton Roads, he loved mysteries, solving things, and reading every Perry Mason novel Erle Stanley Gardner ever wrote.

And from the time he was 10 years old, he knew there was only one career that would satisfy this fascination of his: the law.
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The Decker Law Firm
"People helping people"
guides 50 years of service
By Allison Joyce

One of Martin Thomas Sr.’s most vivid recollections of his early years starting out as a young attorney with The Decker Law Firm is also a testament to the philosophy of a highly respected local law firm that has stood the test of time without sacrificing its most deeply held principle of “People helping people.”

“He escorted her into my office himself and explained that she needed help with filling out some forms dealing with an accident claim. Without saying it, he communicated to me that she did not know how to read so I would know how best to help her. What was most important to Pete was her not being embarrassed about not knowing how to read. To this day, I still think about that when I’m asked what is most important to me in my career. It makes me feel proud to know that I have been with a firm for 30 years that truly cares about the people who come to us for help,” Martin says.
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When I was a kid...
When I was a kid, my family didn’t have a lot, but we had each other, and we were part of a community. There were good times and bad times, but we were all in it together. In looking back, that sense of community is why “helping people” is what the Decker Law Firm is all about, and why we’re involved in helping support so many worthwhile causes, such as St Jude’s Research Hospital, St. Mary’s Infant’s Home, The Virginia Opera, and many others.

Our firm is people-oriented, with attorneys experienced in many areas of practice designed to help people through what are often difficult times. Please know you can call us any time; we’ll be glad to hear from you, and glad to help, every way we can.

~ Pete Decker