Bobby B. Stafford, Esq.
“If any feather is to be placed in his cap, he would be satisfied with accolades for his help and involvement in developing leaders and launching the careers of young people in the field of law”
Bobby B. Stafford, Esq., credits his early childhood spent on his aunt and uncle’s farm in Williamsburg County, South Carolina, with instilling in him a sensitivity toward others, a generous spirit, and a sense of kindness and fairness that would foster his passion for social justice. That nurturing environment planted the seeds for a successful legal career and outstanding community service.
He received his undergraduate degree at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro, and earned his law degree at Howard University where he met his wife, attorney Mary Raby. After passing the bar in South Carolina, they returned to Washington, D.C. to begin a storied legal career that would span more than 35 years. Stafford joined the law firm of his father-in-law, James H. Raby of Alexandria, Virginia, which later became the Firm of Raby and Stafford. Stafford’s litigation of cases in Virginia and the District of Columbia, where he is a member of the courts of the District and local and federal courts of Northern Virginia, helped to establish his reputation as an attorney who would accept difficult and challenging cases involving real property, general civil and civil rights law, and criminal trial work. The Firm is known for its willingness to accept cases unappealing to other law firms because of their focus on social justice issues.
As passionate as he is about the legal field, Attorney Stafford’s record in community service is equally noteworthy. He has served for eight years on the Board of Visitors and as a founding member of the Athletic Foundation, Inc., of Norfolk State University in Virginia. He serves as president of the Arlington Community Action Program, General Counsel and Steward Board member of the Campbell AME Church, advisory board of the Alexandria Urban League, General Counsel of the Martin Luther King, Jr., Community Center, Inc., and Commissioner in Chancery for Arlington County. His other affiliations include the Arlington Hospital Board, National Bar Association, Washington Bar Association, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, and the national committee on by-laws of the Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity of the Boule. He is a former appointed Commissioner for selection of United States Magistrates for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia for approximately twenty (20) years.
Stafford has also been active in politics, leading the campaign of former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s campaign for president in 1972, serving as a Delegate to the 1972 Democratic national convention, working with former President Jimmy Carter’s campaign, and hosting events for former Virginia Lieutenant Governor and Governor Chuck Robb. Stafford received the Governor’s appointment as Escheator for the City of Alexandria that affords the opportunity to sell property on behalf of the state, and as a Commissioner for Interpreting the Arts for the Executive Mansion of the Governor.
He and his wife are the parents of a daughter, Stacy L. Stafford, also an attorney.