by Lisa Hinton-Valdrighi
Law is in Judge Julia H. Sichol’s blood.
The first female General District Court judge in the 15th Judicial District serving the Northern Neck, she followed in the footsteps of her father and grandfather when she came home to her native Westmoreland County to practice law.
A graduate of TC Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond, she served as a public defender in Petersburg and an assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Chesterfield before returning to the Northern Neck, where she made her mark as the Westmoreland County Commonwealth’s Attorney for 12 years. Her transition to the bench was a major milestone for women in the local legal system.
Sichol was among eight tapped by the General Assembly for judgeships in June 2024.
“I didn’t always want to be a judge,” said the very busy wife and mother ….
