A circuit court clerk who one former law clerk called the “tip of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals’ infrastructural spear” is stepping down this August. Patricia Connor was praised for her organizational skills as well as being a prime example of the Richmond-based court’s congeniality throughout her nearly 30 years behind the bench.

A graduate of Georgetown University who went on to earn her law degree from University of Virginia School of Law in 1981, Connor was called the kindest and most competent public servant former Circuit Judge Andre Davis worked with across his nearly four decades practicing law.