Summary
Current Position: State Delegate of District 16 since 2012
Affiliation: Republican
Delegate Les Adams is a 6th generation resident of Pittsylvania County and Southside Virginia. As a local attorney, family man, and small business owner, Les is invested in our community and future prosperity.
Les serves on the House Courts of Justice Committee, which includes his appointments to the Criminal Law Subcommittee and the Judicial Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Committees on Privileges and Elections, Transportation and Science and Technology.
OnAir Post: Les Adams
About
Source: Campaign page
Delegate Les Adams is a 6th generation resident of Pittsylvania County and Southside Virginia. As a local attorney, family man, and small business owner, Les is invested in our community and future prosperity.
Les graduated Magna Cum Laude from Liberty University and received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Richmond School of Law. After law school, he served as the Judicial Law Clerk for the Danville Circuit Court before joining the Pittsylvania County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in 2002. As an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney, Les prosecuted all categories of crime and was promoted to the position of Career Prosecutor. In that capacity he served as a faculty member at the National Advocacy Center in Columbia, South Carolina. Les has also taught as an adjunct professor at Danville Community College and the Helms School of Government at Liberty University.
Today, Les is a practicing attorney and partner at the Chatham law firm of Adams and Fisk, PLC. Since 2011, Les and his partners have substantially grown the firm over several practice areas in service to many clients, including the Town of Chatham.
Les has been a leader in our community for many years. He has served as President of the Pittsylvania County Bar Association, Circuit Representative for the Young Lawyers Conference of the Virginia State Bar, member of the Board of Directors for Faith Christian Academy in Hurt, and member of the President’s Council of the local Good News Jail and Prison Ministry. He is today an active member of the Chatham Rotary Club and Chatham Baptist Church, where he serves as deacon.
First elected to the House of Delegates in 2013, Les serves on the House Courts of Justice Committee, which includes his appointments to the Criminal Law Subcommittee and the Judicial Subcommittee. He is also a member of the Committees on Privileges and Elections, Transportation and Science and Technology. Other appointments which Les received include a seat on the Commission for Block Grants and membership to the Board of Trustees of the New College Institute. Les is a member of the Business Development Caucus, the joint House and Senate Rural Caucus and the Conservative Caucus.
At home, Les resides in Chatham with his wife Melanie, a pharmacist, and their two sons, Roger and Garrett.
Experience
Work Experience
- Attorney
Education
- JD
University of Richmond School of Law
1999 - B.S., magna cum laude
Liberty University
1996
Personal
- Birth Year: 1974
- Place of Birth: Montgomery County, VA
- Gender: Male
- Race(s): Caucasian
- Religion: Baptist
- Spouse: Melanie Evonne Schiefer
- Children: Roger and Garrett
Membership & Affiliation
Chatham Baptist Church (deacon, Sunday School Director)
Chatham Rotary
Virginia State Bar
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
Pittsylvania County Bar Association
Contact
Legislative Assistant: Jesse T. Lynch
Administrative Assistant During Session: Katy Rugg District
Email:
- Government – DelCHead@house.virginia.gov
Offices
Capitol Office
Pocahontas Building
900 E. Main St,
Richmond, Virginia 23219
Phone: (804) 698-1017
District Office
P.O. Box 19130
Roanoke, VA 24019
Phone: (540) 283-2839
Web
Government Page, Campaign Site, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Politics
Source: none
Recent Elections
2019
| Les Adams (R) | 13,146 | 74.56% |
| Dustin W. Evans (L) | 4,402 | 24.97% |
| Write in (Write-in) | 83 | 0.47% |
| TOTAL | 17,631 |
2017
| Les Adams (R) | 16,513 | 96.11% |
| Write In (Write-in) | 668 | 3.89% |
| TOTAL | 17,181 |
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Finances
ADAMS, LES R has run in 4 races for public office, winning 3 of them. The candidate has raised a total of $322,398.
Source: Follow the Money
Committees
Committees
Vice Chair: Science and Technology
Courts of Justice
Transportation
Privileges and Elections
Subcommittees
Chair: Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #3
Chair: Privileges and Elections – Subcommittee #3
Chair: Transportation – Subcommittee #4
Courts of Justice – Subcommittee #1
Privileges and Elections – Subcommittee #2
Transportation – Subcommittee #1
Appointments
- Block Grants
- Brown v. Board of Education Scholarship Committee
- Crime Commission, Virginia State
- Criminal Law Subcommittee
- Criminal Sentencing Commission
- District Courts, Committee on
- House Courts of Justice
- House Privileges and Elections
- House Science & Technology
- House Transportation
- Judicial Panel
- New College Institute
- Western Virginia Public Education Consortium
Voting Record
See: Vote Smart
New Legislation
Source: Virginia Legislative Information System
Issues
Source: Campaign page
OUR VALUES
I will not waver in the defense of foundational American principles and the commitment to limited government under the Constitution. I will promote policies that are consistent with free enterprise, individual responsibility and traditional morality. My constituents will always know that I stand firm in the protection of innocent life and will fight to preserve our rights that are under attack, including the rights to keep and bear arms and the free exercise of our religion.
Governance
Taxes & Spending
Political freedom cannot be separated from economic freedom and the ability to improve our station in life through learning and hard work. Burdensome taxes limit our ability to pursue our callings to serve others and provide for our families. Make no mistake, the Commonwealth must levy taxes to provide for the core functions for which it is lawfully obligated, but the primary role of any government is to allow for a system of ordered liberty under the rule of law. I recognize that taxes come from real people, and thus will stand always on the side of the individual taxpayer against a growing and encroaching government bureaucracy.
When governments collect money from citizens through taxation, those governments have a responsibility to appropriate those funds efficiently and responsibly. This requires the exercise of prudence by those in leadership and the implementation of policies which provide for the public safety and include incentives for responsible behavior. When politicians seek to convince us of their own generosity by insisting upon the redistribution of other people’s money, I will not be afraid to refuse them. Instead, I will continue to vote for the responsible appropriation of state funds.
Economy
I remain committed to improving the Commonwealth’s economic climate for small business. Recognizing that governments do not create private sector jobs, I will continue to sponsor measures that increase competitiveness for our businesses in Southside Virginia and allow our economy to grow. Likewise, I will continue to support legislation to reduce excessive regulations which unduly limit entrepreneurial success, while actively recruiting new employers to our region. Furthermore, our economy is substantially aided by the insistence on our due share of funds for highway maintenance and the promotion of the future I-73 corridor.
Education
The Constitution of Virginia requires that the General Assembly provide for a system of public education that is of high quality. We know that by meeting this obligation we position our children, and our community, for greater future success. To do this, I believe that decisions regarding a child’s education are best addressed by parents and their localities, which should enjoy more options and flexibility. I will continue to support improvements to how we assess achievement under the Standards of Learning and provide more avenues for students to learn. With regard to higher education, I will continue to vote for measures that reduce tuition costs and remain a servant to the needs of our local institutions.
