Community involvement isn’t a marketing tactic for Morring Law; the Norfolk community inspired our firm, supported it, and is an essential part of it. When our community thrives, so do we; when we thrive, serving our community is the natural outgrowth of that.

Our Roots in the Norfolk Community

Attorney Charlene Morring grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. Like so many people in the area, her father worked hard, often through injury and pain. He was proud of what he did and the community in which he did it, as well as the family that work supported.

Attending a local public high school, Charlene participated in a vocational program for high-performing students that allowed them to gain work experience. As a file clerk in a Norfolk law firm that served injured longshore and harbor workers, Charlene saw what help at the right time meant to people doing everything they could to provide for their families.

Inspired by her work at that firm, Charlene decided to become an attorney. She put herself through college and law school as a single mother; along the way, she earned Old Dominion University’s Kaufman Scholar Award for academic excellence and positive impact on the community. As a young mother who received a $75 check from a local nonprofit to help make Christmas magical for her little boy, she knows firsthand the impact of feeling cared for by her community. Now, as an attorney and the head of her own firm, Charlene understands the importance of community more than ever.

Morring Law and the Morring Community Foundation

In 2022, Former Norfolk Councilwoman Danica Royster issued a call to action during Black History Month: the Black-owned, veteran-owned, family-owned E. Palmer Supermarket had opened in a Norfolk food desert the year before to provide more convenient and healthy food options to local residents. But the store needed more community support.

Morring Law and Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers launched a gift card giveaway for customers to both provide a boost to the business and help the people who shopped there. That event was a success, creating a groundswell of support for the market. The Berkley Grocery Gift Card Giveaway has become an annual event, growing each year; at the fifth annual giveaway in 2026, over $40,000 in gift cards were distributed. Morring Law also rents out a food truck every year to feed local shipyard workers for free. As Charlene observes, “They’re the ones we depend on, and we want to show them love.”

In 2024, the Morring Community Foundation was established by Charlene Morring as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit separate from the law firm. The Foundation was created to foster meaningful and sustainable change, meeting community members where they are, addressing their current needs, and forming connections that support future growth and transformation.

Charlene and other team members from Morring Law, Stacey Mattison and Christina Garcia, continue to sit on the board of the Foundation. They are all active in its efforts, which include the annual grocery gift card giveaway and the Halloween-themed “Creepy for a Cause” fundraiser gala. The proceeds of the gala benefit Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia and the Eastern Shore; more than $50,000 was raised at the inaugural event in 2025.

In addition to nourishing its neighbors, Morring Law and the Morring Community Foundation provides grants to organizations that uplift the community. A recent example is a grant to the Hold the Door Foundation, a non-profit arm of the Norfolk-based Cousinz Festival. This grant provided scholarships to local college students and more than $26,000.00 was given in scholarship funds. Another example is a grant to YoungLives Chesapeake, which provides holistic support to pregnant and parenting teens. The organization’s mission is to empower teen moms to “thrive spiritually, emotionally, and practically, while breaking cycles of poverty and trauma.”

Along with her service on the board of the Morring Community Foundation, attorney Charlene Morring has been deeply involved with multiple other charities and nonprofits, including ForKids, ODU Women’s Initiative Network, Young Life Multiethnic Ministries, and the United Negro College Fund. She currently serves as the Treasurer for the Virginia African American Cultural Center.

What We Believe

Being a part of a community is more than just providing financial support, though we are grateful to be able to do that. It’s about forming relationships with our neighbors and helping each other.

Morring Law exists because of the community that believed in our potential and supported our business. We are proud to call Norfolk and Southeastern Virginia home, and to lift up our neighbors as they have lifted us up. As Charlene Morring has said, “Yes, I’m a lawyer. But my real commitment is to the community and the people.”

To learn more about Morring Law in the community or to become involved with the causes we support, we welcome you to contact us.