The lights dimmed, and the chatter of lawyers gathered for the Allegheny County Bar Association’s annual Bench-Bar Conference gave way to expectant silence. A piano struck the first chords of a familiar tune, though the lyrics had been rewritten with satirical lines about judges, statutes, and the quirks of local courtrooms. 

At center stage stood Donald L. Very, his suit pressed and his voice steady, delivering verses that drew laughter from colleagues. It was a sight both disarming and affirming: an attorney known for his precise legal mind showing equal skill as a performer.

This moment, repeated in different forms throughout Donald’s career, reflected more than humor. It revealed his conviction that law is not detached from human connection. Whether in a courtroom or a theater, persuasion relies on voice, timing, and presence. Donald brought those tools to both settings, modeling for peers that even serious professions benefit from wit and performance.

Today, Ryan carries forward both the legal philosophy and the cultural spirit of his grandfather through his own firm, Very Law. The memory of those performances and the stories of Donald’s career have long shaped its direction. The firm Ryan founded is anchored in litigation and advocacy, yet its cultural heritage includes the lessons of a grandfather who believed law could be both rigorous and approachable, solemn and, at times, theatrical.

The Grandfather’s Legal Philosophy

Donald L. Very’s professional reputation in Pittsburgh was built on his dual identity as both a scholar of the law and a practical advocate for families. He believed that the law should belong to the people it served. 

Service Through Clarity

As president of the Allegheny County Bar Association in the late 1970s, he played a decisive role in expanding the Lawyer Referral Service. This program became a cornerstone for community members seeking access to legal help. For residents unsure where to turn, whether for a defamation lawyer, Pittsburgh lawyers for business, or a real estate lawyer Pittsburgh homeowners could rely on, the service provided a lifeline.

He also authored The Legal Guide to the Family, a reference book that translated complicated statutes into plain English. His goal was not to impress with jargon but to inform with clarity. Families dealing with divorce, guardianship, or property disputes could find in its pages explanations that respected their need to understand.

A Bridge Between Law and People

Those who worked alongside Donald often spoke about his ability to lower the temperature in tense situations. Where others might dig in during conflict, he listened first, looking for common ground. That steady presence made him as approachable in private conversation as he was authoritative in public roles.

In bar association meetings, he was known for asking the questions others hesitated to raise, helping to draw quieter voices into the discussion. Younger attorneys in particular valued that openness, describing him as someone who treated them as peers rather than apprentices.

That same instinct carried over to his theatrical side. On stage at the Bench-Bar Conference, his parody songs were not sharp-edged takedowns but playful sketches that everyone could laugh at together. In those moments, the lawyer who could command a courtroom also reminded colleagues that humility and humor belonged in their profession.

For Donald, bridging law and people was less about institutional change and more about posture. He showed that a lawyer could be both serious and approachable, both rigorous and humane. That balance — authority without distance — became part of the example he left for the next generation.

Influence on the Firm’s Founding

Ryan D. Very grew up hearing about the grandfather he never had the chance to meet. Family members spoke of Donald’s dedication to clients, his role in modernizing the bar association, and his unusual ability to shift from courtroom seriousness to musical satire without losing credibility. To Ryan, those stories formed both a standard and an invitation.

When Ryan founded Very Law, he did so with the sense that his work was an extension of the principles Donald embodied. After graduating from Boston University School of Law and working as a fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union, Ryan entered practice with a belief in advocacy as service. He has described how precedent-setting cases require creativity as much as technical precision.

Building a Client-Centered Firm

Today, Very Law’s approach reflects that heritage. Each case is staffed with a team selected for problem-solving and innovation. Clients are offered both the resources associated with large firms and the personalized strategies often missing in those settings.

For Ryan, those dual commitments — resources and relationships — mirror Donald’s balance between scholarship and accessibility. The law firm history of Very Law is therefore not simply a timeline of cases and clients. It is a continuation of a family narrative where the values of one generation provide the framework for the next.

Cultural and Theatrical Elements

The Bench-Bar Conference’s “Big Show” was more than after-hours entertainment. Between 1974 and 2002, it became a fixture of Pittsburgh’s legal heritage, featuring song parodies and sketches written and performed by attorneys.

Donald L. Very’s participation connected him to a lineage of lawyers who understood that law is a performance as well as a profession. Like courtroom arguments, comedic sketches required precision, timing, and persuasion. His involvement showed that the tools of theater could enrich the practice of law by reminding practitioners of their shared humanity.

Beyond Pittsburgh, the tradition finds parallels in Boston University’s “Legal Follies,” an annual student-written comedy show that continues to explore “the humorous side of law school and the legal profession,” which Ryan D. Very, Esq. directed.

Very Law and Modern Cultural Ties

Very Law has embraced this cultural inheritance in contemporary ways. In 2021, the firm sponsored Arcade Comedy Theater’s outdoor Pride Month series, amplifying LGBTQIA+ performers and helping Pittsburgh’s arts community rebound from pandemic closures. 

Arcade’s mission to “inspire joy” and build community through comedy aligns closely with the values Donald embodied decades earlier when he stepped on stage to sing. By supporting theater, Very Law demonstrates that cultural involvement is not an accessory to legal practice but an integral part of it.

The Theater of Everyday Law

Courtrooms may lack spotlights and curtain calls, but they share much with the stage. Lawyers stand before an audience — sometimes a jury, sometimes a judge, sometimes a family seeking answers — and must persuade, reassure, or inspire confidence. Timing, tone, and clarity matter as much as precedent.

Donald L. Very understood this overlap instinctively. His ease in moving from courtroom arguments to Bench-Bar musical parodies showed that advocacy and performance are not opposites but companions. Humor sharpened his presence, but so did sincerity; he knew that juries and colleagues alike respond to authenticity.

That lesson carries into practice today. At Very Law, persuasion is not confined to trials. It plays out in client consultations where attorneys must translate complexity into clarity, in estate planning meetings where empathy is as vital as technical knowledge, and in negotiations where careful phrasing can resolve disputes without litigation. In these settings, the lawyer’s role is part advocate, part storyteller, part actor, reading the room.

This “theater of everyday law” reminds us that legal practice is always a performance of responsibility. When attorneys Pittsburgh families turn to for guidance bring both rigor and humanity to their work, they are following the same path Donald once walked, ensuring that law is not an abstraction, but a lived experience people can understand and trust.

Continuing the Legacy

The ACBA Lawyers Journal once placed Ryan and Donald side by side, describing them as linked by their roles as attorneys, performers, and advocates. The comparison underscored the generational continuity of their work. Donald’s presence on stage and in the bar association set a tone of accessibility; Ryan’s presence in courtrooms and in the community continues that tone today.

The Practice Today

Ryan’s practice includes civil litigation, criminal defense, estate planning, elder law, and consumer protection. He often represents clients who face disproportionate challenges, positioning himself as an advocate for those without the same resources as large institutions. His philosophy — that every client deserves individualized attention — echoes his grandfather’s belief that the law must be clear and approachable.

Very Law’s branding expresses these dual values of tradition and innovation. Classical fonts suggest scholarship, while bold design conveys modern confidence. The result reflects the firm’s culture: trusted, fearless, and committed to advocacy.

For clients, this story matters. A person searching for a defamation lawyer or a real estate lawyer Pittsburgh families can trust encounters not only a firm with legal skill but a practice with cultural depth.

Carrying the Story Forward

The story of Donald L. Very and his grandson Ryan shows how law can be more than statutes and procedures. It can be a stage for clarity, for compassion, and for advocacy that connects generations. At Very Law, that philosophy continues in every matter the firm takes on, from complex litigation to family concerns, from consumer protection to estate planning.

If you are facing a legal challenge and want counsel that combines rigorous advocacy with a personal touch, we welcome you to begin a conversation with us. Schedule your consultation today.