Caryn Rivett West

Caryn was born and raised outside Buffalo, New York. Caryn’s first love and passion is reading and writing, which naturally led to a career in law. She attended the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Philosophy and English. From Geneseo, she moved South for warmer weather and attended Washington and Lee School of Law in Lexington, Virginia, graduating cum laude in 2002. During law school, Caryn was a member of the Editorial Board of the Washington and Lee Law Review.

Having visited her aunt and uncle in Virginia Beach during her childhood, Norfolk was a natural choice to move to after law school. Caryn obtained a clerkship with the Norfolk Circuit Court and spent her first year of practice learning the ropes of the courthouse. Caryn then worked for a small firm in Suffolk practicing residential real estate law, before spending over 10 years handling trusts & estate, business, and real estate cases in Norfolk. Most recently, Caryn gained hands-on experience in trust administration as a trust officer for a local investment bank. Caryn looks forward returning to private practice and fulfilling the lead Wills, Trusts & Estates attorney position at Parks Zeigler.

Caryn has been an active member of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association since 2002, becoming its President in 2018. She also serves as a Director and Treasurer of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association Foundation, which generally supports projects that enhance the image of and build trust in the legal system and also provides scholarships for high school students and law students. Caryn also serves on the Board of the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council.

Outside of her practice of law, Caryn enjoys spending time with her husband, Marc, on long walks on the beach with their two yellow labs and boating when time and weather allows.