About Trent
Trent Kerns built his legal foundation in liberal arts and law classrooms. He earned a Bachelor of Arts from Hampden-Sydney College in 1980 and completed his J.D. at Mercer University’s Walter F. George School of Law in 1984. Those years set the stage for a career that has centered on litigation and courtroom work in Virginia.
He began his professional life at Purcell, Cherry, Kerns and Abady, where he became a partner in 1984. That early partnership placed him quickly into the work of case preparation, motion practice and trial advocacy. Colleagues from that period remember a lawyer who learned the practical rhythms of trial practice by handling discovery and appearing in court on behalf of clients.
In 1992 Kerns joined Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, P.C. as a partner and trial lawyer. He developed a steady trial practice there over the following decades and took on broader managerial responsibilities. In 2012 he served as president of the firm, a role that combined administrative oversight with maintaining an active docket. Those leadership duties required balancing client work with mentorship of younger lawyers in the office.
Kerns has participated widely in professional organizations. He is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Virginia Bar Association, the Richmond Bar Association, the Chesterfield Bar Association, the American Bar Association and the American Association for Justice. He also served as president of the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Inn of Court and led the Young Lawyers Section of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Those roles reflect an ongoing engagement in the local bar and an interest in professional education and ethics.
Courtroom practice has been a through line in Kerns’s career. He has handled civil litigation and trial matters across Virginia courts, conducting jury trials, bench hearings and pretrial litigation. His work includes preparing witnesses, drafting key motions and presenting evidence to judges and juries. Peers describe his courtroom approach as methodical and straightforward; he prefers clear legal argument over spectacle.
That mix of trial experience and firm leadership shapes how he practices today. He is a partner at Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen, P.C., where he continues to try cases and to advise clients and younger attorneys. He currently focuses his practice on civil litigation and trial matters in Virginia.
