Lee E. Berlik

Lee E. Berlik is the founder and managing member of BerlikLaw, LLC. Based in Northern Virginia, BerlikLaw concentrates its practice in the areas of defamation law (libel and slander), business disputes, and intellectual property litigation. Formerly with Troutman Sanders and Mintz Levin, Lee brings his big-firm background and experience to offer clients top-notch legal services at drastically reduced rates. Lee is listed among Virginia's "Legal Elite" by Virginia Business Magazine and is rated "AV" by Martindale-Hubbell.

• Breach of Contract
• Commercial Litigation
• Constitutional Law
• General Civil
• Trademarks and Copyrights

District of Columbia

Since 1998

Virginia

Since 1996

4th Circuit

Since 1996

U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia

U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia

U.S. Supreme Court

Since 2000

Managing Member

BerlikLaw, LLC

Current

Litigation Associate

Mintz Levin

2000 - 2006

Litigation Associate

Troutman Sanders

1998 - 2000

American University Washington College of Law

J.D.

1992 - 1995

Honors: Cum Laude

Rochester Institute of Technology

B.S. | Technical Communications

1989 - 1992

Honors: High Honors (magna cum laude)

A.V. Rated

Martindale-Hubbell

2012

After a survey of judges and lawyers throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia, Martindale-Hubbell awarded Lee Berlik the nation's highest and most prestigious legal rating, AV, putting him in the top 3% of all United States litigation attorneys.

Legal Elite, Civil Litigation

Virginia Business Magazine

2012

Voted one of the top civil litigation attorneys in Virginia

Virginia State Bar

Member

Current

Loudoun County Bar Association

Member

Current

Activities: Board Member 2008

Fairfax County Bar Association

Member

Current

American Bar Association

Member

Current

National Employment Lawyers Association

Member

Current

Employment Law, Annual Review of Developments in Business and Corporate Litigation

Pretrial Practice and Discovery Committee's Quarterly Newsletter

American Bar Association, Section of Litigation

ABA Proposal Muddies Pretrial Publicity Waters

National Law Journal

August 15, 1994

Q. I was asked to take down my review because it was libelous, but I only spoke the truth to warn others, what should I do?

April 24, 2018

A: You can find a quick summary of Virginia defamation law at https://www.virginiadefamationlawyer.com/2013/02/defamation-of-character-libel-and-slander-law-in-virginia.html. You'll see that falsity is a required element of any defamation claim. This means that if, as you say, everything you wrote was 100% true, it is not "libelous" and you should be fine. In response to the second part of your question, you should assume that if there is a court case, the plaintiff will probably be able to prove you were the one who wrote the review. How? By asking you directly. (You don't want to commit perjury, do you?) But don't worry about that. You told the truth, and you exercised your right to criticize a local business. Do not let her intimidate you. ... Read More

Q. My ex-girlfriend is posting horrible false stories about me on social media.

February 5, 2018

A: If you have a valid libel case, then yes, you can still sue her regardless of whether Facebook takes the posts down. The only effect Facebook's actions would have on your libel claim is that your damages (i.e., the harm caused by the defamatory posts) would be reduced due to the shorter time the public was exposed to the statements. To get a general idea of whether you have a valid libel case against her, see this blog post I wrote a few years ago: https://www.virginiadefamationlawyer.com/2013/02/defamation-of-character-libel-and-slander-law-in-virginia.html.