Chesterfield County Business Lawyers

I help employees with important career choices. I guide them through employment offers as well as separation agreements and releases, non-competes, non-solicitations, and other restrictive covenants. If you are transitioning employment, I work with you to protect your rights and your future.

I also help entrepreneurs start, grow, and protect their businesses. Forming a company begins long before filing paperwork with a state agency. Owners need to understand their initial operations, and have a plan for growth. I guide business clients through that critical process.

I advise on entity type and draft organic documents, such as operating agreements, shareholder agreements, and bylaws....

Ryan M. Schmalzle is a principal and founder of the firm. His practice focuses on family law, civil litigation, and criminal law. Ryan regularly practices in several jurisdictions in Northern Virginia including Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Clarke County, Frederick County and the City of Winchester. He also practices in the Maryland Courts, including Frederick County and Montgomery County. Ryan is an adjunct professor of law at George Mason University School of Law where he teaches appellate writing. Ryan also serves as a Special Justice in Loudoun County and he presides over civil commitment hearings. Although Ryan’s primary love...

Jason Gallagher graduated from Florida State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology in 2006. He continued his education at the Appalachian School of Law graduating with a Juris Doctor degree in 2011. After graduation, Jason was admitted to practice law in Virginia and joined a regional law firm where he maintained a diverse practice representing individuals and businesses in complex civil and criminal litigation in state and federal courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2023, he founded the Gallagher Law Firm, PLLC, a client-focused practice dedicated to providing efficient, cost-effective and comprehensive solutions for clients facing...

David was born and raised in the Roanoke Valley; the son of a Registered Nurse and a Roanoke City Police Officer, he spent his childhood in Salem and attended Glenvar High School. After graduating, he went on to attend Virginia Tech where he received degrees in both Finance and Accounting. After graduation, David worked as an accountant in both the public and private sectors, but decided the law was his true calling. He went on to attend Washington & Lee University School of Law, where he graduated with honors at the top of his class in 2010. David began his...

Admitted to practice law in Virginia in 1998, Mel brings a wealth of litigation experience to clients that includes practice as a prosecutor and working for insurance companies defending lawsuits, to include defending government officials charged with misconduct and violations of civil rights. Now he represents persons and small businesses in litigation arising out of serious personal injury, employment disputes, and employment and administrative/governmental grievances, such as professional discipline. Mel received his Bachelor of Science degree, magna cum laude, from Bridgewater College of Virginia in 1995, majoring in Political Science and minoring in Philosophy/Religion. In 1998,...

The Higgs Law Firm provides legal assistance to businesses and individuals throughout Virginia and nationwide in: Administrative Law; Alternative Dispute Resolution; Banking; Mortgages and Equity Financing; Bankruptcy (Creditors only); Business & Commercial Law; Civil Litigation; Corporations, Partnerships, L.C.C.s and other Entities; Creditors' Rights and Commercial Collections; Foreclosures; Lease Enforcement; Litigation; Real Estate; and Wills, Trusts and Estates. Bankruptcy practice limited to representing creditors. *The American Board of Certification is accredited by the American Bar Association to certify lawyers in the areas of bankruptcy law and creditors' right law. There is no procedure in the Commonwealth of Virginia for approving certifying...

Ms. Fine has practiced law for 35 years, the last 28 in Virginia. Her business law experience started immediately after graduating from Boston College Law School in 1982 when she worked at a 50-attorney Boston law firm. In 1989 she joined the Costello Dickenson firm in Winchester, Virginia, and in 1990 opened her own firm.

Ms. Fine has extensive practice drafting business contracts, including buy-sell agreements, employment agreements and non-competition agreements, and, balancing that experience, she reviews and litigates contracts drafted by other attorneys.

Her Wills, Trusts and Estates practice involves planning, drafting estate documents and probate litigation.

Her equine practice is an...

Jeffrey Rhodes is an accomplished civil litigator, and a leading business and employment lawyer. In his many years of practice, Mr. Rhodes has litigated in courts around the country. Mr. Rhodes advises companies and executives, representing them in structuring, drafting, and defending their corporate transactions to help accomplish their business goals. Mr. Rhodes has effectively defended multi-million dollar claims and has also has obtained a multi-million dollar verdict on the plaintiff's side. He has litigated matters in all areas of civil, commercial and employment law, including: •contract disputes; •enforcement and defense...

My passion is helping individuals, families, and business owners achieve peace of mind by developing and implementing creative, customized, and yet cost effective plans. As part of my goal oriented estate planning process, I first seek to understand your goals and needs. My advice focuses on how your estate planning documents advance your goals. I use plain English and easy to understand visual aids, so you know what you need to do in order ensure that your plan works the way you intend. My personal mission is to make estate planning as accessible, efficient and streamlined as possible...

Izak is Assistant General Counsel at MITRE (a leading science and technology nonprofit engaging in research and development in the public interest), where he provides strategic guidance on corporate compliance, commercial contracts, international governance, tech transactions, and disputes. Prior to MITRE, Izak was the global in-house compliance and contracts counsel for Access Now (an international digital rights and data advocacy nonprofit) after having worked in litigation and corporate transactions at a commercial law firm. He obtained his Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Melbourne, having also studied law at McGill University. Izak is active in the legal community, and is...

Ryan A. Brown was born in Kansas City and raised in California. His first job in the computer industry began at the age of eleven, building and repairing personal computers for a local store in Santa Barbara, California. In 1993 he began a computer and Internet consulting firm and started the first Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Santa Barbara. Ryan went on to attend Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he received a BS in Computer Science with departmental and school honors and a BA in Spanish in 2000. Ryan is a member of Tau Beta Pi, Upsilon Pi Epsilon...

Attorney

My practice focuses on advising clients on general corporate and transactional matters, including company formation and governance, mergers and acquisitions, operating and stockholder agreements, buy-sell agreements, private offerings of debt and equity securities (including friends and family, angel, venture capital and private equity investments), corporate divorces and other reorganizations, small business certifications (including 8(a), SDVO, WOSB, HUB Zone and MBE/DBE certifications), executive employment and equity matters, franchise agreements, vendor and customer issues, and other commercial contracts and agreements.

C. Douglas Welty, a full-time trusts & estates attorney, is certified as an Estate Planning Law Specialist by the Estate Law Specialist Board, an autonomous body accredited by the American Bar Association and affiliated with the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils. He was the first estate planning attorney in Northern Virginia to earn such certification.

Doug Welty also holds the multidisciplinary Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation, which is conferred by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils upon both estate planning attorneys and highly experienced non-attorney estate planning professionals (such as certified public accountants, financial planners, insurance specialists,...

Gary "Neil" Ripley hails from Alexandria, Virginia. As of September 3, 2019, he is an associate attorney with Greenwood Law. Neil is fluent in three languages including English, Spanish, and French. After graduating from high school as an AP Scholar, Neil attended the University of Virginia (UVA) where he double-majored in Government with a concentration in Political Theory, and History with a concentration in Russian Political History. He was a member of UVA’s Men’s Rugby Team, UVA’s Men’s Rowing Team, and the Crisis Director for the Virginia International Crisis Simulation at the International Relations Organization.

After graduating from UVA, Neil worked...

I have over 35 years of experience representing Virginia clients in medical malpractice, long-term care litigation, serious personal injury litigation, and complex commercial litigation. In my practice I have represented individuals and businesses throughout Virginia, including in state and federal court.

Buta Biberaj was born in Montenegro and is of Albanian parentage. She was raised in the Bronx borough of New York City. She graduated from George Mason University with a B.S. in Education in 1987 and received her Juris Doctorate (JD) from the George Mason University School of Law in 1993. Buta is licensed to practice in the State Courts for the Commonwealth of Virginia, Maryland and New York. She is also admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Buta’s involvement in the community is evidenced by her participation and service which include being a mentor for...

Wayne M. Zell, Esq. is the founder of Zell Law. He has spent his legal, public accounting and business advisory career counseling clients in a broad range of industries, including technology companies of all types and investor groups, as well as non-profit organizations. His clients also include for-profit and non-profit executives, service providers and high-net worth individuals.

Mr. Zell has extensive experience in representing clients in complex estate planning and business planning matters. In estate planning matters, Mr. Zell routinely advises clients in structuring and preparing intricate revocable and irrevocable trusts, basic estate planning (i.w., wills, medical directives and powers...

Andrew P. Hill is a founding partner and attorney with Mata & Hill PLC, a full-service civil law firm serving the beautiful northern Shenandoah Valley. Mr. Hill concentrates his practice in the areas of real estate, estate planning and administration, litigation, and business.

Mr. Hill received his undergraduate degrees from Northwestern University and his law degree from the College of William and Mary. Prior to forming Mata & Hill PLC, he worked with small but highly-respected law firms in Northern Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.

Mr. Hill is licensed to practice law in the state courts of Virginia,...

Attorney with emphasis in start-up and venture business law, small business law, taxation, wills, trusts and estate planning. Computer Scientist with extensive experience in web based application development, databases, data mining, information retrieval and distributed systems. I enjoy working with small and start-up technology businesses and advising them both on technology and law, where appropriate.

George Hawkins focuses his practice on business representation, civil litigation, and all matters affecting real estate. He represents buyers, sellers, and developers in all phases of residential and commercial real estate transactions. He also advises and counsels businesses in all aspects ranging from the formation, acquisition, and management of the business entity. George is AV®-Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer-Review Ratings, the highest rating available for excellence in legal ethics and practice. George has served on NVAR’s standard forms committee since 2011 and is the 2015 Chair of that committee. He is often asked to speak to members of the real...

Accomplished real estate and business attorney with over twenty years of experience. Martindale-Hubbell "AV" (Preeminent) rated. Northern Virginia Magazine "Top Lawyer". Focus on Commercial Real Estate, Business Law, Land Development, Transactions, and Land Use

For over a decade Matthew B. Kaplan, the founder and principal of The Kaplan Law Firm, has litigated cases on behalf of his clients in courts around the country. Prior to establishing The Kaplan Law Firm Mr. Kaplan was an attorney with Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll PLLC, where he recovered millions of dollars for investors who incurred substantial losses as the result of fraud and other violations of the federal securities laws. Among the cases that Mr. Kaplan successfully litigated are In re Buca Inc. Securities Litigation, In re C.P. Ships Securities Litigation, In re...

Kathleen Marie Stotish was born and raised in central New Jersey, and has called northern Virginia "home" for nearly a decade. She focuses her practice on business transactions and commercial litigation, and also works in the areas of collections/creditors' rights law, and family law. Ms. Stotish has also been certified by the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Guardian Ad Litem for Incapacitated Adults. Ms. Stotish graduated cum laude from the Washington College of Law at American University in 2012. During law school, Ms. Stotish worked as a Law Clerk with the Law Offices of Jonathan Gelber,...

Matt recently returned to the Roanoke Valley after spending 9 years in New Mexico, where he served as an officer in the Air Force and obtained his two graduate degrees.

I am an attorney practicing in Berlin, MD and on Chincoteague Island, VA. I am a licensed attorney (Maryland, Virginia, DC), certified fraud examiner (nationwide), and registered private investigator (Virginia). Before starting my own law practice, I was a National Park Ranger, a law clerk to a federal judge, a U.S. government prosecutor, and a criminal investigator. I completed my career as the Assistant Inspector General for the Securities and Exchange Commission. I hold a doctorate from the University of Florida, and a law degree from Syracuse University College of Law. Today, most of...

Nate L. Adams, III, was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1981. Since that time, he has tried or argued cases at every level of the Virginia Courts and, with the sole exception of the U.S. Supreme Court, the Federal Courts. He concentrates his practice in business law, incorporation law, workers' compensation, creditor's rights, employment law for both employers and employees, domestic relations, and personal injury.

Mr. Adams is a graduate of the College of William and Mary (A.B., 1977) and the Washington and Lee University School of Law (J.D., 1981).

Mr. Adams is active in the Winchester community, currently...

Phillip A. Quatrini is an experienced corporate transactions attorney, who formerly practiced in the Washington, DC office of Bryan Cave LLP, where he has represented public and private companies in a variety of domestic and international transactions for more than fifteen years. Practice focuses on public and private company mergers and acquisitions, and angel, venture capital and private equity financing in addition to general corporate work. Significant experience in forming and structuring privately held corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and nonprofit entities, including limited liability companies with multiple preferred equity structures.

Scott is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He is also a former Certified Public Accountant and began his career in public accounting for a big five CPA firm. Scott's accounting background enables him to grasp tax and financial issues that are important in structuring transactions, ensuring that business as well as legal goals are met and that tax-reduction strategies are maximized and not overlooked. Scott has published several articles covering a variety of business, tax and estate planning issues, in addition to speaking on a variety of topics. ...

Attorney and founding partner of National Capital Legal Services, Elizabeth Krukova, Esq. has been admitted to practice as an attorney in several jurisdictions, including New York, Maryland, District of Columbia and Virginia.
Having completed her Masters Degree in Law from Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana, USA, Ms. Krukova has over fifteen years of experience as an attorney and over ten years as a head of a legal practice. She is a member of Circuit Courts for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 9th Circuits, and also of the Federal Courts of Maryland, Virginia and District of Columbia. Ms....