Amherst County Lawyers

David received his undergraduate degree from Illinois State University and earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Dayton School of Law. He joined Marks & Harrison in 2021. He was a solo practitioner prior to joining our Charlottesville, Staunton, and Harrisonburg offices, and prior to that he was a long-term partner at a Virginia statewide personal injury firm.

Fletcher W. Harkrader III has been practicing law since 1983 and focuses his practice exclusively on personal injury. Since joining Marks & Harrison, he has achieved a number of significant results for clients in personal injury cases, including $1.2 million in a wrongful death case and $1 million in an auto accident injury case, and a jury verdict of $850,000. Graduating from Washington and Lee University in 1980 (cum laude), he received his J.D. in 1983 from the University of Richmond School of Law. He was Louisa County Attorney from 1990 until 1998. He represented the Virginia...

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.

Ryan T. Walker joined Marks & Harrison in 2014 after having most recently worked for GEICO on the defense side of personal injury cases. Since he was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2007, Ryan has practiced exclusively in the area of civil litigation, with an emphasis on personal injury law. He has vast experience in automobile accident litigation.

Born in the Midwest, Russell Kruse has more than six years of civil litigation experience. He is licensed to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, California and the District of Columbia. Russell has practiced civil litigation based in both Central and Northern Virginia. He brings a balanced perspective based on his past experience to provide the best possible representation of his clients. He particularly enjoys advising small business owners on the myriad of issues that all businesses face.

Frank Hupfl has been practicing law since 2011. Frank spent the first few years of his practice defending employers and businesses in employment litigation. In that role, he was a trial team member with both regional and international law firms based out of Virginia, Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington D.C. After discovering that his interests and passions were better served helping injured persons, Frank decided a career change was in order, and in 2015, Frank moved back to Richmond and worked for a prominent personal injury firm for 8 years, dedicating his practice solely to the representation of injured persons and their...

Michael completed his undergraduate studies at N.C. State University and received his J.D. from the University of Richmond School of Law.Michael joined Marks & Harrison in 2019. He formerly practiced law as an associate at Freeborn & Peters in Richmond. Prior to joining Freeborn & Peters, Michael served as Staff Counsel for GEICO. He also served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Office of the Public Defender in Fredericksburg, Virginia.

Gail Holstrom was born and raised in the Richmond area, graduating from Lee Davis High school in 1981. After high school, Gail enlisted in the United States Air Force and later returned to the Richmond area to get her Bachelor of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Gail graduated from the University of Richmond School of Law in 2001. Prior to forming her own firm, Gail clerked for Robert S. Carter, P.C. while in law school and worked for Tuck & Associates, PLC as an associate attorney. During her free time. Gail enjoys running and is a member of...

Jennifer G. Capocelli serves as the resident workers’ compensation authority at Allen & Allen, working out of the Richmond office. With more than 25 years of experience representing employers and their insurance companies in workers’ compensation cases, Jennifer provides valuable insight into how insurance companies handle and evaluate claims. Jennifer now eagerly puts that insight to work helping people who have been injured on the job.

Before joining the Allen Law Firm, Jennifer served as a Senior Trial Attorney at Hanover Insurance Group where she handled and litigated complex workers’ compensation cases involving permanent and total disability cases, brain injury...

Alexander was born and raised in the Richmond, VA area. He is an Eagle Scout and Member of the Order of the Arrow. Alexander attended the Virginia Military Institute on a lacrosse scholarship. After his Rat Year, Alexander transferred to Hampden Sydney College, where he graduated in 2002. Alexander worked as a law clerk for 3 years at Ayers & Stolte before attending Appalachian School of Law. He served as a law clerk for the Honorable John Alderman of Hanover Circuit Court in the Summer of 2007. Alexander graduated ASL with 112 hours of training in the theory, ethics and...

John Newby is the Managing Partner for the Chesterfield law office. John began working as a personal injury lawyer in 2001 after graduating from the Washington and Lee University School of Law. He has dedicated his career to helping injured people and their families and has handled thousands of cases. He is experienced in auto accidents, wrongful deaths, premises liability, and other types of personal injury cases.

Ms. Jenkins has been practicing law in Virginia since 2008 when she was admitted to the Virginia State Bar. She is also admitted in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She is experienced in various practice areas such as family law, construction law, landlord/tenant actions, estate administration, debt collection, and bankruptcy. She has appeared in Virginia juvenile and domestic relations district court, general district court, circuit court, and the Virginia Supreme Court.

Steve is an attorney at Financial Freedom Legal in Richmond, VA. His practice focuses on representing and protecting the rights of consumers in bankruptcy proceedings. Steve has extensive experience practicing bankruptcy law, having represented both debtors and creditors in bankruptcy proceedings. Since 2014, he has represented consumers exclusively, and he has helped thousands of clients file bankruptcy and navigate the bankruptcy process. Prior to that, he spent several years representing creditors in bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings. Steve is a member of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, the Richmond Bar Association, and the Henrico County Bar Association. He has...

Mr. Bean is a litigator who focuses his practice in medical malpractice defense and professional liability.

Prior to joining LeClairRyan, Mr. Bean represented national auto insurance companies, hotels, product manufacturers, and local municipalities in a variety of civil litigation matters. He specialized in representing insurance companies accused of mishandling personal injury claims and accused of bad faith insurance practices. He also handled high-value product liability cases in federal and state courts.

Mr. Bean also has experience defending creditors and financial institutions in foreclosure, unfair debt practices, bankruptcy, and other banking and real estate related matters. Additionally, Greg provides pro bono...

Mr. Bailey received a B.A. in Government from The College of William and Mary before enrolling at Regent University School of Law. While studying law, he served as Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Robert J. Humphreys in the Court of Appeals of Virginia and interned at the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. After receiving his J.D. from Regent, Mr. Bailey served three years as Law Clerk for the Chief Staff Attorney at the Supreme Court of Virginia, and was granted a Legal Fellowship at Virginia Commonwealth University before joining a local Richmond law firm focusing on...

I have practiced law for 42 yrs. I am now partially retired and limit my practice to wills and trusts, elder law matters, estates, guardianships and conservatorships. Before entering law practice, I served as a Police Officer, Police Chief, Director of Criminal Justice Planning and as an adjunct college instructor, teaching classes in law, police science and criminology. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 52 years and we have four children, Cecilie, Jocelyn, Andrew & Fredericka. My daughter, Cecilie Hamilton, has practiced law for 21 years and is located next door to my office in Colonial...

Kevin M. McGowan has been in practice since 1978. He received his J.D. in 1978 from the University of Virginia School of Law after graduating from Belmont Abbey College in 1975 (Magna Cum Laude). He is currently an Associate with Marks & Harrison, one of the largest personal injury firms in Virginia. He concentrates on workers’ compensation and personal injury.

Mr. Heelen attended the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law while working full-time. He brings considerable professional experience as both a successful corporate manager and former state judicial officer to his practice, which he established in 2012. Mr. Heelen's practice includes the following areas: business formation; business law; corporate law; corporate governance; contracts; trademark registration; regulatory compliance; landlord tenant; wills; and general practice. "Responsiveness and open lines of communication with my clients are hallmarks of my practice, and, in my opinion, critical to the success of any attorney client relationship. My clients don't have to contact me for...

For 30 years Standish Alexander has been a trial attorney. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia as well as a TC Williams school of Law. Mr. Alexander has handled literally thousands of DUI's, speeding tickets and criminal cases. Mr. Alexander has a rating of superb 10/10 on AVVO.com and an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and is listed by listed by The National Trial Lawyers as a top 100 trial lawyer and a top 25 lawyer for motor vehicle law.

Jim Garrett is a Principal of Carrell Blanton Ferris & Associates, PLC. and has practiced law for over twenty years. Before narrowing his practice to estate planning, his practice areas included real estate, business law and consumer protection. Today Jim uses his knowledge and experience in real estate and business in the estate planning context, especially in the areas of business succession planning, charitable giving and asset protection strategies.

Jim believes that estate planning is not just for the benefit of the client, but also for the client’s surviving loved ones, valued charities and later generations of the client’s family. That...

Anna focuses her practice on individual consumer and business bankruptcies, tax compliance and controversy, corporate and business law, and estate planning and administration. Prior to joining Harry Jernigan CPA Attorney, P.C., Mrs. Dunkum was Staff Attorney for the Chapter 13 Trustee for the Middle District of North Carolina- Greensboro Division. Mrs. Dunkum is admitted to practice in the United States Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina and the Eastern District of Virginia as well as all courts in the State of North Carolina and the Commonwealth of Virginia and U.S. Tax Court. ...

Attorney Scott Maxwell is an experienced attorney licensed to practice in Virginia, California, New York, and Connecticut (ret.). Attorney Maxwell's practice is focused on estate planning, probate administration, trust administration, residential real estate, and healthcare law.

Core Values
Compassionate representation of clients
Personalized attention
Prompt, open, and honest communication
Financially efficient representation
Meticulous attention to detail
Superb legal research

Admissions
Virginia
New York
California
Connecticut (retired)
Various Federal Courts

Education
St. John’s University School of Law, Queens, New York, Juris Doctor
Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, B.A., Philosophy

Areas of Practice
Estate Planning (Forming Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorney, etc.)
Probate Administration
Trust Administration
Residential Real Estate
Healthcare Law

Awards and Honors
New York State Bar Association Professor William R. Ginsberg Memorial Essay...

Ari graduated cum laude from Boston College Law School, where he was the Managing Editor of the Boston College Environmental Affairs Law Review. Originally from Boston, MA, Ari relocated to Virginia in 2011 after meeting his bride, Garland, and joined the Stapleton Elder Law family soon thereafter. The couple wed in Clarke County in 2012 and live “happily ever after” in Charlottesville. Ari and Garland welcomed their first child, Elspeth Margaret, in March, 2015. While Ari’s focus in on Elder Law and Asset Protection, he is also an expert on Veterans benefits. Ari takes the time to listen to...

I provide business counsel and commercial litigation services with an emphasis on trademark applications throughout the industrialized world, trademark licensing, franchising, trademark litigation, copyright applications and litigation, trade secrets, unfair competition, business and corporate law, and private equity transactions.

John Weber III is the President and founding member of WEBER LAW FIRM, PC. John began his legal career in 1992 after graduating from the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law. John began his legal career with a small law firm in Danville, Virginia, where he worked on a variety of civil and criminal cases. After gaining valuable trial experience, John moved to Roanoke to work with one of the largest law firms in southwest Virginia - Gentry Locke Rakes and Moore. While at Gentry Locke, John was assigned to defend complex civil litigation cases and gained extensive...

As the managing attorney at The Warren Firm, PLLC, Charlottesville lawyer T. Vaden Warren, Jr. devotes his practice to providing advocacy for injury victims in a variety of situations. He has more than 20 years of experience in the legal field. Attorney Warren is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association. For five years in a row, he has been selected for inclusion in the list of Super Lawyers®. He received his Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond School of Law. Contact his firm for a free case evaluation.