Harrisonburg Lawyers

“It is not hyperbole to say that Bradley R. Haywood has changed the entire legal landscape in Virginia. As the founder of Justice Forward Virginia, he revolutionized the criminal justice reform movement throughout the Commonwealth” — Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Brad Haywood has practiced criminal defense for over two decades, including 7 years as Chief Public Defender for Arlington County & the City of Falls Church, Va, 8 years as an Assistant Public Defender in Alexandria, and 6 years with Sheldon, Flood and Haywood, PLC. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and Columbia Law School. In the course of...

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. ...

Mark S. Lindensmith is a native of Missouri, and he is a 1976 honors graduate of Missouri Western State College. He received his law degree from the University of Nebraska in 1979 and was admitted to the Nebraska State Bar in 1979. He has been a member of the Virginia State Bar since 1981, and he is a member of the American Association for Justice and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

I have been engaged in the full-time practice of trial law since 1976. During that time I have tried hundreds of jury cases to conclusion and countless other non-jury actions. The focus of my practice is personal injury, medical malpractice, and product liability.

Robert Katz is one of the leading personal injury attorneys in the nation. For three decades, he has built one of the most successful personal injury practices. His practice employs six attorneys with approximately one hundred years combined experience as well as ten paralegals. He has obtained in excess of two hundred million dollars in compensation for his clients. He enjoys the highest peer review rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Mr. Katz prides himself in having developed the loyalty of many immigrant groups including the Asian, Spanish, African, Middle-Eastern, and many other populations that reside in the Mid-Atlantic region. Mr. Katz is currently a...

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...

Joe DiPietro is the Founder of DiPietro Law Group, PLLC. He is experienced handling complex cases in state and federal courts involving international custody disputes under the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction at the trial and appellate levels, international and domestic divorce, and complex cases involving spousal support, custody and visitation, child support, and enforcement of awards on behalf of clients. Joe’s philosophy and mission is to make family transitions and conflict a time for personal growth and powerful positive change, in addition to advocating for the best possible result for his client in...

Dedicated to making the law accessible for all, Michelle is committed to helping clients navigate the complexities of personal injury law. She strongly believes that everyone deserves to have their voice heard and is eager to amplify the voice of every client. After obtaining a combined Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in English from the University of Georgia, Michelle attended the University of Richmond School of Law where she gained invaluable experience working with vulnerable populations through her numerous internships and externships. From those professional experiences, she has learned the importance of hard work, perseverance, and transparency.

Deborah N. Arthur has built a long-standing reputation in the Fairfax County, Virginia community for being an attorney with a drive for success. Earning her B.S. in Business Administration from George Mason University in 1977, she continued her education, earning her J.D. from George Mason University in 1982, after spending two years at the Department of Justice. Since then, she has assisted those in need of legal representation in matters concerning divorce, bankruptcy, personal injury, family law, and estate matters. So, what separates Mrs. Arthur from the crowd? She understands that bad things sometimes happen to good people. That's why she...

Robert C. Lehrman is the principal attorney at Lehrman Beverage Law, PLLC. Robert founded the firm in 2001 after 12 years at the Washington, DC office of a larger firm that specializes in federal and state administrative law. From 1998 until 2001 Robert was the partner in charge of the firm's Washington, DC office. Mr. Lehrman concentrates on the federal regulation of alcohol beverages (beer, wine and spirits). He has advised many companies on the production, labeling, advertising, and taxation of a wide variety of consumer products: foreign and domestic, with and without alcohol, fit and unfit for beverage purposes. He has helped...

Since 1997, we have been offering our domestic and international clients a broad range of legal services in the area of U.S. immigration. Our office in Reston (Fairfax County), Virginia is conveniently located in Northern Virginia, just off the Dulles Toll Road, within 7 miles of Dulles Airport and within a half hour drive of Washington, DC, Loudoun County, and communities throughout the greater DC metro area, including Alexandria, Arlington, Ashburn, Falls Church, Fairfax, Herndon, Leesburg, McLean, and Sterling. For over ten years our office has been representing individual clients and companies throughout the United States as...

Ms. Bochenek is a corporate attorney valued for her expertise, pragmatic approach to business issues, commitment, and efficiency. Ms. Bochenek has more than 20 years of experience representing a diverse group of private-sector businesses, entrepreneurs, consultants, and nonprofit organizations and providing comprehensive legal advice throughout the full life cycle of their enterprises. Many of her clients are limited liability companies for whom she provides sophisticated advice relating to entity formation, management, governance, capital strategy, joint-venture relationships, employment law issues, and purchase and sale transactions. She is an experienced contract drafter and negotiator who guides clients in understanding complex contractual terms...

Chris DeSimone joined the GRDD Law team in 2007 and manages the firm’s corporate and transactional division. Chris serves as general corporate counsel to numerous small businesses in the Washington metropolitan area and beyond. Chris tackles a wide range of legal projects for his business clients, including:

Establishing new start-up companies and assisting with initial registrations.
Preparing operating/shareholder agreements carefully tailored to meet the needs of business owners.
Providing counsel on business sale transactions, including asset sales, stock sales, mergers, and other acquisitions.
Reviewing, revising, and negotiating commercial...

Dipo Akin-Deko is the Managing Director of Akin-Deko Professional Services Firm. Mr. Akin-Deko focus is on Business and Employment law, Public and Private Sector Contracts and Business Consulting. Specialties: Mr. Akin-Deko represents businesses as well as individuals in business formation, business and commercial litigation, negotiations, contract dispute and formation, liability assessments, not for profit representation, licensing and labor/employment defense. Mr. Akin-Deko has consulting experience includes corporate strategy, strategic planning, private and government contracting/sub contracting advising.

Sakeena Farhath is a Managing Attorney at DiPietro Law Group, PLLC. She is a passionate advocate for our clients, helping them work to achieve the best possible outcomes for their cases. Sakeena is experienced in handling high-conflict custody and visitation cases, as well as cases with complex financial issues. Prior to joining DiPietro Law Group, PLLC, Sakeena served as a judicial intern for the Honorable Thomas P. Mann in the Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. She also worked at the Office of the County Attorney in Fairfax, assisting on child custody issues collaboratively with the Fairfax County Department...

Zainab obtained her Juris Doctorate from the Antonin Scalia School of Law in Arlington, Virginia. Zainab has successfully conducted trials and represented corporate clients in the traditional courtroom setting, as well as, in arbitration and mediation proceedings in both New York City and Northern Virginia. After gaining years of litigation experience, Zainab shifted into the transactional side of law, reviewing, drafting, and negotiating contracts for businesses and professionals, structuring deals, and providing corporate governance counseling. Zainab’s experience in litigation has given her a clear sense of how contract language might be used in court — having tried cases for...

Theodore Briscoe is no stranger to court appearances, having represented more than 2,000 clients across the state of Virginia. With over 6 years of experience in criminal trials, he prides himself in his ability to advocate on the behalf of others.

Originally from Baltimore, Theodore is now living in the hustle and bustle of of downtown Richmond. During his time at Ithaca College, Theodore studied abroad in China, Morocco, and Spain whilst obtaining his Bachelor’s in Business Administration with concentrations in Finance and International Business.

He made the decision to attend William and Mary Law School, where he was one...

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...

Elizabeth has been litigating since law school, where she won her first trial as a student with the Georgetown University Juvenile Justice Clinic, defending juveniles in delinquency matters before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. Elizabeth has been a defender from the first day of law school, having worked at the Fairfax County and Alexandria City Public Defender offices, as well as interning with the Office of the Pardon Attorney for the United States Department of Justice. After graduation and passing the bar, she became an Assistant Public Defender for the City of Fredericksburg and the Counties of...

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...

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...

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...

Christopher Mays received his BS from Virginia Tech and JD from the George Washington University Law School. Chris has received various awards for his work as a family law attorney, including recognition as a “Top Lawyer” by Northern Virginia Magazine. He has lectured at Continuing Legal Education seminars for the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and local bar associations in Northern Virginia. He has also written for the Journal of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and co-authored written materials for Virginia CLE (Continuing Legal Education). As an attorney, Chris focuses his practice on representing individuals and families in matters relating...

David Deitch leads the White Collar Defense and Corporate Compliance practice at Berenzweig Leonard. David is an experienced white collar trial lawyer who has tried more than 100 jury trials to verdict in federal and state courts around the nation. In serving his clients’ interests in criminal defense, civil, regulatory, and administrative matters, David brings to bear a lengthy tenure as a state and federal prosecutor, as well as years serving as defense counsel for blue chip businesses and individuals.

David’s diverse white collar background includes years of public service in the Justice Department and as a state prosecutor. David served...

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.

Cherie Parson works exclusively as an employment attorney and has a unique professional background as a former Human Resources Professional that has enabled her to work effectively in representing individual employees.

She represents public and private employees in matters pertaining to their employment: discrimination (race/color and national origin, gender, religion, and disability), harassment, retaliation, wrongful termination, severance negotiation, restrictive covenants or non-compete agreements, medical leave issues (FMLA), state and local grievances, and unemployment claims.

As an employment attorney, Ms. Parson provides clients an understanding of their employment rights, empowers them to protect their interests, and advocates on their behalf. She provides counseling,...

Kyle graduated from Radford University in 2006 where he double majored in History and Political Science. He made the decision to continue expanding his education and went on to graduate cum laude from the University of Richmond, TC Williams School of Law in 2011.

While in law school Kyle served as Symposium Editor on the Journal of Law in the Public Interest, today known as the Public Interest Law Review. It was during this time that Kyle participated in several activities that continued to build upon his wealth of experiences’. He served as an active member of the Trial Advocacy Board...

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. ...