Topping Lawyers

I, Von L. Piersall, III, founded my law practice in 2001, which has since grown into a well-recognized firm handling personal injury, criminal law, and family law cases. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from East Carolina University, a Master of Science in Counseling from Longwood College, and a Juris Doctor from the University of Richmond. Before practicing law, I dedicated my efforts to assisting young individuals involved with the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice and worked at the Pines Treatment Center as well as a group home in Norfolk. Throughout my career, I have successfully had matters heard across...

Bar and Court Admissions: Virginia State Bar (1977) and Alabama State Bar (1977); State Bar of Texas (1981); U.S. Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit; 1979; U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit (1981); U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit (1984) Education: University of Virginia, B.A., with high distinction (1974); University of Virginia, J.D. (1977)

If you are searching for a Norfolk criminal defense attorney, you should look no further than Curcione Law. Attorney Matt Curcione has a thorough understanding of criminal law, and he is prepared to assist you today. He received his Juris Doctorate from Regent University, after earning his Bachelor’s Degree from Niagara University. While he was in law school, he worked at the Virginia Beach Police Department. He filled the following different positions at the police department: on the oceanfront’s community policing squad, as a precinct patrol officer, and as a warrant and fugitive officer. These various positions gave him invaluable...

Going through a divorce or custody situation is one of the most stressful times in a person's life. I know first hand. I've been there, and I understand what you are going through.

It was awful for me, but having a competent, caring, empathetic, and responsive attorney on your side helps more than you can imagine. I'd love to help you in your difficult times to move forward to a happy "new normal."

Ray Hogge is the founding member of Hogge Law.

Labor and employment law is the focus of Ray's law practice. Since 1989 Ray has represented public and private employers across Virginia in employment-related litigation, mediation, and administrative proceedings, and has advised and represented them in all aspects of labor and employment law, including hiring, firing, discharge, discipline, personnel policies, human resource management, workplace investigations, employment contracts, noncompete agreements, equal opportunity in employment, wage and hour laws, executive compensation, employee benefits, workers’ compensation, workplace safety, and employment risk management.

Ray is a graduate of the College of William and Mary...

A former Coast Guard judge advocate, John B. Gately has successfully represented clients in hundreds of courts-martial, medical boards, and administrative proceedings.

John B. Gately focuses his practice on military disability and veterans’ rights issues, concentrating on representing active duty service members, Reservists, and Guardsmen before the Physical Evaluation Boards of the various armed and uniformed services.

This includes representing clients before the various Boards of Correction for Military and Naval Records on both disability and nonmedical issues.

He also represents veterans on levels of claims before the Department of Veterans Affairs nationwide. John B. Gately has been awarded the coveted AV rating...

Darren Meyer is a Fredericksburg area Criminal Defense and Traffic Attorney. Mr. Meyer practices traffic and criminal law throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia including but not limited to Spotsylvania County, Fredericksburg, Stafford County, King George County, Caroline County. Mr. Meyer will aggressively defend your case and strives to obtain the best results for his clients in all criminal matters. Attorney-client communication is something we feel is an important aspect to defending a criminal case. Being charged with a crime can be a stressful time in someone's life. It is...

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...

Brent Rowlands founded the Law Offices of Brent Rowlands to help clients who are in need of legal representation for their tax and IRS-related matters. Brent has been advising individuals and businesses in taxation matters for 25+ years. His legal background includes an LLM degree in taxation and experience working at large firms that have advised clients on tax planning strategies. At his firm, you can expect hands-on counsel and cost-effective solutions to your tax dispute. Get to know Attorney Rowlands and see how he can make your tax case as stress free as possible.

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...

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,...

At the law office of Sidney H. Kelsey, Jr., P.C., I bring nearly 40 years of experience to people across Hampton Roads, the Eastern Shore and throughout Southeastern Virginia, who have concerns about a criminal matter or a personal injury case, including workers' compensation. My father and grandfather were both attorneys before me. I honed my craft in my father's law practice, gaining substantial trial experience in the state and federal courts throughout Virginia. I have built my practice on a commitment to personal service and attention, working directly with my clients at all stages of the legal process. ...

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...

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...

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.

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...

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...

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.

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...

Former 14 year Police Officer 19 year member of the Chesapeake School Board

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.

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.

Samantha Lewis focuses her practice on all areas of family law and civil litigation, guiding her clients through the process with skill and empathy. She joined Manassas Law Group in August 2022 after her time as a law clerk for the Honorable Carroll A. Weimer, Jr. of the Prince William County Circuit Court. Born and raised in Northern New Jersey, Samantha moved to Virginia to attend George Mason University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude as a member of Phi Beta Kappa. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Government and International Politics, she attended George Mason Antonin Scalia Law School, graduating...

Prior to joining The Reed Law Firm, Mr. Reed graduated near the top of his class at the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law. During his time at Dickinson, Mr. Reed was privileged to serve on the Board of the Dickinson Law Review in the position of Notes Editor. His work experience includes clerkships with the United States Department of Justice, Civil Division and The Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania. Mr. Reed also served as an associate at a large nationally recognized law firm for approximately six years. Mr. Reed is a member of the Virginia Bar and the Prince...

Mr. Collins focuses his IP practice in the field of information technology, however, his clients include high and low technology companies that need advice on how to develop, protect, transfer or maximize their return on intangible assets. While not a member of the patent bar, Mr. Collins has conducted trials and litigated matters in the United States federal courts concerning patent, trademark, trade dress, copyright and unfair competition actions, as well as trade secret actions in the local courts.

Mr. Collins also counsels businesses in the field of government contracts. His extensive experience in federal procurement includes: review and assessment of...

Ms. DeFede practices primarily in the areas of education law, family law, juvenile law and criminal defense. She has represented clients in all state courts in Northern Virginia, the Court of Appeals of Virginia, the Supreme Court of Virginia and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Ms. DeFede has extensive litigation experience in the areas of criminal law, ranging from misdemeanors to serious felonies. Likewise, she has litigated nearly every facet of family law, such as protective orders, support, custody disputes and complex equitable distribution. Ms. DeFede has also represented clients...

I represent people charged with all types of offenses in the courts of Northern Virginia. I take great pride and joy in defending people from the government.