Find Lawyers in Virginia, United States for Commercial Litigation
Practice Area Overview
Litigation increasingly occurs in various venues, from state and federal courts to private arbitrations and administrative hearings. Proceedings can involve business-to-business disputes or any number of government agencies. Understanding the motivations and outlook of each of the litigation participants is important for determining weak points to exploit and strong points that will persuade the audience in question. During the past decade, commercial litigators have seen a dramatic uptick in multidistrict and inter-disciplinary litigation, making the stakes higher, the cases more complex, the parties more numerous and the discovery more complicated and unwieldy. Firms that are able to develop and implement a creative legal approach to each individual problem, efficiently focus on the key legal and factual issues, and master and manage the various aspects of these complex matters will be the busiest in the years to come.
In the current challenging economic climate, commercial litigators are under increasing client pressure to keep costs in check, which has both sides testing the efficacy of alternative fee arrangements and the scope of reasonable discovery. Whether the “death of the billable hour” is ultimately realized, the keys to a commercial litigator’s success will continue to be strong client relationships, thought leadership, practical management skills, deep experience, and personal commitment.
Select a city from the list below to find the best legal talent for your needs.
Cities
Alan Albert is a nationally-honored trial lawyer who has represented clients from Muhammad Ali to multinational corporations in a broad array of commercial disputes, white-collar criminal investigations and prosecutions, intellectual property litigation and other governmental and regulatory matters. Mr. Albert has been recognized in The Best Lawyers in America continuously for the past 20 years, and is one of a small number of lawyers in the country to be recognized by Best Lawyers in six dis...
Eddie Bagnell serves on Spotts Fain's executive committee and is secretary of the firm. He is a litigator whose practice includes a wide range of civil litigation matters, including business torts, commercial litigation, real estate disputes, eminent domain, construction, employment, insurance coverage and defense, and estate litigation. Eddie's experience includes trials and appeals in state and federal court throughout Virginia, as well as proceedings before the Virginia State Corporation C...
As a trial lawyer for over 30 years, Bruce Blanchard understands the pressure, expense, frustration, and uncertainty that litigation imposes upon a client. In order to achieve a desired outcome in court, Bruce works with his clients to define their priorities and develop a strategy that achieves the clients’ objectives. He brings common sense, an affinity for people, and a commitment to ethics in both his civil and criminal practice. Bruce believes hard work, preparation, and identifica...
Jim is Chairman of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. His primary practice areas include admiralty, business, cybersecurity, data privacy, railroad/transit, and unmanned systems. Jim has tried over 100 cases to jury verdicts for clients involving a broad range of legal disputes. Jim advises governing boards and senior leadership regarding risks and resolution strategies in high-profile cases. His service as general counsel to companies, and as a director and officer of several non-pr...
Bob Cox is a commercial trial attorney with over two decades of experience. He litigates all types of business cases in courts across the nation. Bob also represents clients in government investigations by such agencies as the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Bob handles a wide range of litigation and government enforcement matters involving: Accounting firm...
Hugh Fain has been a litigator and dispute resolver for over forty years. With broad experience as a civil trial attorney, his practice has focused on commercial and business litigation. Hugh is licensed in both Texas and Virginia. Hugh has tried cases and resolved disputes involving multi-million dollar contract breaches, corporate governance, preservation of intellectual property rights, business tort claims, employment discrimination claims, construction and real estate litigation, trust a...
Heather is a seasoned litigator who focuses on defending manufacturers of pharmaceuticals, automobiles, industrial equipment, and consumer goods in products liability cases involving high-value catastrophic injury and wrongful death claims in state and federal courts. She has tried bench and jury trials to verdict as first and second chair.
David is a principal in the law firm of Blankingship & Keith, P.C. in the City of Fairfax. He is a civil litigator with over 30 years of trial practice, primarily before the various Virginia Circuits Courts in Northern Virginia as well as the Federal Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia. He also has substantial appellate experience arguing before the Supreme Court of Virginia and the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. His practice has concentrated on commercial ...
Ms. Harden has 20 years of civil litigation experience in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She has litigated diverse and varied topics throughout her career including eminent domain, breach of contract, medical malpractice, construction defect, partition, establishment of prescriptive easement, professional liability, covenant enforcement, and actions to quiet title. In recent years, Ms. Harden’s practice has focused on representing condemning authorities in eminent domain matters. Ms. Har...
Jim Hundley has over 30 years of experience litigating complex criminal and civil cases. He regularly represents individuals and corporations before Virginia’s state and federal courts. He has defended clients involved in a broad range of criminal matters including bank fraud, bid rigging, bribery, embezzlement, tax evasion, and computer fraud. On the civil side, Mr. Hundley has successfully handled cases involving a wide variety of issues including breach of contract, tortious interfer...
‘Keeper of the values’ – and trusted advocate for the legal needs of business and life It was personal curiosity that drew Chris Malone to the field of general civil practice to serve the needs of small and medium-sized companies, contractors, licensed professionals, self-employed individuals, business owners, and people or families in need of legal support. Committing nearly his entire career to ThompsonMcMullan, Chris served 20 years as president and managing director of t...
Connell Mullins represents a wide range of clients in business disputes. He has acquired substantial bench and jury trial experience in federal and state courts, as both lead and local counsel, for plaintiffs and defendants in a broad array of contested matters, including financial services litigation, products liability and personal injury cases, regulatory proceedings before Virginia's State Corporation Commission (SCC), contract and business tort cases, employment litigation, intellectual ...
Excelling in the craft and challenge of appellate law John concentrates his practice in appellate litigation and motions practice in both federal and state courts. “I love the craft of legal writing, and the challenge of persuading through effective written and oral advocacy is immensely fun and rewarding”, says John, a former Supreme Court of Virginia clerk for Chief Justice Kinser. Driven by that experience and embracing the challenge of effective advocacy, John offers a variety...
Amy is a partner at BrigliaHundley. After graduating cum laude from Wake Forest University, she attended law school at the University of Florida, College of Law, where she graduated with honors and was a member of the Order of the Coif. She is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. Amy focuses on employment law, providing counseling and support to executives throughout the region. Her success in this area r...
A trusted litigator in Virginia’s state and federal courts As a litigator, Will Prince’s work is often adversarial. But it is his focus on high-quality legal work and the diversity of cases, not a love of confrontation, that led him to become one of Virginia’s most reputable trial attorneys. “It’s the variety. It’s an appreciation for the details. Every case is different, and I enjoy applying my knowledge and learning about each issue to solve puzzles and p...
Kim, a Martindale-Hubbell AV Preeminent rated attorney, is one of the founding Partners of the insurance subrogation firm of Rathbone Group, LLC. Recognized as a National Women in Law Honoree, a Super Lawyer Rising Star for 4 years, as an Inside Business One to Watch, and as one of the Top 25 under 35 in Cleveland, she has focused on insurance subrogation throughout her entire legal career. Kim was elected Managing Partner in 2019. Her responsibilities include supporting the firm’s clie...
Doug Ross understands that sometimes litigation is necessary to get the result sought by his clients. With 30 years of courtroom experience, he has the willingness and ability to efficiently try those cases that cannot be settled in a manner satisfactory to his clients. A seasoned trial attorney, Doug has extensive experience with both jury and non-jury trials. His broad litigation practice includes banking, real estate, title insurance, shareholder and partnership disputes, and defamation. W...
Bob Scully is a Member based in the Alexandria office, where he is a member of the Business Litigation Service Group. His practice focuses on complex business tort, trusts and estates, construction, real property and intellectual property litigation. He has 35 years of trial experience in federal and state courts of Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia.
About LeClairRyan \ Attorneys Charles M. Sims Riverfront Plaza, East Tower 951 East Byrd Street, Eighth Floor Richmond, Virginia 23219 Phone: 804.343.5091 Fax: 804.783.7655 charles.sims@leclairryan.com vCard Biography Charles M. Sims is a partner with and heads up LeClairRyan’s Business Litigation Practice. Mr. Sims regularly litigates in federal and state court all manner and types of complex commercial disputes, including claims for officers’ and directors’ liability and p...
Ryan is the 2024 President of the Virginia Bar Association. He handles high-stakes litigation with a focus on complex business disputes, construction law, and maritime law. He also serves as local counsel in the Eastern District of Virginia in patent and other cases. He was managing partner from 2012 to 2020. Ryan’s experience includes state and federal jury trials, mediations, panel arbitrations, and appeals. His cases involve business conspiracies, technology disputes, government cont...
A trusted problem-solver, litigator for business, individual, and government clients Over the years, Billy Tunner has built a reputation with clients as the one who stays calm in the face of mounting pressure and adversarial forces. General counsel of large national companies, government attorneys, insurance companies and professionals trust Billy for his counsel and success litigating in Virginia’s state and federal courts, and before state agencies. “I love what I do,” say...
Jim is an AV® rated trial lawyer who has tried more than 200 cases to verdict in the federal and state courts in Virginia and the District of Columbia. Jim focuses on complex civil litigation, including defense of professional malpractice lawsuits against design professionals, accountants and lawyers, construction defects, business and contract disputes, product liability, toxic torts, and catastrophic injury and wrongful death matters. Jim’s broad range of trial experience, often d...
Most clients would call Buckley Warden brutally honest. “That level of honesty may cost me work, but it sets appropriate expectations in our relationship and a precedent of trust,” says Buckley. “Some attorneys will promise whatever the client wants to hear in order to get the work. I will never do that.” Such honesty also creates client confidence in Buckley’s role as a litigator, where he represents and defends small- and medium-sized businesses, including cons...
Thomas M. Wolf is a trial lawyer focusing on business litigation, particularly in cases involving construction law, employment law, intellectual property, general commercial law and international law. He heads the Richmond office of Miles & Stockbridge. In addition to his notable litigation practice, Tom acts as general counsel to a number of companies. He is former president of the International Alliance of Law Firms, a network of business-oriented law firms from around the world. He als...
An immersive litigator who connects with clients, as well as judge and jury When she represents clients in litigation, Rachel Adams immerses herself in her clients’ businesses to become part of their team. “When you’re representing an organization, you have to know the day-to-day life of your client’s business to represent them effectively,” Rachel says. “I enjoy embedding myself with clients and connecting to them on a one-on-one basis. You can’t get...
Shirin Afsous has significant litigation experience, regularly interacting with clients and developing case strategy. She focuses her practice on complex commercial litigation, including government contracts (including claims and protests), labor & employment, financial services litigation, and commercial contract disputes across the country in state and federal courts. She also appears regularly in administrative proceedings, including assisting clients involved in governmental investiga...
An attorney with local roots and a litigation practice bolstered by trial and appellate experience Growing up in the Northside’s Ginter Park neighborhood, Peter Askin knows Richmond by heart. He attended high school at Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, which draws its student-base from 14 nearby jurisdictions and strongly encourages students to become active in the local community. “Whether it was volunteer work or running all over the city for the cross-country team, I re...
Matt Yanovitch's practice focuses on trust and estate disputes and litigation. His practice includes representation of executors, administrators, trustees, heirs, and creditors in disputes involving wills, trusts, and inherited property. He is experienced in probate matters, guardianship and conservatorship proceedings, elective share and augmented estate proceedings, constructive trust cases, petitions for aid and direction of the court, and matters involving powers of attorney. He has testi...
Clay Hester is a commercial litigator with experience representing clients in a wide range of matters in state and federal court, including complex contract and business disputes, construction litigation, employment litigation, and intellectual property litigation. Clay regularly works with clients to resolve disputes efficiently outside of the courtroom. He has experience serving as lead counsel in mediations, arbitrations, and settlement negotiations. In addition, Clay is experienced in con...
Elizabeth Horn focuses her practice on all aspects of civil litigation in state courts, federal courts, multidistrict litigation, and regulatory agencies, including Louisiana Public Service Commission (LPSC), Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners (LSBME), and Office of Workers Compensation (OWC). She evaluates and manages cases through legal research, drafting pleadings and memoranda, defending depositions, responding to discovery requests, and managing document review projects. Elizabet...
Henry Jones is a trial lawyer with CowanGates. His practice focuses on civil trial work, with an emphasis on personal injury law. Henry practices in all trial courts of the Commonwealth, and has successfully acted as both lead and co-counsel for jury trials in Circuit Court and bench trials in General District Court. Henry has argued before and drafted briefs to the Virginia Supreme Court. He was recognized in the 2021 Edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the areas of commercial litigati...
Our Methodology
Recognition by Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer review. Our methodology is designed to capture, as accurately as possible, the consensus opinion of leading lawyers about the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same geographical area and legal practice area.
The Process
Best Lawyers employs a sophisticated, conscientious, rational, and transparent survey process designed to elicit meaningful and substantive evaluations of the quality of legal services. Our belief has always been that the quality of a peer review survey is directly related to the quality of the voters.