Penn Laird Business Lawyers

I represent small, medium, national and international businesses, non-profits and individuals on a wide variety of corporate and business matters, including forming companies, drafting and negotiating contracts, dealing with employment matters, handling real estate and land use issues, collecting receivables, and defending and prosecuting litigation. I also assist many clients with their elder care, estate planning and estate administration needs, including drafting wills and trusts, assisting with the appointment of guardians and conservators, and the Virginia probate process. I strongly believe that clients receive the best legal services from an attorney who is intimately familiar with their businesses and goals....

K. Matthew Long is a Partner at Bowen Ten Long & Bal, PC, specializing in personal injury litigation and general civil litigation. With a passion for solving problems and delivering results, he upholds the highest ethical standards, prioritizes prompt and personal communication with clients, and consistently delivers on his commitments. As an experienced litigator, Mr. Long has successfully handled numerous complex trials, settlement conferences, and negotiations. He is dedicated to achieving his clients' goals quickly and efficiently, often resolving matters without the need for prolonged litigation. His approach emphasizes the science and art of negotiation, ensuring that his clients' best interests...

Eric Perkins is a business attorney focusing on small business startups and acquisitions, franchising, nonprofits, and Regulation D private offerings. Filling the void between "Big Law" and the Legal Zooms of the world, Perkins Law is pleased to offer flat fee packages for many of its services. He works with leaders in a wide variety of industries from real estate syndicators to healthcare professionals to restaurant owners to pro wrestlers. Eric is active in the tennis community as chair of the USTA Tennis Rules and Regulations Committee and an advisory board member of the Richmond Tennis Association.

Ashley F. Morgan is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is also authorized and admitted to practice law in the United States District Court and the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She has dedicated the majority of her legal career helping clients file Chapter 7, 11, and 13 in the Eastern District of Virginia. Ashley works with both individual and business debtors to find the best solution to their debt problems. She is regularly in bankruptcy court in Alexandria, VA or attending 341s with our clients.

Ashley is fluent in both English...

Andrew P. Connors is the managing partner of Darkhorse Attorneys. He focuses his law practice on business law, intellectual property law, contracts, civil litigation, and mediation. He also serves as an adjunct law professor and heads the intellectual property program at Liberty University School of Law, where he teaches intellectual property, trademarks, and the school's USPTO certified Intellectual Property Clinic. Super Lawyers Magazine named him a Rising Star for Appeals, Business Litigation, and Intellectual Property from 2012-2023. He was also named as part of the "Legal Elite" for Intellectual Property law by Virginia Business Magazine. He has previously served as the...

Chuck has practiced in Winchester and throughout northern Virginia since 2007. He is both a lawyer and a Certified Public Accountant (with an LL.M in Tax and Estate Planning) and worked in public accounting before attending law school. Chuck’s practice focuses on complex estate planning and administration matters, resolving tax disputes, business planning, choice of entity, conservation easements and other business matters. Chuck has extensive training in complex estate and business matters and his practice focuses primarily on business owners and families with more than $1 million in liquid assets. Chuck regularly works to resolve family disputes, establish business...

Evan joined Bean, Kinney & Korman, P.C. in 2024. Since 2013, Evan has worked as outside corporate counsel for entities ranging from small tech startups to large multinational trade groups and corporations. For his corporate clients, his representation includes: contract preparation, negotiation and review; mergers, acquisitions and sales; governance oversight; regulatory compliance; intellectual property licensing; and non-litigation employment law matters, among others. Evan received his J.D. from the George Washington University Law School (2013). While in law school, he was a legal extern for the Department of Labor's Civil Rights Center, the U.S. Marshals Service's Office of General Counsel, the Maryland...

Michael Strong is a practicing lawyer licensed in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. He has practiced law since 1980. He is a graduate, with Honors, of the University of Dayton School of Law, and was a member of the Law Review and National Moot Court Team during his studies at the University of Dayton. He is a former member of the Virginia Boyd Graves Conference on Legislative liaison between the Bar and legislature of Virginia. He is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, and the District of...

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....

Seddiq Law Firm (SLF) knows what’s involved with real estate transaction whether you are buying, selling, investing, flipping, financing, or refinancing a residential or commercial property. SLF will advice and counsel you on the best structure and form of a company, and guide you in protecting your assets and securing your and your family's financial future with an estate planning.

Stephen has been licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia since 2010. In 2011, after completing his law degree and passing the bar, Stephen founded Quest Law PLLC, a solo practice, in Richmond, Virginia. Since then, he has been practicing as a litigator in Chesterfield, Henrico, and Richmond City courts. He represents clients who have been charged with a variety of criminal offenses and also handles family legal matters that require litigation. Contact Quest Law PLLC in Midlothian to schedule a meeting with Stephen.

JD is an associate attorney at Cook Craig & Francuzenko, PLLC. JD joined Cook Craig & Francuzenko after previously working for Stern & Eisenberg. JD concentrates his practice on constitutional rights, civil rights, business, and commercial law. JDis licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. He is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, Fairfax Bar Association and the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. JD appears primarily in the Ciricuit and General District courts of Northern Virginia. JD obtained his Bachelors of Science in Political Science from University of Maryland Global Campus, while living in the...

Ralph P. Albrecht is a US Registered Patent Attorney, an intellectual property (IP) lawyer specializing in patent, trademark, copyright, trade secret, and related business transactions, licensing, contracts, and enforcement and litigation. Ralph works in northern Virginia and has offices in Reston, VA, and works with clients from Fairfax, Prince William, Loudoun, Fauquier, Montgomery counties, as well as throughout the DMV, Washington, DC metropolitan area from Baltimore, MD, to Roanoke, VA, to Washington, DC. A former Am-Law 100 law firm Practice Group Leader, Ralph is experienced in management and leading lawyers and legal practices, as well as practicing in all areas...

Mr. Ersoy is a New York-based attorney specializing in immigration law, international business law, and corporate law. With extensive legal training and experience both in the United States and Turkey, he brings a unique international perspective to his practice. After earning his LLB from Istanbul University, he furthered his education at Columbia Law School, where he completed his Master of Laws and contributed as a Research Assistant in International Investment Law and Arbitration. His professional journey includes significant roles across diverse legal settings. Currently, as a Managing Attorney at Capitol Law Partners PLLC, he leads initiatives and strategies that support clients through...

Founded in 2015 by managing partner Glenn B. Manishin, ParadigmShift Law LLP represents the premiere application of Internet technology to the practice of sophisticated business law. In today’s complex environment, validating business models and navigating the labyrinth of regulatory barriers impacting innovation takes a lawyer who can see an issue from all angles and understands the bigger business picture. Our focus is on expertise, not legalese. On demand, real-time advice is our watchword — no "it depends" or memos here. We bleed for our clients and we love startups!

Jeff focuses his practice on advising middle market and emerging growth companies, as well as venture capital and private equity fund investors, in avoiding, managing, and mitigating risk and litigation associated with corporate transactions and business operations. In addition to his strategic risk advisory practice, Jeff acts as a business advisor to companies and investors on general corporate and business law matters, helping them realize their strategic business objectives and goals while managing their risk exposure. Jeff’s practice includes assisting companies and investors with mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, negotiating and drafting complex commercial contracts, financing, corporate governance, entity...

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...

Will focuses his practice on middle market M&A and private equity transactions. Will advises investors, including private equity funds and VC firms, and assists emerging growth companies, in both sides of private capital raises. Will’s M&A practice focuses heavily on Insurance Brokerage Agency and broad ranging Technology transactions, but he has led deals in industries as varied as automobile dealerships to municipal landfills. For nearly ten years prior to law school, Will was a small business owner and entrepreneur, that experience provides a unique perspective to his corporate practice as he focuses on efficient and practical results. Due...

Attorney

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...

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...

Jake is an associate attorney at Gentry Locke, one of Virginia's oldest and largest law firms. His practice focuses on intellectual property, technology law, media/entertainment, mergers & acquisitions, and other commercial transactions. Jake has extensive experience with all aspects of intellectual property, technology-based contracting, IP licensing deals, and other related commercial transactions. He has also litigated intellectual property cases in various federal courts across the country and has registered countless trademarks and copyrights. Jake's scholarship has been published by the peer-reviewed American Intellectual Property Law Association Quarterly Journal, the Trademark Lawyer Magazine, and the Liberty University Law Review, where he...

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...

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,...

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...

My path to becoming a trial lawyer wasn’t a straight one. Early on, I dreamed of being a charter-fishing boat captain. But I quickly realized that a career in law, especially litigation, offered me the opportunity to help others while channeling my competitive spirit. I’ve had the privilege of trying numerous cases across courts throughout the Commonwealth, handling appeals, and successfully arguing before the Virginia Supreme Court. I thrive on stepping outside my comfort zone and tackling new challenges head-on. Before founding Merrick Brock, I spent over a decade defending insurance companies. Over time, their tactics—manipulating cases, undermining claims, and offering victims...

Attorney Mark Paullin has more than 29 years of legal experience, which includes insurance defense work. His experience with both sides of the process allows him to prepare his clients for what may come their way as well as has enabled him to insightfully and aggressively represent his clients with their Personal Injury case, Diminished Value or Diminution case. Mark handles Speeding cases, DUI/DWI cases, and Reckless Driving cases as well as other other Traffic Court matters around the Richmond Metro area. Experience Counts. When you hire the Paullin Law Firm, your case won't be handed off to benchwarmers or...

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,...

Skilled trial lawyer. ...

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...

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.

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...

After completing his undergrad with honors at the University of Toronto in Canada, Mr. Raheen moved to New York and attained his Juris Doctorate Law Degree (J.D.) and Master of Laws Degree (LL.M.) at the New York Law School and Fordham University School of Law, respectively. Following his post-doctorate graduation, Mr. Raheen worked with the prestigious NY law firm of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, where he gained and reflected their successful motto of attention to detail in high quality work product. Mr. Raheen and his family moved closer to family in the DC...

I am a senior litigation attorney known for my strategic precision and grounded approach in tackling high-stakes legal issues. My drive is fueled by a commitment to deliver effective, customized solutions that produce tangible results. My knack for blending thorough preparation with inventive problem-solving has established me as a reliable advocate in the courtroom. Before my tenure at BerlikLaw, I was a Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Loudoun County, representing the Commonwealth of Virginia in prosecuting a broad spectrum of felony and misdemeanor offenses. Over my four years as a prosecutor, I handled complex litigation involving vehicular crash data, computer and...

Following the attacks on September 11, 2001, Chris entered the United States Navy as an Intelligence Specialist Petty Officer. While serving, he studied at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law.

Chris is admitted to practice law in all Virginia General District and Circuit Courts, the Virginia Court of Appeals, the Virginia Supreme Court, the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern and Western District of Virginia, and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. In 2008, he was a contributing author on the Virginia Continuing Legal Education publication, “Defense of Serious Traffic Cases in Virginia.” Chris is a...

I am a solutions-oriented, service provider with a background in real estate and business law. Prior to law school, I worked in real estate sales, property management, and investments. Throughout law school, my focus was on real estate and business. As a legal professional, I have held positions as an attorney providing services to the low-income and as a judicial law clerk working for a trial court judge providing research, legal drafts, and recommendations. Now, as a legal professional at Woehrle Dahlberg Jones Yao, I supplement my knowledge and experience with those in the firm to...

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...