Coles Point Family Lawyers

Jim Gochenour grew up in the Fredericksburg area and Westmoreland County, Virginia. He graduated from the preparatory school Woodberry Forrest, received his Bachelor of Arts degree from The College of William and Mary in 1984 and his law degree from the University of Richmond’s T.C. Williams School of Law in 1987. He began practicing law in a small general practice as an associate, then as partner in a firm and then as a solo practitioner. In 1992, Jim was introduced to criminal law from the perspective of the prosecutor when the judges of the 15th Judical Court appointed him...

Erica Giovanni Baez focuses her practice on family law. Erica understands the exceptionally difficult emotional, spiritual, and financial challenges often presented by divorce and other domestic relations matters. Her vast litigation experience, and especially her personal experience as a mother, guides her as she works diligently and vigorously to help her clients craft solutions and continue to prioritize their children’s best interests amidst such difficulties.

Erica is a certified Guardian Ad Litem for children and is licensed to practice law in both Virginia and Florida. She is frequently lectures at legal education seminars. She currently serves on the Board of Directors...

Cherise Dyann Loy, formerly Cuevas is an attorney handling Collaborative, Family & Personal Injury Law. Our firm helps with Consent & Step-Parent Adoptions, International Adoptions, Re adoption, Special Immigrant Juvenile Petitions, Abuse & Neglect, CPS/Department of Family/Child Protective Services Cases, Child Custody, Divorce, Support, Alimony, Separation Agreements, Uncontested Divorce, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Prenuptial Agreements, Post-Nuptial Agreements, Name Changes, Birth Certificate Corrections.

Van Smith focuses his practice on family law and estate planning, including divorce, custody and support matters. He is the sole owner of SMITH | STRONG, PLC, with offices in Richmond and Williamsburg, Virginia. Van’s family law practice resolves complex divorce, related tax and business issues, custody and support plans, property distribution, integrated solutions for wealth preservation and management post-separation, civil litigation, defense of juvenile and domestic relations court criminal matters, and estate planning. He also practices elder law, assisting families with planning effectively for nursing home costs. We recognize many of our family law clients are in...

STEPHEN V. SOMMERS (licensed in Virginia 1999, Texas (1997), Maryland (1996)), was born at Camp Pendleton, CA, October 4, 1956 and educated at Troy State University (B.S., Summa Cum Laude, 1981), Golden Gate University (M.A., 1986) and American University (Juris Doctor, 1995). Mr. Sommers retired from the United States Air Force at the rank of Major after 22 years flying fighter aircraft. Mr. Sommers has been admitted to practice before the United States District Courts for the Fourth Circuit and the Tenth Circuit and all Virginia Courts. He is a member of the American Trial Lawyers Association, the...

I graduated from Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C. in 2001. I received my undergraduate degree in psychology at Arizona State University in 1991. I was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 2001. Since then, I have been practicing law in Virginia with an emphasis on family law matters, including divorce, custody & visitation, child and spousal support, and domestic violence.

Michael graduated from the University of South Carolina Pettigrew School of Law in 1969 with a Juris Doctor. He was a finalist in the Prince Competition, where he demonstrated exceptional ability in appellate advocacy. He was a recipient of the American Jurisprudence Award in Conflicts. While in law school, he was selected by the NAACP to travel to Memphis, Tennessee. There, he helped investigate police brutality in connection with the Memphis riots that followed the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. He was a member of Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity. Among lawyer associations, Michael was admitted to both...

Sara Leiner Schuler is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), and practices all aspects of family law in the Northern Virginia area, including Divorce, Child Custody, Child Support, Spousal Support and Alimony, Prenuptial Agreements, Step-Parent Adoptions (including Same-Sex Step-Parent Adoptions), Uncontested Divorces, and Enforcement Issues. Ms. Schuler also represents clients in the Collaborative Divorce process, a voluntary team-based approach in which a couple chooses to divorce without contested litigation to best meet their respective individual needs and the needs of any minor children.

Ms. Schuler practices family law in both the Circuit and Juvenile and Domestic Relations...