Woodbridge Family Lawyers

Retired U.S. Marine Corps judge advocate practicing family law, criminal law, military law and general litigation.

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...

John P. Lavinus IV is a Senior Associate at the DiPietro Law Group, PLLC in the Fairfax office, where he works with individuals who are dealing with divorce, custody, support, and other significant family law issues throughout Northern Virginia. John believes that every client’s case is unique and requires special consideration and works to provide each and every one of his clients with a strategy that is tailored to their specific needs. John is a Virginia native, hailing from Richmond where he attended the Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School for Government and International Studies, before going on to receive a...

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...

John Irving brings a working knowledge of all aspects of the legal process to any case or client with his extensive and eclectic legal background. In 1997, John received his undergraduate bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Shortly after graduation he began work as a fraud investigator for the City of New York. John handled thousands of cases involving welfare and housing fraud. Following this position, he was recruited to and employed the Prince William County Police Department where he exhibited his superior abilities and received several commendations and awards. After a brief time with the police department, John decided to make...

Melanie Hubbard is a founding partner at Malinowski Hubbard and practices exclusively in family law. She has successfully litigated multiple cases involving child custody, property and asset division, grandparents’ rights, property settlement agreements, and more. An active member of the legal community, Attorney Hubbard helped author Chapter 3 – Support and Property Provisions in Separation and Support Agreements – of “Negotiating and Drafting Marital Agreements” handbook. She also contributed to the Virginia Family Law Coalition’s report to the Virginia Senate Rules Committee (October 2013) revolving matters of parental control and third party infringement. Her peers selected her for the 2016...

Mr. Leahy is a former Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for Fauquier County. As a former prosecutor, he brings to the firm knowledge and experience from one of the local Commonwealth Attorney’s Offices.

Tracy Ford, a native of South Carolina, graduated from Columbia University School of Law in 2008. During law school, Tracy was a member of the Public Interest Law Foundation, a Moot Court Student Editor, and a member of the Journal of Gender and Law. She spent the summer following her first year of law school as a legal intern for Equality Now, a women’s human rights organization, in Nairobi, Kenya. Her work in Nairobi centered around researching and documenting the work of international nongovernmental organizations in the campaign to ratify the Protocol on the Rights of Women...

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 am located in Fairfax, Virginia and serve the Northern Virginia area. My practice focuses primarily on Estate Planning, Criminal Law, and Personal Injury.

Stephanie L. Duran is an associate attorney in the DiPietro Law Group, PLLC Fairfax office. Although a native of Northern Virginia, Stephanie earned juris doctorate in both the United States and Canada as part of a select program between the University of Windsor and University of Detroit-Mercy. While in law school, Stephanie volunteered as a student attorney for the University of Detroit-Mercy’s Urban Law Clinic, providing legal services to Detroit’s elder community. She also worked for legal aid of Windsor, Ontario, providing valuable services to the Windsor community. Following graduation from law school, Stephanie returned to Northern Virginia where she began...

Shirley Chim is an attorney with a solid foundation of professional experience in the areas of Family Law matters. Shirley has worked with families and individuals in Northern Virginia to help them understand the processes and complexities that are often presented in divorce, child custody, support, equitable distribution, adoption, and protective orders. Not only is Shirley a nationally ranked, skillful, and aggressive litigator, but she's also an effective negotiator and believes in empowering her clients in settlement and mediation where appropriate. Shirley is flexible and creative in her approach to law and works side by side with her clients...

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...