The Plains Lawyers

Bernard "Bert" van Gils works in the areas of estate planning and business law. His business practice includes general counsel services, local and international business transactions, copyrights, trademarks and non-profit organizations. He has facilitated, negotiated and drafted transactions for companies active throughout the United States and for companies conducting business in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia. As he was a business owner before becoming a lawyer, Bert especially enjoys assisting business owners with establishing and growing their businesses. He has assisted businesses in information technology, retail and wholesale sales, engineering, building and home contracting, printing,...

Hi, my name's Bobby Feisee and I'm an estate planning attorney in Ashburn, Virginia (VA). I founded my firm, Insight Law, because my passion is working with people and helping them plan for the future. I tell everyone that estate planning is absolutely critical for properly organizing and planning the financial future of you and your loved ones. I realized this through a difficult personal experience I had with a loved one. My father was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and I reviewed his estate plan (i.e. his Will, Trust, Power of Attorney and Medical Directives). I realized I made a terrible...

Karen L. Cohen is a Shareholder with the law firm of Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, P.C (VF&N). Her practice focuses on commercial real estate and business transactions, including real estate development, land use and zoning, commercial leasing, commercial lending, and purchase and sale contracts, as well as advising clients in negotiating a variety of business contracts such as operating agreements, supplier agreements, asset purchase and sale agreements, and shareholder agreements. As an attorney with a prior career in architecture and a master’s degree in Real Estate Development, Karen’s legal knowledge is enhanced by her understanding of the business...

Douglas J. Sanderson provides legal services in the multiple areas of commercial real estate, family law/domestic relations, and business organizations and transactions. In his family law/domestic relations practice, Doug counsels and represents people who seek legal assistance with, for example, separation agreements, divorces, and issues of child custody and visitation, equitable distribution, and support (spousal and child, as may apply), as well as, on a happier note, pre-nuptial agreements. Doug’s practice includes litigation as well as other methods of problem-solving, and he strives to assist clients in finding resolutions that avoid or minimize litigation, and to further that...

Elizabeth Vaughan believes that everyone who walks into a family lawyer’s office needs three things: A good listener, an educated counselor, and a fierce advocate. By first getting to know her clients and understanding what is important to them, Elizabeth then works with clients to make a plan that achieves their goals and takes the anxiety out of the court process. Elizabeth has practiced law in Virginia for fourteen years.

Elizabeth is a graduate of Penn State University and William and Mary Law School. In addition to divorce, custody, and support matters, Elizabeth has a particular expertise in adoption and child...

Sharon Moss is an associate at Farrell & Croft, P.C. practicing family law and estate planning. She is experienced in handling every type of family law matter in Virginia, including separation, divorce, custody and support cases. In her estate planning practice, Ms. Moss drafts wills, trusts, advance medical directives, living wills, and powers of attorney.

A native Virginian, Ms. Moss is a military spouse, and has lived in many states over the last 16 years. She graduated cum laude in the top 20% of her class from the William S. Richardson School of Law at the University of...

A shareholder at Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, Kristina has been practicing law for over twenty-five years, and has a perceptive understanding of her client’s legal needs. Using her extensive experience and knowledge, Kristina provides innovative solutions that are specific to each of her clients. Her experience includes Employment Law, Civil Litigation, and Municipal Law.

Kristina is a highly ranked speaker and trainer on the topic of Employment Law issues. She has most recently played a large role in hosting one of the largest annual Employment Law Summits in Virginia for the past several years. Kristina uses her experience in leading organizations...

Shannon Johnson is the founding attorney of the Law Offices of SK Johnson. Shannon has focused her practice area related to all criminal matters and claims for disability.
After graduating summa cum laude from Utah State University she attended Pepperdine University after having been granted the Dean’s Scholarship. During the final year of her education, she relocated to Washington DC to work at Department of Justice in the Office of the Pardon Attorney. As the first full-time law clerk at the Agency, she processed a majority of the requests from federal inmates requesting an early commutation (colloquially a pardon) of their...

Provide legal advice regarding Federal contracts to small businesses in the following areas: Contractor Performance Assessment Report System reports; protection of intellectual property; review and draft subcontracts, non-disclosure agreements and teaming agreements; review and revise compliance programs; investigations and mandatory disclosures; and accounting systems/cost principles. Available as a mediator for U.S. Government contracting issues between private parties.

As a criminal defense attorney, John has fought aggressively for his clients’ rights in cases involving serious felonies, including murder, malicious wounding, drug possession/distribution, white-collar crimes, and sex crimes (e.g. rape, child pornography) as well as all types of misdemeanors, including DUI, assault and battery, and simple driving infractions, such as reckless driving. As a civil litigation lawyer, John has experience in both jury trials and bench trials, and has represented clients in cases worth millions of dollars. Early on in his career, he litigated patent infringement cases all over the country. Over the years, he has continued to excel in...

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...

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...

Forrest E. White is a sole practitioner based in Leesburg, Virginia practicing in the areas of real estate, corporate and business law, employment law, family law, wills and estate planning and general civil litigation. Mr. White currently serves as of counsel to more than thirty privately held corporations and limited liability companies in Northern Virginia, including Blue Ridge Title & Escrow, Inc. Prior to founding Forrest E. White, P.C. in 2003, Mr. White was in the general counsel's office of a corporate investigations and security firm responsible for, among other things, the corporation's transactional documents, corporate compliance and oversight, and litigation...

Kelly King was born and raised in Northern Virginia.  After graduating from the College of William and Mary, she then attended University of Virginia School of Law.  Upon obtaining her law degree, Ms. King first worked as a prosecutor in Central Virginia.  She quickly realized her true passion was in defending clients in need.  Ms. King worked for almost seven years at the Public Defender's Office in Loudoun County, where she handled every type of case from minor traffic offenses to First Degree Murder.  

?Ms. King now enjoys private practice, where she continues to take on all types of criminal cases and...

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.

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...

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...

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

Nicole Naum is an experienced criminal defense attorney in Virginia. Ms. Naum has handled a wide variety of criminal cases, including DUI defense, drug cases, assault cases, and reckless driving cases to name a few. Ms. Naum is licensed to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia and the District of Columbia. She is a member of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She attended the University of Michigan, and earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, where she graduated in the top quarter of her class. Ms. Naum was also named the 2014...

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...

Brett Callahan is a Litigation Associate at Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian. Her focus in approaching any case is to identify and work toward the solution that is tailored to best serve her client’s needs. That means approaching problems from different angles to come up with the most practical and cost effective way to achieve her client’s goals, either through traditional negotiations and litigation or use of alternative dispute resolution options. Brett takes a client driven big picture approach to her representation, working with clients to not only address current concerns but identify future vulnerabilities and fix them...

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.

Martin Crim is a shareholder at Vanderpool, Frostick & Nishanian, and has been practicing law for over twenty-five years, primarily for cities, towns, and other local governments. His practice areas include land use development, code enforcement, eminent domain, social services, tax valuation and collection, human resources, Freedom of Information Act, water and sewer, electric utilities, Virginia Public Procurement Act, and municipal franchises.

-Town Attorney, Culpeper, Occoquan, Haymarket, & Middleburg
-Assistant Town Attorney, Herndon
-City Attorney, Manassas 2011 – 2018
-Staff Attorney, Prince William County Schools, 1991 – 2007
-School Board Attorney, Manassas City, 1992 – 2009

Rick Nishanian is a highly respected real estate attorney. He is well known for his ability to craft legal documents for complex situations, ranging from complicated loan documents to multi-faceted business transactions. Clients appreciate his responsiveness and his attention to detail.

In January 2011, Donna opened Donna Dougherty Law within a few blocks of the Prince William County Courthouse. Her firm focuses on Family Law issues and she represents children in custody and abuse and neglect situations. She and her staff work as a team to advocate for their clientâs interests and in moving on to the next stage of their lives. In 2005, Donna began practicing law in Virginia focusing on civil litigation to include family and real estate litigation. Donna has fine-tuned her practice and focuses on family issues where marriages and/or relationships are dissolving and legal assistance...

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