Keeping tabs on the economy
Legal Elite lawyers offer perspectives from their specialties
Published
Bankruptcies are falling, multifamily real estate activity is in high gear, but low interest rates alone won’t get some other construction projects moving.
Those are some of the observations made by members of the 2013 Virginia Legal Elite, a group of 868 lawyers selected by their peers as leading attorneys in 16 categories.
Virginia Business began publishing the list in 2000 in collaboration with the Virginia Bar Association. This year the magazine emailed electronic ballots to nearly 11,600 Virginia lawyers and provided a ballot on its website. All licensed lawyers in Virginia are eligible to vote.
More than 1,200 attorneys participated in this year’s Legal Elite, submitting 3,348 nominees. Of those roughly a quarter made the final list.
In the following pages, the magazine profiles a representative from each category. They are selected from the top 10 vote-getters in each group, but they are not necessarily the ones with the most votes. Lawyers who have been profiled in previous years were not eligible.
Legal Elite lawyers have their fingers on the pulse of the state economy. For example, Christopher A. Jones, a partner with Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLP in Falls Church, says bankruptcy filings are falling. “Bankruptcy filings under all chapters are down from 2012, with commercial filings experiencing the largest drop,” he says. “This trend coincides with the upturn in the general economy.”
In line with that good news, Thomas J. Colucci, a principal with Walsh Colucci Lubeley Emrich & Walsh PC in Arlington, says the Virginia real estate market is showing signs of revival, especially in multifamily residential projects.
“The office market remains somewhat sluggish, and I would anticipate that may continue until there is a little more stability brought to bear on anticipated government spending,” he says.
Robert K. Cox, chair of the Construction Practice Group of Williams Mullen in Tysons Corner, makes a similar point in explaining the influence of low interest rates on construction projects.
“Low interest rates are but one factor in encouraging new construction and alone cannot kickstart construction spending,” he notes.
Cox points out educational facilities make up one of the largest nonresidential building sectors. However, budget constraints and limited growth in the student population “have kept this building sector down despite historically low interest rates.”
In sum, the economy’s getting better, but we aren’t back yet.
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Leslye S. Fenton, Odin, Feldman & Pittleman PC, Reston
LIST
Appellate Law
Frank K. Friedman, Woods Rogers PLC, Roanoke
LIST
Bankruptcy/Creditors' Rights
Christopher A. Jones, Whiteford Taylor & Preston LLP, Falls Church
LIST
Business Law
George H. Roberts Jr., Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver PLC, Harrisonburg/Lexington
LIST
Civil Litigation
Christopher Malone, ThompsonMcMullan PC, Richmond
LIST
Construction Law
Robert K. Cox, Williams Mullen, Tysons Corner
LIST
Criminal Law
Patrick H. O’Donnell, Kaufman & Canoles PC, Norfolk
LIST
Family Law/Domestic Relations
Mary Burkey Owens, Owen & Owens PLC, Midlothian
LIST
Health Law
Thomas W. Greeson, Reed Smith LLP, Falls Church
LIST
Intellectual Property
Marshall M. Curtis, Whitham, Curtis, Christofferson & Cook PC, Reston
LIST
Labor/Employment
Lisa A. Bertini, Bertini & Hammer PC, Norfolk
LIST
Legal Services/Pro Bono
Phyllis C. Katz, Sands Anderson PC, Richmond
LIST
Legislative/Regulatory/Administrative
Dale G. Mullen, McGuireWoods LLP, Richmond
LIST
Real Estate/Land Use
Thomas J. Colucci, Walsh Colucci Lubeley Emrich & Walsh PC, Arlington
LIST
Taxes/Estates/Trusts/Elder Law
Neil L. Rose, Willcox & Savage PC, Virginia Beach
LIST
Young Lawyers
Gretchen M. Ostroff, Vandeventer Black LLP, Norfolk
LIST
