Best Divorce Lawyers in Northern Virginia
Joseph H. Beale
Divorce Lawyers
I am attorney Joseph H. Beale and I have been providing exceptional legal services for individuals and families in Northern Virginia and the District of Columbia for more than 20 years. Every client is important to me. Together, we will develop a strategy that fits your unique circumstances in order to meet your goals in a cost-effective, ethical and efficient manner.
Throughout my two decades as an attorney, I have helped countless clients resolve their legal matters. Regardless of the issues you may be facing, you deserve respect and personal attention from your lawyer. This is what I strive to give each of my clients, and it is what you can expect when you work with me.
My comprehensive practice protects all of your legal rights, including any issues that may arise during the course of the case. If a divorce client requires protection from domestic violence or abuse, I have the experience to act quickly. Many of my family law clients also utilize my estate planning services. My client-centered approach means that I will take the time to listen to you.
Sonya L. Powell
Divorce Lawyers
Ms. Powell has been practicing solely in the area of family law since 1994. By limiting her practice exclusively to family law, she has become well versed and knowledgeable in all aspects of domestic relations litigation. Ms. Powell has litigated or settled cases involving complex issues of equitable distribution including tracing of separate property interests, valuation of businesses, retirement issues, and significant financial investments and portfolios. Ms. Powell has represented clients in alimony and child support cases on all income levels. She has had substantial courtroom experience in successfully defending against, and advocating for, imputation of income to a party for support purposes and deviations from child support guidelines for such factors as a child’s special needs or private school costs. She also has litigated or settled child custody cases, involving diverse issues such as the admissibility of expert testimony of custody evaluators, substance abuse issues, domestic violence and relocation of a parent. Ms. Powell recognizes the emotional and financial benefits to her clients of resolving cases, if possible, without the necessity of going to court. Her primary goal is to settle cases through the negotiation process, which can include mediation, whenever possible. However, she is confident in her trial skills if her cases end up in court. Through the course of her representation, Ms. Powell’s clients can be assured that she will be a strong, knowledgeable and well-prepared advocate for their interests.
Ms. Powell receives a preeminent rating (AV) from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been listed in the treatise The Best Lawyers in America since 2012. Ms. Powell is recognized as one of Virginia’s Super Lawyers and one of the top 100 Super Lawyers in Virginia and top 50 women attorneys in Virginia. She was included in The Washingtonian magazine as one of Northern Virginia’s top family law practitioners since 2018 and listed as a top divorce lawyer by Northern Virginia Magazine.
Ms. Powell serves on the Board of Directors for the Falls Church-Mclean Children’s Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing early education to all children, regardless of socioeconomic status. She is also a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Virginia and Fairfax Bar Association.
Mehnaz I. Khan
Divorce Lawyers
Ms. Khan is the managing attorney at Mehnaz Khan Law, PLLC, and has been working in the legal field for over seventeen years in Northern VA and beyond. She is a graduate of The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law. She obtained her undergraduate degree in Science from The Punjab University and later completed her Masters degree in Physics from Quaid-e-Azam University. With extensive experience in Family Law, Bankruptcy and Immigration Law, most of her practice is devoted to litigation. She counsels clients throughout the Northern Virginia area in Federal and State Courts and has represented clients in the complex divorce matters, custody battles and support disputes. Her knowledge of military laws and the complex situations that military families face during these rough times has extensively helped her to achieve favorable results for her military member clients.
With Ms. Khan’s detailed knowledge of Bankruptcy Code, she has helped many of her clients with their bankruptcy needs. She is here to help those who are going through an unfortunate financial time in their lives.
An immigrant herself, Ms. Khan’s personal experience in obtaining United States Citizenship through Naturalization can benefit you as well. She is well versed with what it takes to obtain a U.S. Citizenship.
Bar Admissions:
- Virginia State Bar
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
Professional Memberships and Associations:
- Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar
- Bankruptcy Section of the Virginia State Bar
- Fairfax Bar Association (Family Law Section)
Ms. Khan is a resident of Fairfax County, Virginia. She is proficient in English, Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi.
Brian M. Hirsch
Divorce Lawyers
Brian has been a divorce attorney litigating and settling cases in Northern Virginia since 1985 and is certified by the Virginia Supreme Court in Family Mediation. He is listed in “The Best Lawyers in America”, Washingtonian magazine’s Top Divorce Lawyers, Northern Virginia magazine’s Top Divorce Lawyers and Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite”. Brian was presented with a 2017 Leaders in the Law award by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly for his extensive statewide work and leadership in Virginia family law.
He is the editor of the Virginia Family Law Quarterly, the official publication of the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar. Brian is a past Chair of the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section Board of Governors. He has been a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers since 2004. He is also a current member of the Virginia Bar Association Family Law Coalition and served on the Virginia State Bar Fifth District Disciplinary Committee.
Education
- American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
- J.D. – 1985
- Pennsylvania State University
- B.A., B.A. – 1982
- Honors: magna cum laude
- Honors: Phi Beta Kappa National Honor Society
- Major: Political Science
- Major: Religious Studies
Bar Admission
- Virginia, 1985
Published Works
- Brian M. Hirsch and Daniel V. Poliner, Virginia Family Law Trial Handbook: Pleadings, Evidence and Strategies , Virginia Continuing Legal Ed. Foundation, 2017
- Brian M. Hirsch, Term Sheet or Bust, Legal and Practical Implications of Term Sheets in Mediation, Virginia Family Law Quarterly, Vol. No. 37, Number 4, 2017
- Brian M. Hirsch, Unfaithfully Yours: Re-Examining Adultery as a Bar to Spousal Support, Virginia Lawyer, Volume 66, Number 1, 2017
- Brian M. Hirsch, Evaluative Mediation: Friend or Foe, Resolutions, Office of the Executive Secretary of the Virginia Supreme Court, Dept. of Judicial Services, Division of Dispute Resolution, Volume 25, Issue 5, 2016
- Brian M. Hirsch, Settlement or Bust! Ethical Implications of Late Night Settlements, Family Law News, Volume 31, Number 4, 2011
- Brian M. Hirsch, Just be Quiet, Virginia Lawyer, Volume 59, Number 3, 2010
- Brian M. Hirsch, Maximizing Your Chances of a Fee Award in a Family Law Case, Family Law News, Volume 30, Number 2, 2010
- Brian M. Hirsch, Assessing “Manifest Injustice” in Spousal Support Cases: Playing the Blame Game, Virginia Lawyer, Volume 55, Number 7 , 2007
- Betty A. Thompson and Brian M. Hirsch, A New Tool for the Divorce Lawyer: Using the Attorney Lien to Get Paid, Family Law News, Volume 26, Number 3, 2006
- Brian M. Hirsch, You Bet Your Spouse’s Life: Examining Virginia’s Position on Life Insurance in Divorce, Virginia Lawyer, Volume 53, Number 7, 2005
- Brian M. Hirsch and William C. Wood, Monitoring Mediation: Identifying and Monitoring Uncertified Mediators in Virginia, Family Law News, Volume 23, Number 3, 2003
Julie Curran Gerock
Divorce Lawyers
Julie Curran Gerock is a partner with Maddox & Gerock, P.C., in Falls Church, Virginia. Julie is licensed to practice law in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and North Carolina. She has been a family law attorney since 1999, representing her clients in complex cases, including equitable distribution, spousal and child support, child custody, visitation, relocation, and international family law cases.
Julie is known for her trial skills and while she is a zealous advocate within the courtroom, she strongly believes that most cases should be resolved outside the courtroom. In addition to litigation, she regularly represents clients through mediation and negotiation, using creativity and outside the box thinking to help her clients resolve difficult cases.
Julie also acts as a mediator for parties wishing to resolve their matters outside of court and is a Virginia Supreme Court Certified Mediator.
She has been recognized as a Best Lawyer in America for Family Law; one of DC’s Best Divorce Lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine; named by Virginia Lawyers Weekly as an Influential Woman in the Law in 2019; recognized in the Top 50 Women Attorneys’ list and Top 100 Lawyers list by Virginia and DC Super Lawyers; named as a Top Lawyer by Northern Virginia Magazine; and she is AV Preeminent peer-review rated through Martindale-Hubble, the highest rating, to include receiving the Judicial Edition AV Preeminent rating.
Julie is an active member of the Virginia State Bar, Fairfax County Bar Association (FBA), International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL), Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA) and American Bar Association. She has served on a number of committees, including: the executive committee of the Fairfax Law Foundation previously serving as past-President; IAFL Dispute Resolution Committee; co-chair of the FBA Law Practice Management Section; the Fairfax Circuit Court Committee; the FBA Young Lawyers Board; and the FBA Judicial Screening Committee.
Donald E. Anderson
Divorce Lawyers
For more than 20 years Don has been helping family law clients through often the most difficult time of their lives. Don’s wealth of knowledge and experience allows him to effectively represent clients in family law matter negotiations, mediation, and contested family law litigation. Don always emphasizes the importance of exploring all options and alternatives to litigation to resolve family law disputes, including Collaborative Family Law. However, Don understands that the only way to resolve some clients’ family law disputes is through litigation.
Collaborative Family Law is an alternate dispute resolution process available to parties who are committed to settling their separation and divorce or child custody dispute out of court, with their attorneys in a private, open, and respectful manner. By creating an atmosphere of open communication and cooperation, the Collaborative Family Law process allows both parties to preserve their dignity while they work toward a settlement that is acceptable to each of them, while maintaining some control over the outcome and avoiding the uncertainty of litigation. The Collaborative Family Law process will often involve the use of other professionals, such as financial planning professionals and mental health professionals. Don embraces this alternative to the frequently adversarial practice of family law, and Don has been representing clients in Collaborative Family Law matters since 2005.
Don is a member of the Family Law Sections of the Virginia State Bar and the Fairfax County Bar Association, and he has served on the Fairfax County Circuit Court Committee and Family Law Subcommittee. Don was recently asked to teach a continuing legal education class for members of the Family Law Section of the Fairfax Bar Association, and he looks forward to more teaching opportunities. Don is also a member of the Virginia Collaborative Professionals, a state-wide organization of Collaborative professionals in Virginia, and the Collaborative Professionals of Northern Virginia.
Areas of Practice
- Family Law 100%
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, 1995
Education
- George Mason University School of Law, Arlington, Virginia
- J.D.
- Oberlin College
- B.A.
- Major: history
Sean P. Schmergel
Divorce Lawyers
Sean P. Schmergel co-founded Schmergel & Mersberger, PLC over 17 years ago and has continued to hone his legal practice before the local courts, developing a reputation as a zealous and thoughtful family law advocate. A resident of Northern Virginia for over 30 years, Mr. Schmergel holds a genuine concern for the legal matters that affect the members of his community, and he devotes his practice to helping families throughout the Northern Virginia jurisdictions of Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Prince William and Loudoun, as well as Washington, D.C., with all of their complex and emotional legal challenges.
Focusing exclusively on family law, Mr. Schmergel has achieved extraordinary success advocating on behalf of the rights and best interests of those he serves who are going through divorce or other family law cases, helping them with their issues involving child custody and support, alimony, property division, and other related matters. He also delivers effective prenuptial and other marital agreements, assists with modifications and enforcements, and provides much-needed support for domestic abuse victims seeking protections for themselves and their children, or those wrongly accused and in need of a vigorous defense.
Mr. Schmergel has extensive experience settling cases through mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution, helping his clients resolve their conflicts and reach agreements without the need for costly, drawn-out litigation; however, as a highly-rated and seasoned trial attorney, he will not hesitate to fight hard on behalf of his clients in court when necessary. He has litigated many high-conflict divorce and child custody cases, including international custody disputes. As a father, Mr. Schmergel holds a particular concern for children caught in the divorce process as well as for those in abusive situations, and he serves as guardian ad litem for children throughout Northern Virginia.
Alan C. Bowden
Divorce Lawyers
Mr. Bowden’s practice concentrates on family law, divorce and domestic relations issues in Juvenile Court as well as Circuit Courts throughout Virginia. Mr. Bowden has extensive experience representing individuals in all aspects of family law mediation and litigation and has represented clients in Northern Virginia Courts as well as Courts in Prince William County, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County and Fredericksburg. Mr. Bowden is focused on helping individuals solve their problems and settle their disputes without the need for litigation. However, when settlement fails, Mr. Bowden is an experienced trial lawyer who has litigated cases in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia for 25 years.
Mr. Bowden is admitted to the Bars and practices in Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C., as well as the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. He is also a member of the Virginia Bar Association. Mr. Bowden is active in both Bar and community related activities.
Mr. Bowden received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech (B.S. Finance) in 1991 and his law degree from DePaul University College of Law in 1998. He also earned his LL.M. degree from Georgetown University in Securities and Financial Regulation in 2002.
Having the best divorce lawyer in Northern Virginia can offer numerous benefits if you’re going through a divorce or separation. While legal proceedings can be emotionally challenging and complex, having a skilled and experienced attorney on your side can significantly impact the outcome of your case. Here are some potential benefits of having the best divorce lawyer:
Expertise and Knowledge: The best divorce lawyers are well-versed in family law, particularly the specific laws and regulations of Northern Virginia. They have a deep understanding of the legal processes, paperwork, and requirements associated with divorce cases.
Strategic Advice: A skilled lawyer can provide you with strategic advice tailored to your unique situation. They can help you understand your rights, obligations, and potential outcomes, enabling you to make informed decisions throughout the divorce process.
Negotiation Skills: Divorce cases often involve negotiations over various aspects such as property division, child custody, alimony, and more. A top divorce lawyer can negotiate on your behalf, aiming to achieve the best possible terms while protecting your interests.
Asset Protection: If you have substantial assets or complex financial holdings, a skilled lawyer can work to protect your financial interests during the divorce proceedings. They can help ensure a fair distribution of property and assets.
Child Custody and Support: If you have children, custody and support arrangements can be emotionally charged and legally intricate. The best divorce lawyers can help you navigate these sensitive matters, advocating for the best interests of your children.
Reduced Stress: Going through a divorce is emotionally challenging. Having a competent lawyer can alleviate some of the stress by handling legal matters on your behalf and providing guidance throughout the process.
Paperwork and Documentation: Divorce involves a significant amount of paperwork and documentation. A skilled lawyer can ensure that all necessary paperwork is properly completed, filed, and submitted, minimizing the risk of errors that could delay the process.
Mediation and Alternative Dispute Resolution: If you prefer to avoid a courtroom battle, the best divorce lawyers are often skilled in mediation and alternative dispute resolution techniques. These methods can help you reach a settlement more amicably and efficiently.
Legal Representation: Having a strong advocate in your corner can level the playing field, especially if your spouse has hired their own lawyer. Your lawyer can protect your rights and interests in court and negotiations.
Faster Resolution: With an experienced attorney, your divorce proceedings are likely to move more smoothly and efficiently, potentially leading to a quicker resolution.
Long-Term Benefits: The outcomes of your divorce can have lasting effects on your life. A skilled lawyer can help secure favorable terms regarding property division, alimony, and other financial matters, which can have a positive impact on your post-divorce financial stability.
Remember that while having the best divorce lawyer can provide significant advantages, it’s also important to find an attorney who you feel comfortable working with and who understands your specific needs and goals.