Heather Szajda

Neil Cowan is a knowledgeable, accomplished attorney whose practice focuses in the areas of personal injury, criminal defense, civil and commercial litigation, and insurance defense. Neil was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1988. He earned his B.S. degree in History and Religion from Hampden-Sydney College and a J.D. from the T.C. Williams School of Law of the University of Richmond. In addition to being recognized by Best Lawyers since 2015, Neil was selected as a Barrister of the John...

Edward L. Allen is an accomplished attorney and personal injury lawyer with nearly four decades of experience representing individuals and families in complex personal injury and wrongful death matters. Since joining Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen in 1987, he has built a distinguished litigation practice focused on helping injured clients pursue fair outcomes through the legal system. He is licensed to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia and has represented clients in state and...

J. Thomas “Tom” O’Brien Jr. is a shareholder at Spotts Fain PC in Richmond, Virginia, where he serves as head of the firm’s Corporate and Business Transactions Practice. For more than 40 years, Tom has advised businesses, owners, and management teams on a wide range of corporate and business matters. Tom’s practice includes Corporate Governance Law, Corporate Law, and Mergers and Acquisitions Law. He represents clients in corporate and LLC governance matters and ...

Jim Walker is a Martindale Hubbell AV rated trial lawyer with almost four decades of experience representing licensed professionals in complex civil litigation and professional liability matters. His practice focuses on the defense of attorneys, accountants, architects, engineers, and other regulated professionals facing claims involving malpractice, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and related business disputes. Throughout his career, Jim tried over three hundred cases to verdict. He ha...

Eileen M. Talamante is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice areas of Administrative / Regulatory Law and Health Care Law. Eileen M. practices law in Richmond, Virginia Best Lawyers has recognized Eileen M. Talamante since 2023. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Eileen M. Talamante is held by other lawyers.

Jay Fries graduated cum laude from Washington and Lee University and received his law degree from the Law School of the College of William and Mary, where he served as an editor of the Law Review. Jay represents employers in all areas of labor and employment law, including discrimination, wage and hour, unfair labor practice and employment tort cases. He is an active member of the Maryland, Virginia and Baltimore County bar associations, and the Labor Law Section of the American Bar Associati...

Christopher Spinelli is a lawyer recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Christopher practices law in Richmond, Virginia Best Lawyers has recognized Christopher Spinelli since 2027. The Best Lawyers recognition is based on a peer-review survey of lawyers in the same geographic region and legal practice area. The recognition reflects the professional regard in which Christopher Spinelli is held by other lawyers.

Sandra has represented corporations in hundreds of courtrooms across the country. The nature of her defense work varies but overwhelmingly involves defending catastrophic exposure products liability matters, often in her role as first chair national trial counsel.

James Kessel is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. James, who practices law in Richmond, Virginia, has been recognized since 2027. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which James is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. James enjoys being in court and believes each and every case should be handled from the beginning as if it we...

Edward “Eddie” Bagnell serves on the executive committee of Spotts Fain PC and is secretary of the firm. Based in Richmond, Virginia, Eddie represents businesses, property owners, employers, insurers, and individuals in a broad range of civil litigation matters in state and federal courts throughout Virginia. Eddie’s practice includes Commercial Litigation, Litigation - Labor and Employment, and Litigation - Real Estate, as well as matters involving business torts, eminent d...