M. Powell Peters

Ashley E. Nimitz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Ashley E., who practices law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been recognized since 2026. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Ashley E. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Georgina Montgomery is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Georgina, who practices law in Norfolk, Virginia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Georgina is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. Ms. Montgomery has been practicing law for over 14 years. Her previous position at an insurance c...

C. Arthur "Brother" Rutter III is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Admiralty and Maritime Law and Personal Injury Litigation - Plaintiffs. Brother, who practices law in Norfolk, Virginia, has been recognized since 2016. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Brother is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area. A second-generation lawyer, Brother Rutter made a name fo...

Jim is Chairman of the firm’s Litigation Practice Group. His primary practice areas include admiralty, business, cybersecurity, data privacy, railroad/transit, and unmanned systems. Jim has tried over 100 cases to jury verdicts for clients involving a broad range of legal disputes. Jim advises governing boards and senior leadership regarding risks and resolution strategies in high-profile cases. His service as general counsel to companies, and as a director and officer of several non-pr...

Cynthia Chaing is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Cynthia, who practices law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Cynthia is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Richard N. (Rick) Shapiro has practiced as a Virginia Beach personal injury lawyer for over three decades in Virginia, North Carolina, and throughout the Southeastern United States. A relentless personal injury trial attorney, he was named a 2022 Leader in the Law by Virginia Lawyer’s Weekly. American inventor & product designer (18 U.S. patents, Radio Flyer patent license). Amazon #1 best-selling thriller author. During his three-decade career, Shapiro has won client appeals before...

Allison received her Juris Doctor in 2001 from Loyola University School of Law at New Orleans. After law school, Allison returned to Virginia and clerked for an Administrative Law Judge with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC for one year. Thereafter, she worked as an associate at McKenry, Dancingers, Dawson & Lake from 2003 to 2006, as an associate and partner at Kaufman and Canoles from 2006 to 2015, and as a partner at Parks Zeigler from 2015 to 2022. Allison’s has exclusi...

Patrick L. Maurer is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law. Patrick L., who practices law in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has been recognized since 2020. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Patrick L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Todd J. Preti is a Founding Shareholder in the Law Firm of Midgett Preti Olansen. Mr. Preti is a graduate of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia, and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. While at the T.C. Williams School of Law, Mr. Preti was a merit scholar and was named to the University of Richmond Law Review and the Moot Court Board. Mr. Preti practices in the areas of estate planning, estate and trust administration, f...

Carlton Bennett is recognized as an expert in traumatic brain damage litigation, nursing home malpractice and wrongful death caes. Mr. bennett was co-counsel in the largest mild-traumatic brain injury jury verdict, $10.2 million, ever awarded in Norfolk Circuit Court. He specializes in mild brain damage cases, but also handles moderate and severe cases. He has obtained numerous multi-million dollar jury verdicts and settlements for traumatic brain injury survivors, and other cases involving s...