Top best Civil Lawyers Near me in ZIP 23219

Call Today for a Free Consultation.. Chris Pitera is a trial attorney practicing personal injury law at the firm of Cannella & O’Neal. Chris represents persons who have been injured through no fault of their own in courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. He is an experienced, passionate, and effective attorney-advocate. His main focus is promoting his clients’ total recovery. To that end, he works tirelessly and zealously so that his clients can obtain the best possible recovery in their case.. Prior to joining Cannella & O’Neal, Chris was an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Attorney General’s Office. In that capacity, he has tried numerous civil cases to verdict, settled hundreds more, and recovered millions of dollars for his clients. Among other things, Chris handled property damage claims on behalf of the Virginia Department of Transportation. He also handled hundreds of medical lien reductions on behalf of MCV Hospital, so he understands how to best maximize recoveries for plaintiffs.. Chris is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Virginia State Bar – Young Lawyers Conference, Richmond Bar Association, and American Bar Association.. Chris has the highest rating of “Top Attorney” and received the Clients’ Choice Award for 2016 through 2020. He was named 2021 Virginia Rising Star by SuperLawyers.. Chris received his undergraduate degree from the State University of New York – Stony Brook, where he graduated magna cum laude and a member of the prestigious Honors College. Before going to law school, Chris was a White House and Congressional intern. He went on to receive his law degree from Liberty University School of Law, where he was the Student Works Editor for the Liberty Legal Journal, member and traveling competitor of the Moot Court Board, Vice-Chair of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Board, and elected among his peers as 2L Senator. He also received the distinguished Spirit of Liberty Award, an honor granted by the faculty to one graduating law student.. In addition to his formal education, Chris has received Certificates of Training from the National Trial Advocacy College (Charlottesville, VA), NAAGTRI Depositions Training Course (Santa Fe, NM), and the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (Staunton, VA).. Chris resides in the greater Richmond area with his wife and two children.

After law school, I joined the United States Marine Corps, where I began my legal career as a Judge Advocate, serving in Okinawa, Japan, and subsequently at Headquarters Marine Corps in Arlington, Virginia. As a prosecutor, and later, defense counsel, in the Marine Corps, I tried countless courts-martial and administrative hearings.. Upon completing military service, I was an attorney with the Enforcement Division of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C. While with the SEC from 1990-1993, I investigated and/or litigated civil violations of the federal securities laws. I served as a federal prosecutor (Special Assistant U.S. Attorney) in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, assigned to the Securities Fraud Unit. While assigned to that Unit, I prosecuted criminal violations of the federal securities laws, including insider trading, market manipulation, money laundering, mail and wire fraud, perjury, and making false statements to a government agency. I obtained convictions in cases involving a nationwide broker payoff scheme; a multi-state financial fraud involving cellular telecommunications; insider trading by principals of a publicly traded company; and embezzlement by a registered agent. Representative of the nature of the cases handled by me, I also investigated the marketing and sale of certain limited partnerships by a major broker-dealer, resulting in the establishment of a $ million claims fund for investors, and the payment of fines to the U.S. Treasury.. I next entered private practice as a partner with a national law firm based in Richmond, Virginia, where my practice was concentrated on the representation of a major brokerage firm. In 1999, I began practice as a solo practitioner.. I was selected for inclusion in Super Lawyers in the area of Securities Litigation.  I currently serves on the Richmond Bar Association’s Communications Committee, having previously served on the Administration of Justice Committee, which facilitates a dialogue between the bench and the bar on best practices.  In 2014, I was appointed to serve a multi-year term on the Audit Committee for the American Association of Justice.  I have a 10.0 Avvo Rating and for fourteen years an "AV" rating by Martindale-Hubbell (its highest rating).. I served as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, where I taught a course entitled, “Enforcement of the Federal Securities Laws.”. I have formerly served as both Co-Chair and Chair of the Securities Arbitration Subcommittee (Corporate and Business Litigation Committee) of the Business Law Section of the American Bar Association.  I also previously held the position of Chair of the ABA’s Securities Enforcement Subcommittee (Business Law Section). For many years, I served as Chair, and then, Vice-Chair, of the Criminal Laws Committee of the ABA’s Section of Business Law. In conjunction with my work for the ABA, in 2003, I was appointed by then-ABA President Dennis Archer to serve on a 14-member commission. This special commission was formed to examine criticisms of mandatory minimum sentences raised by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy, in his August 2003 speech to the Opening Assembly at the ABA’s Annual Meeting in San Francisco.  After holding extensive hearings, the Commission presented a detailed report to the ABA.. I earned a Master of Laws degree (Securities Regulation) from Georgetown University Law Center, and J.D. and B.B.A. degrees from Baylor University. I was admitted to the Bar Associations of the Commonwealth of Virginia, the District of Columbia, and the State of Texas (inactive). Additionally, I am admitted to practice in the federal court system.  Also, I practice regularly before FINRA. I estimate that I have handle represented over 200 claimants in securities arbitrations.  I dedicate a portion of my practice to pro-bono representation.. My wife, Emily, and I are long standing members of St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, where we both have served on the Vestry.  We have two daughters -- one is a third year at University of Virginia and the other is a sophmore at Baylor University.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.

Experienced Civil attorney serving clients in Charlottesville and surrounding areas.