Lauren focuses her practice on plaintiff’s personal injury litigation, car accident cases, child sexual abuse, wrongful death cases, and medical malpractice claims. Lauren has a special focus on negligence claims that involve in the wrongful death of a party, whether by truck accident, medical malpractice, or other negligent conduct. She also has helped many families in birth injury cases, fetal death cases, and other obstetrical malpractice claims involving IVF negligence and negligence committed by fertility clinics. Lauren has both deep personal and professional experience helping families cope and rebuild their lives following the death or catastrophic injury of a loved one.

After graduating from law school, Lauren worked as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Norfolk and was involved in the city’s Project Safe Neighborhood Task Force.  This project brought together prosecutors and law enforcement officers to implement a coordinated and strategic approach to combat gun and gang violence within city neighborhoods. In 2004, when Lauren and her husband Bob moved to Charlottesville, she accepted a clerkship position with Judge D. Arthur Kelsey of the Court of Appeals of Virginia, who now sits as a justice on the Supreme Court of Virginia. Lauren continued her clerkship with Judge Kelsey from 2004 to 2009 deeply examining Virginia procedural law, criminal constitutional law, family and domestic law, and workers compensation law.

Lauren and Bob started a family during this time and now have five lovely – sometimes – children. Ranging in age from 8 years to 16 years, Lauren credits her children with continuously sharpening her communication and analytical skills while putting a smile on her face.

During her break from the legal profession, Lauren was involved in leading a large MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group in Charlottesville for 5 years.  Lauren enjoyed this season and was encouraged by the strength and talent of these local mothers and their contribution to our community and society.  In her sparse spare time, Lauren unashamedly pursues the life of a local foodie, enjoys being a member of the best book club ever, and values making memories with her family and friends.

While in law school, Lauren focused her attention on appellate advocacy by competing interscholastically and serving as the Chairman of the Moot Court Board.  In 2003, Lauren won the William B. Spong Moot Court Competition at the William and Mary Law School and was awarded the Nation’s Best Brief in the American Bar Association National Appellate Advocacy Competition in 2002.

Notable Results

$2,500,000 verdict (with ZERO pre-trial offer from the insurance company) in Fairfax Circuit Court in anesthesia medical malpractice case where anesthesiologist did not timely appear for emergency cesarean section, forcing client to undergo c-section without adequate anesthesia (2023)

$1,750,000 verdict (plus prejudgment interest for total verdict of $2.22 million), with $125,000 pretrial offer from the insurance company, for mother who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) following car accident with commercial dump truck on interstate 64

$256,000 verdict (from $35,000 pretrial offer from State Farm) for torn shoulder labrum following car crash

Confidential settlement with IVF fertility clinic for negligent destruction of frozen embryos

Confidential settlement with Catholic Church diocese for sexual abuse of a former minor

Confidential settlement with major national retailers for malicious prosecution actions where shoppers were wrongfully detained and arrested for shoplifting based on demonstrably false information

Successfully reversed trial court judgments before Supreme Court of Virginia in two cases, where both cases were subsequently settled on very favorable terms for our clients

Speaking Engagements

2024 Virginia Trial Lawyers Annual Convention, Washington, D.C., “Trends of the Defense in Litigation and Trial”