By: Peter N. Swisher and James R. Cottrell and Lawrence D. Diehl

This family law treatise presents the existing Virginia “black letter law” and also discusses the law’s underlying rationale and its practical application in court. When Virginia precedent is outdated or lacking, the family law trends in other jurisdictions are discussed, and the authors suggest where Virginia family law ought to be in the future.

Best Lawyers is the oldest and most respected peer-review publication in the legal profession. For a quarter century, we have helped lawyers and clients find legal counsel in unfamiliar jurisdictions or unfamiliar specialties.

Best Lawyers compiles lists of outstanding attorneys by conducting exhaustive peer-review surveys in which thousands of leading lawyers confidentially evaluate their professional peers. In the U.S., Best Lawyers publishes an annual referral guide, The Best Lawyers in America, which includes 29,575 attorneys in 78 specialties, covering all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

James Ray Cottrell has been listed in the Best Lawyers publication under Family Law Specialty since 1989. Click here to search listing

Breaking Up is Hard to Do
By Kim Isaac Eisler and Leslie Milk

Here are the top 25 divorce lawyers ranked in order. The best of the rest are ranked in alphabetical order.

The Best of the Rest

Washington lawyers may tend to dress alike, but they're not all the same when dealing with problems. Here are 30 of the very best - plus 800 more who are close behind. Hang on to the list - when you really need a lawyer, you might want one of these.

By Kim Isaac Eisler

Honey, It's Over
Divorce hurts. These people can help. Prenuptially, too.

James Ray Cottrell

Washington is home to some of the world's bet lawyers. Here are the top 30—plus 750 who are right behind them. Save the list - you never know when you’ll be arrested, get served with a subpoena, need a new will, get a divorce, or worse.

By Kim Isaac Eisler

Divorce & Family Law
I WANT OUT!
With divorce rates hovering at nearly 45 percent, most people are more likely to do business with a divorce lawyer than with any other type of attorney. These lawyers can assist with pre-nups, child-custody cases, and separation agreements. Here is a batch of good ones to choose from...

James Ray Cottrell

But It Can Be Painful - And Expensive. That's Why You Want a Divorce Lawyer Who Can Guide You Through the Ordeal. Here are 52 of Washington's Best.

By Kim Isaac Eisler

6. James Cottrell. A tough-minded graduate of Virginia Military Institute, Jim Cottrell has emerged as one of the aces of the Virginia divorce bar. It's hard to toe the line between being a fierce legal presence and being a "bomber." Few people do it better than this well-prepared litigator who lets his cases do the talking. Fellow attorneys say Cottrell is more inclined than most to take a case into court — he's considered a better litigator than negotiator. He tends to cost clients a little more because he leaves no stone unturned. Colleagues call him "frighteningly smart." And losing is not part of his personality.

Breaking Up a Marriage Has Always Been Hard To Do. Now It's More Complicated Than Ever, so Finding the Right Attorney is Important. Here are Washington's 50 Top Divorce Lawyers.

By Kim Isaac Eisler

12. James Cottrell. A graduate of Virginia Military Institute who was born in the coal country of southwestern Virginia, Cottrell is one of the very best of the hard-nosed tough guys who practice in Northern Virginia. Most of his clients have already been to at least one lawyer by the time they hire Cottrell and are often at wits' end. Cottrell, 47, tells them right up front that all the case can be about is money — he will not be party to exacting retribution from a spouse. Clients who follow that simple dictum usually come out ahead. His no-nonsense approach has been attractive to such high-profile clients as the late Redskins owner Jack Kent Cooke. Cottrell has been happily married to Penelope Cottrell since 1977.

Is Your Marriage Falling Apart? Before You End It, Here are Ways to Save It — and Good Divorce Lawyers Who Can Help You End It Without Destroying the Family.

Here are ten successful divorce lawyers considered bombers by their peers:

By Leslie Milk

4. James Cottrell. Marty Gannon's partner is every bit as hard-nosed as he is and sees the courtroom as a gladiator's ring. Cottrell, said by some peers to be among the top-five courtroom lawyers in Washington, recently popped up in Fauquier County as the latest in a series of lawyers representing much-married Redskin owner Jack Kent Cooke.

Divorce Lawyers Come in All Shapes, Sizes, and Types. Whether You Need a Rat, a Tiger, or a Teddy Bear, Here are 22 of the Area's Best.

By Emily Couric

James Cottrell. Cottrell is Virginia-born and -bred. His Southern heritage echoes in every sentence; he seems to have walked off the set of the TV series I'll Fly Away. He says he always wanted to practice in Old Town Alexandria or Leesburg, so he obviously knew where he'd best fit in.

Cottrell says he wanted to work with "a grizzled trial veteran, someone ferocious and tenacious." He found his ideal mentor, Martin Gannon, by leafing through a listing of fellow Virginia Military Institute grads. The two hit it off immediately, and today they remain effusive members of a mutual-admiration society.

The younger lawyer has learned well from his senior partner, building his own reputation as a meticulous, well-prepared courtroom advocate. He sees himself as a "savior and a gladiator." And like Gannon, he embraces a philosophy of loaded guns advocacy. "In this business," says Cottrell, "you have to be prepared to repay unkindness in kind."

James Cottrell is listed in the Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite under Family / Domestic Relations, December 2006.

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James Cottrell is listed in the Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite under Family / Domestic Relations, December 2003.

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James Cottrell is listed in the Virginia Business Magazine's Legal Elite under Family / Domestic Relations, December 2002.

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James Ray Cottrell is listed in the Super Lawyers 2008 Family Law List. Click here to search listing

Christopher W. Schinstock and Kyle F.Bartol are listed in the Super Lawyers 2007 Rising Star List. Click here to search listing