We are proud to announce that 17 of our attorneys have been recognized in the 2027 edition of Best Lawyers® in America, one of the oldest and most respected peer-review publications in the legal profession. Of our honorees, 11 attorneys were named Best Lawyers and 6 were selected for the Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America list. We are especially proud to share that shareholder Derrick L. Walker has been named the 2027 “Lawyer of the Year” in Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs in Richmond, VA — a distinction awarded to only one attorney in each practice area and community. We congratulate all our recognized attorneys on this well-earned honor and their continued commitment to the people we serve.
Since 1983, Best Lawyers has evaluated attorneys through an exhaustive peer-review survey, in which lawyers confidentially assess the professional abilities of colleagues in the same practice area and geographic market. Because lawyers cannot pay or apply to be included, recognition reflects the genuine, high regard of one’s peers. The Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch list applies that same peer-review methodology to attorneys earlier in their careers, identifying those who have already demonstrated the skill and leadership that point toward continued professional success.
Our 2027 Best Lawyers Honorees
- Edward L. Allen — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Scott D. Fitzgerald — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Paul D. Hux — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Midlothian)
- James Kessel — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Jason W. Konvicka — Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Bridget N. Long — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Mechanicsville)
- Robert C.T. Reed — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Christopher J. Toepp — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Fredericksburg)
- Courtney Allen Van Winkle — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond)
- Derrick L. Walker — Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs; Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Richmond) — 2027 “Lawyer of the Year”
- David M. Williams, Jr. — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Stafford)
Our 2027 Ones to Watch Honorees
- Ellen C. Bognar — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Charlottesville)
- David M. Irvine — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Charlottesville)
- Kari La Fratta — Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs (Charlottesville)
- Junior Ndlovu — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Fredericksburg)
- Irvine L. Reaves — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Midlothian)
- John J. Siegner, III — Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs (Petersburg)
Best Lawyers Honorees
Edward L. Allen
Edward L. Allen is a member of the third generation of the Allen family. A former president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, Edward has been consistently selected for inclusion in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2011. Edward has been named among Best Lawyers since 2010, this marks his 18th consecutive year being honored by Best Lawyers, a testament to his dedication, skill, and impact in the field of personal injury law. A past recipient of the “Lawyer of the Year” award for Personal Injury Litigation, Edward has a proven track record of success trying cases in both state and federal courts and achieving large settlements for his clients including a $24 million wrongful death settlement, the largest wrongful death recovery in Virginia state history.
Scott D. Fitzgerald
Scott D. Fitzgerald is the great-grandson of the firm’s founder, George E. Allen, Sr., and was the first member of the fourth generation of the Allen family to join the firm’s leadership as a shareholder in 2022. Based in Richmond, Scott has tried dozens of jury trials and has developed a reputation for exceptional courtroom results, having been named Litigator of the Year within the firm. His results include a $1.775 million settlement in a wrongful death case — the 28th-highest settlement in Virginia in 2023. He has been recognized by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys as a Top 10 Under 40 Personal Injury Attorney in Virginia and was named a Rising Star by Virginia Super Lawyers from 2018–2021 and again in 2024. This is Scott’s first year being recognized in Best Lawyers.
Paul D. Hux
Paul D. Hux focuses his practice on automobile accidents, truck accidents, and premises liability cases, and he has the trial experience and confidence to take a case before a jury rather than accept an offer he doesn’t believe is fair to his client. Paul has been named among Best Lawyers since 2021 and was included in the Best Lawyers: Litigation Edition in 2020. He has also been recognized by Virginia Super Lawyers every year since 2010 and was honored as one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in Virginia by the National Trial Lawyers Association.
James Kessel
James “Jamie” Kessel joined the Allen Law Firm in 2012, and was elected a Shareholder in 2021. Jamie handles both state and federal cases involving wrongful death, tractor-trailer accidents, premises liability, and car accidents — experience informed in part by his early career in defense litigation. He has been recognized as a Virginia Super Lawyer since 2013, including as one of Richmond’s “Top 50” Super Lawyers since 2015, and holds an AV Preeminent rating, the highest available, from Martindale-Hubbell. Jamie has also been named to Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite for Litigation for multiple years and served as Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Motor Vehicle, Highway, and Premises Liability Section.
Jason W. Konvicka
Jason W. Konvicka is President of the Allen Law Firm and managing partner of the firm’s Richmond office. A Best Lawyers honoree since 2009, Jason has built a distinguished career protecting personal injury and medical malpractice victims for more than 30 years, with particular experience in cases involving commercial trucking defendants, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, and wrongful death. He was selected as one of the Top 10 Trucking Lawyers in Virginia by The National Trial Lawyers, and his notable results include a $42 million settlement, a $29.445 million jury verdict, and numerous other significant recoveries for his clients.
Bridget N. Long
Bridget N. Long is the managing attorney of Allen & Allen’s Chesterfield office and a tireless advocate for her clients both in the courtroom and at the negotiating table. She has been listed as a . Bridget is deeply committed to the legal community, having served as president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA), as a member of the VTLA Board of Governors since 2008, and as Chair of the American Association for Justice’s Women Trial Lawyers Caucus in 2024. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2022 for her work in Personal Injury Litigation.
Robert C.T. Reed
Robert C.T. Reed was previously recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch honoree for three consecutive years. This is his first year being recognized by Best Lawyers. Rob devotes his practice exclusively to protecting the interests of seriously injured clients and their families in cases involving car and trucking accidents, product liability, and premises cases. He is recognized throughout Virginia as a leading authority in motor vehicle insurance law.
Christopher J. Toepp
Christopher J. Toepp has been recognized by Best Lawyers for the first time in 2027, after being named a Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch honoree since 2021. Christopher practices out of the Fredericksburg and Richmond offices and has nearly a decade of trial experience, handling hundreds of bench and jury trials across the Commonwealth. He has been recognized as a Virginia Super Lawyer since 2018 and was named to Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite in civil litigation from 2014–2018. Christopher handles a broad range of personal injury matters, including automobile, trucking, and motorcycle accident cases.
Courtney Allen Van Winkle
Courtney Allen Van Winkle is a member of the third generation of the Allen family and regularly handles cases involving automobile and truck accidents, brain injury, and wrongful death from the firm’s Richmond office. In 2019, she was named to Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s class of Influential Women of Law. Courtney is a former president of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association – Richmond Chapter and remains an active member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Courtney has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2019.
Derrick L. Walker — 2027 “Lawyer of the Year”
Derrick L. Walker has been recognized by Best Lawyers since 2017, including in the Best Lawyers in America – Litigation Edition in 2020, and has now been named “Lawyer of the Year” in two different practice areas in consecutive editions — Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs in 2026, and Personal Injury Litigation – Plaintiffs for 2027 in Richmond, VA. This recognition, given to only one attorney in each practice area and location, underscores the exceptional esteem in which Derrick is held by his peers. He focuses his practice on cases involving wrongful death, traumatic brain injuries, nursing home negligence, and medical malpractice, and is a respected leader in the legal community, currently serving as Secretary of the American Association for Justice and as President of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association from 2025-2026.
David M. Williams, Jr.
David M. Williams, Jr. is the managing attorney of both Allen & Allen’s Stafford and Fredericksburg offices. He has extensive experience litigating a wide range of personal injury cases in both state and federal courts and has successfully argued before the Virginia Supreme Court. This marks David’s third consecutive year being recognized by Best Lawyers in America, a reflection of his strategic advocacy and steady commitment to securing justice for his clients.
Ones to Watch Honorees
Ellen C. Bognar
Ellen C. Bognar is a powerful advocate for the injured and especially passionate about nursing home negligence cases. Ellen obtained a $1,000,000 settlement for a client who suffered a below-the-knee amputation due to nursing home negligence. She has been named to Virginia Super Lawyers’ Top 5% of Virginia Attorneys (2025) and as a Rising Star for Personal Injury (2019), and her past results have twice landed among Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s largest verdicts of the year.
David M. Irvine
David M. Irvine is a shareholder and trial attorney in Allen & Allen’s Charlottesville office who has handled cases involving car accidents, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death. Since 2015, he has tried numerous cases to verdict across the Commonwealth. David has published on wrongful death litigation and trial procedure and is active in the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, where he serves on the Board of Governors and was recently elected Parliamentarian of the VTLA’s 2026–2027 Executive Council. He has been named to Virginia Super Lawyers from 2023–2026.
Kari La Fratta
Kari La Fratta brings a background in insurance and medical malpractice defense to her practice in Allen & Allen’s Charlottesville office, giving her unique insight into how insurance companies evaluate personal injury claims. She has argued before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on an issue ultimately considered by the United States Supreme Court, and was part of the trial team that secured a $5,021,000 jury verdict in a medical malpractice wrongful death case in 2024. Kari has been named a Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2020–2026, was recognized among Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s Up & Coming Lawyers in 2025, and has been named to Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite from 2021–2024.
Junior Ndlovu
Junior Ndlovu practices out of Allen & Allen’s Fredericksburg office, representing clients across Virginia and . Junior’s path to plaintiff’s personal injury work began with a pro bono case for a disadvantaged family, and he has built his practice on the same commitment to clients who need an advocate in their corner. He was named to the National Trial Lawyers’ Top 40 Under 40 for Civil Plaintiff work in 2022, and is active in the legal community as Secretary of the Fredericksburg Area Bar Association, Co-chair of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association’s Ethics and Professionalism Committee, and a board member of the Old Dominion Bar Association.
Irvine L. Reaves
Irvine L. Reaves joined Allen & Allen in 2020 after serving as a senior trial attorney for a Fortune 500 insurance company and as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Henrico County — experience that shapes his skill in articulating clients’ experiences and anticipating the other side’s strategy. Irvine’s recent results include a and a $1.3 million auto accident settlement for his clients. Outside the office, he coaches youth basketball and volunteers with the Midlothian YMCA.
John J. Siegner, III
John “J.J.” Siegner, III represents clients in the Petersburg and Greater Richmond areas and has tried over 100 cases in courts throughout Virginia and the federal court system. His prior experience representing defendants and insurance companies gives him valuable insight into how carriers value and handle personal injury claims. J.J. has been named a Virginia Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2021–2026 and was recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 Plaintiff Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers in both 2021 and 2022.
Congratulations to all 17 of our recognized attorneys on this well-deserved honor. To learn more about our attorneys and their practice areas, visit allenandallen.com/attorneys.
