Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen is proud to announce that eight lawyers have been included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers in America, a definitive guide to legal excellence. In addition, three attorneys were added to the “Ones to Watch” list.
The attorneys named are Edward L. Allen, P. Christopher Guedri, Paul D. Hux, Jason W. Konvicka, Bridget N. Long, Malcolm P. McConnell, David M. Sturm, Courtney Allen Van Winkle, Derrick L. Walker, and David M. Williams. The“Ones to Watch” are Robert Reed, Ashley Davis, and Christopher Toepp.
Best Lawyers
Edward L. Allen, firm president and trial lawyer, has been named to Best Lawyers consecutively since 2010, and was named Lawyer of the Year in 2022 for Personal Injury Litigation. Specializing in car and trucking accidents, as well as premises liability and traumatic brain injury, he has tried and won personal injury cases in both state and federal courts. Allen is a former president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and has been listed in Virginia Super Lawyers since 2011.
Christopher Guedri, an attorney of counsel, has been named Lawyer of the Year in 2024 by Best Lawyers, recognized in the practice area of Personal Injury Litigation. Guedri’s victories include substantial courtroom verdicts and settlements in cases involving truck accidents, product defects, wrongful death, and catastrophic injuries. This includes a historic $47.5 million settlement for a young plaintiff – the largest single-plaintiff settlement in Virginia history.
Paul D. Hux is the managing attorney for the Chesterfield office, as well as a Shareholder. He was named a Top 100 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers Association. He has also been recognized as a Virginia Super Lawyer since 2010. In 2014, Paul won a record-breaking $22 million settlement for paralysis and brain injuries sustained in a crash. According to Virginia Lawyers Weekly, it was the largest personal injury settlement in Virginia involving a motor vehicle. As the managing trial attorney for the Chesterfield office, Hux specializes in cases involving car accidents, truck accidents, and premises liability.
Jason W. Konvicka, a Richmond trial attorney and firm Shareholder, also serves as the president of the Melvin M. Belli Society. The National Trial Lawyers named him to the Top 10 Trucking Lawyer in Virginia in 2022 – the same year he was named Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers for his work in medical malpractice. ln addition to also being listed in Virginia Super Lawyers, Konvicka has achieved impressive verdicts and settlements in wrongful death, bus accident, traumatic brain injury, and tractor-trailer accident cases.
Bridget N. Long is the managing attorney of the Mechanicsville office and a Shareholder in the firm. She has been listed as a Super Lawyer consecutively since 2008 and serves as president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Bridget was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA), evidencing her high personal character, honorable reputation, and proficiency as a trial lawyer, having tried to verdict as lead counsel in more than 25 civil jury trials. In 2021 she was named to Virginia Lawyer Weekly’s Influential Women in Law.
Malcolm P. McConnell, a Richmond attorney and firm Shareholder, has been recognized as Lawyer of the Year with Best Lawyers in 2024, for his work in the area of Medical Malpractice – Plaintiffs. He has won numerous “top ten” verdicts in Virginia. In addition to being listed in Virginia Super Lawyers, he was noted as a “Top Medical Malpractice Lawyer” by Richmond Magazine. McConnell was also named Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice Law – Plaintiffs in Richmond by Best Lawyers in 2013, 2016, and 2019.
David Sturm is a trial attorney based out of the Fredericksburg office. He has a strong interest in the practice areas of product liability, toxic tort, mass tort, and traumatic brain injuries. In 2010 he was named AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, an esteemed rating by peer review. He was also named to Lawyers of Distinction and was listed in the top 1% of The American Registry’s list of America’s Most Honored Professionals.
Courtney Allen Van Winkle, a Richmond attorney and firm Shareholder, also serves on the National Advisory Board for the Association of Plaintiff Interstate Trucking Lawyers of America. She specializes in personal injury, tractor-trailer accidents, brain injury, and wrongful death cases. In 2019, she was named to the Virginia Lawyers Weekly 2019 class of Influential Women of Law. Van Winkle is a past president of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association – Richmond Chapter and is an active member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.
Derrick L. Walker, a Richmond attorney and firm Shareholder, specializes in cases involving wrongful death, tractor-trailer accidents, traumatic brain injury, nursing homes, and medical malpractice. In 2023, he won the Minority Caucus Stalwart Award with the American Association for Justice. He was also named a Go-To Lawyer for Medical Malpractice, by Virginia Lawyers Weekly in 2023. In addition to serving as the 2018 Chair of the Minority Caucus for the American Association for Justice, Walker was recently voted on to the Executive Committee.
David Williams is a trial attorney, managing partner of both the Stafford and Fredericksburg offices, and a Shareholder at the firm. He serves on the membership committee for the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. He has had the honor of receiving an AV Preeminent rating by Martindale-Hubbell, an esteemed peer rating review. Williams is passionate about advocating for injured people and has achieved strong results for his clients, many of whom have provided glowing testimonials on our website.
Ones to Watch
Christopher J. Toepp is a trial attorney and shareholder based out of the Fredericksburg office. He has been listed as one of Virginia’s Super Lawyers since 2017, and a Legal Elite in civil litigation for four consecutive years in Virginia Business Magazine. He is a current Fellow with the Litigation Counsel of America and enjoys being in the courtroom. Toepp works on a wide range of personal injury cases, including car crashes, truck accidents, and motorcycle wrecks.
Ashley T. Davis is a legal strategist, litigator, and shareholder based out of the Richmond office. In 2023, she was named a G0-To Lawyer for Appellate Law by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. She focuses her practice on complex litigation, product liability, foodborne illness, and sexual assault. She’s highly involved with the firm’s large and complex cases at the trial court and appellate levels. Ashley regularly writes briefs to the Supreme Court of Virginia and the federal Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals to promote justice and access to courts on behalf of injured people.
Robert C.T. Reed is a trial attorney and shareholder based out of the Richmond office of Allen & Allen. He’s been named to Virginia Super Lawyers for three consecutive years and is incredibly well-versed in insurance law. He focuses on cases involving car accidents, trucking accidents, product liability, and premises cases. In 2015, he was recognized by the National Academy of Personal Injury Attorneys as a Top 10 Personal Injury Attorney Under 40.
Says Best Lawyers CEO Phillip Greer: “Best Lawyers was founded in 1981 with the purpose of highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of those in the legal profession. After three decades, we are proud to continue to serve as the most reliable, unbiased source of legal referrals worldwide.”
