O'Keeffe & Spies is a law firm located in Lynchburg, Virginia. We have four attorneys working with five dedicated staff members. Working together, we strive to provide quality legal services for each client whom we serve, whether the client is an individual, large corporation, or family owned business. O'Keeffe & Spies can provide most clients with a full range of legal services. From a geographical perspective, we typically represent clients in the Central Virginia area - between Farmville and Roanoke, Virginia on an east-west axis, and between Charlottesville and Danville on a north-south axis. Attorneys in the firm regularly appear in Virginia circuit, general district, and juvenile and domestic relations courts located in the Central Virginia area, including those located in the City of Lynchburg and the Counties of Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Campbell, Nelson, and adjoining counties. In addition to our practice in the trial courts, we also handle appeals to the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court of Virginia. In the Federal Court system, we provide representation in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia, as well as the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia. Most attorneys in the firm have focused their attention on providing services in specialized areas of the law. This allows members of the firm working together to meet most clients' legal needs within this firm. We regularly provide business and commercial legal services, including instituting and defending commercial lawsuits in state and federal courts. We also regularly represent business clients concerning employment matters and defending claims and lawsuits brought by present and former employees. We have significant experience in drafting and enforcing commercial documents, forming legal entities, as well as handling matters involving insolvency and complex commercial bankruptcies.

The majority of attorneys in the firm have significant experience handling personal injury claims, including complex plaintiff litigation. Three attorneys are members of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

The firm has experience in the domestic relations area and can offer its expertise to clients in all areas of family law, including: divorce, spousal support, equitable distribution, child custody, visitation, and child support, as well as adoption. We believe the firm has earned a reputation in this area of not hesitating to try cases that need to be tried, and at the same time successfully negotiating favorable settlements when that course of action is in our client's best interest.

The firm has experience in matters involving commercial real estate, and we have attorneys who have a great deal of experience in real estate litigation, including cases involving adverse possession, easements, nuisance, zoning, partition and the like. Two attorneys are CRESPA certified real estate closing attorneys.

We also provide our clients with estate planning services, including drafting wills, powers of attorney, living wills, and the like. We also assist clients in the administration of estates.

The firm was established in 1988 by John J. O'Keeffe, Jr. and Richard E. Spies, each of whom have now been practicing in the Lynchburg, Virginia area for more than 30 years. Mr. O'Keeffe's practice primarily focuses on domestic relation cases, and he has been involved in a wide variety of cases involving divorce, custody, child and spousal support, and related issues at the trial and appelate levels. Mr. Spies has concentrated on business and commercial matters, particularly those involving commercial litigation and transactions and complex commercial bankruptcy issues. He has a large number of business clients, whom he regularly advises concerning business, contract, and employment issues, as well as assisting in negotiating and drafting a large variety of business documents.

James G. Hunter, III joined the firm in 1989 after serving two years as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Richmond, Virginia. Mr. Hunter concentrates on personal injury and criminal defense law. Mr. Hunter became a partner in the firm in 1998.

Jennifer E. Stille joined the firm as an associate attorney in 1996. Previously she practiced law in a large Jacksonville, Florida law firm. She regularly handles cases involving business and commercial matters. She also represents individuals in connection with estate planning, estate administration, and regularly drafts wills and related documents. She also has a significant domestic relations practice.

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