Estate Planning Law Firm in Northern VA & Shenandoah Valley - McCarthy & Akers, PLC
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Unrivaled Integrity

Our attorneys and legal team value integrity, and we know you do too. Work with an experienced 
team that delivers honest, communicative service at every level.

OUR ATTORNEYS

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The attorneys at McCarthy & Akers, PLC, strive to be the best in their areas of practice.

They represent every client with the highest level of integrity in order to provide them with the professional legal services they need to achieve both their personal and professional goals.

Their commitment to building long-term attorney-client relationships ensures that they meet client expectations.

Douglas McCarthy

BIO & INFO

Douglas McCarthy

Position: Partner
Office Locations: Winchester, Virginia
Areas of Practice: Wills, Trusts, Estate Planning, and Probate, Real Estate, Planning, and Land Use, Corporations and Business Organizations


J. Douglas McCarthy is a founding partner of McCarthy & Akers, PLC. His practice focuses on transactional law dealing with Estate Planning, Real Estate and Corporate matters. Prior to founding McCarthy & Akers, PLC, Mr. McCarthy was a partner in the Winchester, Virginia law firm of Groves and McCarthy.

Mr. McCarthy received his J.D. from the Keller School of Law at The University of Dayton, in Dayton, Ohio, where he earned honors in the fields of Taxation, Wills and Trusts. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he majored in Political Science.

ADMITTED

Virginia
West Virginia
U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Virginia

EDUCATION
AFFILIATIONS

Virginia State Bar Member
West Virginia State Bar Member
American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys Member
National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Member
Life Care Planning Law Firms Association Firm Member
Thomas More Law Center Distinguished Member
Winchester/Frederick County Bar Association Member
Named "Legal Elite" by Virginia Business Magazine

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Government Experience

Frederick County Board of Supervisors (2017-Present)
Board Member – Lord Fairfax Community College
U.S. representative to the first United Nations Symposium on Drug Abuse Prevention in Tokyo, Japan

Charitable and Non-Profit Experience

Board Member – Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival, Inc.
Chairman and Board Member – Chelsea Academy, Inc.
Chairman and Board Member – Chelsea Academy Foundation, Inc.
Chairman and Board Member – The Village at Orchard Ridge, Inc.
Board Member – Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley
Founding Board Member – New Eve Maternity Home, Inc.
Board Member – iPieta, Inc.
President and Board Member – Gainesboro Ruritan Club
President and Board Member – Ancient Order of Hibernians

Matthew S.Akers

BIO & INFO

Matthew S. Akers

Position: Partner
Office Locations: Winchester, Virginia
Areas of Practice: Corporate, Real Estate, Zoning, Planning, and Land Use, Estate Planning, Civil Litigation, Appellate Law, Zoning, Planning, and Land Use


Matthew S. Akers is a founding partner of McCarthy & Akers, PLC. His practice focuses on real estate, estate planning, corporate law, and zoning, planning and land use.

Mr. Akers received his J.D. from the Ave Maria School of Law in Ann Arbor, Michigan where he served as Executive Solicitations Editor of the Ave Maria Law Review. After graduation from law school, Mr. Akers clerked for the Honorable James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Christendom College in Front Royal, Virginia, where he majored in Philosophy with minors in Economics and Theology.

Clerkship: Hon. James L. Ryan, United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit

ADMITTED
EDUCATION

Ave Maria School of Law, Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, 2007
Christendom College, Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, 2003

AFFILIATIONS

Virginia State Bar Member
Warren County Bar Association Member
Winchester/Frederick County Bar Association Member
West Virginia State Bar Member

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Government Experience

Town Attorney – Mount Jackson, VA

Charitable and Non-Profit Experience

Vice President and Board Member – New Eve Maternity Home, Winchester, VA
Finance Committee Chair– St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Front Royal, VA
Board Member – Adult Care Center of the Northern Shenandoah Valley
Board Member – Istituto del Sacro Cuore
Board of The Village at Orchard Ridge

BIO & INFO

Andrew Pahl

Position: Associate Attorney


Mr. Pahl received his J.D. from West Virginia University, College of Law, in Morgantown, West Virginia, where he served as an Editor of the West Virginia Law Review and a member of the Lugar Trial Association. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, where he double majored in Economics and Business Finance.

Mr. Pahl lives in Winchester with his wife and two young daughters.

 

ADMITTED

West Virginia
Virginia
U.S. District Court, Northern District of West Virginia
U.S. District Court, Southern District of West Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Northern District of West Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of West Virginia
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

AFFILIATIONS

West Virginia State Bar
Virginia State Bar

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Member, City of Winchester, Board of Zoning Appeals

Lauren Carnill

BIO & INFO

Lauren Carnill

Position: Attorney
Office Locations: Winchester, Virginia


Lauren Carnill received her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. During her time at Georgetown, Mrs. Carnill completed several internships with the Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission and fulfilled the Georgetown Law Pro Bono Pledge by completing 50 hours of pro bono work before graduation.

Mrs. Carnill, a Winchester native, graduated summa cum laude from Hollins University with a dual degree in History and English Literature. She now lives in the City of Winchester with her husband and their rescue dog.

ADMITTED

Virginia

EDUCATION

Georgetown University Law Center (2021), Hollins University (2016)

AFFILATIONS

Winchester/Frederick County Bar Association Member

CIVIC INVOLVEMENT

Chair of the Winchester Social Services Advisory Board.

BIO & INFO

Douglas C. Arthur

Position: Of Counsel
Office Locations: Strasburg, Virginia
Areas of Practice: Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Wills, Estate Planning and Probate


Douglas C. Arthur was a longtime practicing attorney in the Northwestern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Prior to joining McCarthy and Akers, since 1970, Mr. Arthur had his own practice in Strasburg and Front Royal, Virginia. He continued his areas of practice from his office at 142 East King Street, Strasburg, Virginia 22657.

Mr. Arthur received his B.S. in Public Administration from Virginia Tech and his Law Degree from Washington and Lee University. He was extremely active in the community over the years, serving on the Shenandoah County School Board, The Board of Belle Grove, and the Board of the Wayside Foundation of the Arts. He was a past Chairman of the Lord Fairfax Community College Board, a Chairman of the Board of First National Corporation and First Bank, and Lead Director of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company.

ADMITTED
EDUCATION
AFFILIATIONS

Virginia State Bar (Real Property and Municipal Law Sections)
Local Government Attorneys of Virginia
Shenandoah County Bar Association

BIO & INFO

Douglas C. Arthur

Position: Of Counsel
Office Locations: Strasburg, Virginia
Areas of Practice: Residential and Commercial Real Estate, Wills, Estate Planning and Probate


Douglas C. Arthur was a longtime practicing attorney in the Northwestern Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. Prior to joining McCarthy and Akers, since 1970, Mr. Arthur had his own practice in Strasburg and Front Royal, Virginia. He continued his areas of practice from his office at 142 East King Street, Strasburg, Virginia 22657.

Mr. Arthur received his B.S. in Public Administration from Virginia Tech and his Law Degree from Washington and Lee University. He was extremely active in the community over the years, serving on the Shenandoah County School Board, The Board of Belle Grove, and the Board of the Wayside Foundation of the Arts. He was a past Chairman of the Lord Fairfax Community College Board, a Chairman of the Board of First National Corporation and First Bank, and Lead Director of Shenandoah Telecommunications Company.

ADMITTED

Virginia
U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Western District of Virginia

EDUCATION
AFFILIATIONS

Virginia State Bar (Real Property and Municipal Law Sections)
Local Government Attorneys of Virginia
Shenandoah County Bar Association

Department Directors

BIO & INFO

Joshua Petersen

Position: Executive Vice President


Joshua heads up Marketing and Client Acquisition at McCarthy & Akers. He has a background in investments and operations. After receiving a B.A. in philosophy, he spent the first part of his career in the financial services industry becoming a financial consultant and then the Chief Trading Officer of a private investment firm in Alexandria, Virginia. Following that, Josh transitioned into education working in Development and becoming the Chief Operations Officer at a private school in Virginia.

BIO & INFO

Genny Jorgensen

Position: Director of Real Estate


Genny began her career in Real Estate back in 1991, when she started as a processing assistant at the Law Office of Lawrence Freedman in Fairfax, VA. She then worked at Potomac Title & Escrow in Tyson’s, Virginia, processing new construction home sales, working with builders such as Van Metre and Stanley Martin Homes. She then moved to RGS Title, where she worked for 22 years. While at RGS, she began as a processor and advanced to be their corporate trainer for several years. In 2004 she opened their Winchester office & she stayed there until she joined McCarthy & Akers in 2019.

 

BIO & INFO

Daniel Mitchell

Position: Director of Estate Planning and Elder Law


Daniel leads the Estate Planning division for McCarthy & Akers. Prior to joining McCarthy & Akers, he spent several years in project management roles for G.D. Neilson Construction in Napa, CA and Christendom College in Front Royal, VA. He brings this experience to the ever expanding Estate Planning division to keep clients appraised of the status of their cases through all phases of the Estate Planning process.

KEY PERSONNEL

Claire McClure

Real Estate Settlement Coordinator
[email protected]
540-722-2181

Matteo Stocco

Legal Assistant
540-722-2181
Matteo Stocco - Legal Assistant

Sandy Becker

Bookkeeper
[email protected]
540-722-2181

Tory Sims-Muir

Processor / Closing Specialist
[email protected]
540-722-2181

Maria Cook

Legal Receptionist
540-722-2181
Maria Cook - Legal Receptionist

Real Clients, Real Testimonials

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Our firm has represented over 16,000 clients across VA & WV.

Proudly delivering service to our clients for 2 decades.

Associations

Our firms attorneys are:

  • Admitted to practice before all the Courts of the Commonwealth of Virginia and the State of West Virginia; the Federal District Court for Western District of Virginia and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court.
  • Members of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
  • Members of the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys
  • Members of the Virginia State Bar
  • Members of the West Virginia State Bar
  • Members Winchester/Frederick County Bar Association
  • Members of the Warren County Bar Association
  • Members of the Fairfax County Bar Association
  • Members of the Prince William County Bar Association
  • Members of the Thomas More Law Center
Awards and Designations
  • Named among Virginia’s “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine
  • Lead Counsel Rated
  • Awarded the Distinguished Member designation by the Thomas More Law Center

Our attorneys have tried cases at all levels of the Virginia Courts including appeals before the Virginia Supreme Court.

  • Very Nice Environment Here.

    “ Very Nice Environment here. We got the help we needed and were pleased when we walked out.”
    Cark R.
  • I won my court case!

    “From the moment I called the office I was treated so kindly. I made an appointment for a consultation and was very pleased with that service. I did not feel rushed at all. I’m happy to say that I won my court case!”
    Jenny C.
  • Quick and efficient.

    “Good communication”
    Alan R.
  • Amazing Lawyers!

    “They answered all my questions!”
    Heather E.
Questions or Schedule An Appointment? Click to Call (540) 722-2181

Our Locations

Shenandoah
Valley

Winchester

302 W Boscawen St., Winchester, VA 22601

Front Royal

502 N Royal Ave, Front Royal, VA 22630

Strasburg

145 E King St., Strasburg, VA 22657

Shenandoah
Valley

Northern
Virginia

Manassas

7900 Sudley Rd Ste 806, Manassas, VA 20109
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Experienced

We have high standards, and believe in delivering the best quality services.

Responsive

We’ll respond to you quickly and report to you regularly.

Hours Of Operation

Mon-Fri: 9:00am-5:00pm
Saturday, By Appointment
While other law firms may see you as just a number or another case, we take the time to get to know you and understand your legal needs. We will craft a solution that works best for you.
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The information you obtain at this site is not, nor is it intended to be, legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship.

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