Mclean, VA

Michele Bartoli Cain

Michele Bartoli Cain is a trial lawyer. She concentrates her practice in the areas of dental malpractice, medical malpractice, personal injury and wrongful death. Michele has obtained substantial recoveries for clients who have suffered significant injury or death from the negligence of doctors and dentists. After graduating from Wake Forest University School of Law, Michele litigated products liability and complex commercial cases, helping to bring down the silver cartel. Later, Michele realized her true passion while advocating for a badly-injured victim of dental malpractice, whose life would never be the same. Since that moment twenty years ago, Michele has dedicated her career to serving those seriously injured by the professional negligence of others, holding dentists and doctors accountable throughout the DC region and beyond. She concentrates her practice in the niche field of dental medicine and has achieved significant verdicts and settlements for dental malpractice clients in Virginia, DC and Maryland. In 2005, Michele decided to launch her own firm in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia and she led that firm until 2022, when she joined Shulman Rogers with the opening of the Alexandria, Virginia office. Recognized by her peers as a top advocate in her field, Michele is rated AV (“preeminent”) by Martindale-Hubbell, the leading attorney-ranking service. Michele also is listed in Best Lawyers, has been named a Washington, DC “Superlawyer,” and repeatedly has been selected as one of the Best Personal Injury Attorneys in the Washington, DC area by Washingtonian magazine including most recently in September 2022. Michele is an active member of the American Bar Association and The American Association for Justice and has been inducted into the Etheridge Society, the preeminent medical malpractice honor society. She is a charter member of the National Museum for Women in the Arts, a member of the Maryland Trial Lawyers Association, the Board of Governors of the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan Washington D.C. and is a longtime member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. As a recognized leader in her field, Michele has often lectured to groups of physicians and dentists. She feels that her duty as an attorney is to not only litigate for justice, but also to assist physicians to improve the quality of health care they render to avoid injury to their patients. Most recently in the Spring of 2022, alongside Shulman Rogers attorney, Karl J, Protil, Michele gave a presentation on risk management to the doctors and nurses of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. A dedicated resident of Alexandria, Virginia, Michele consistently participates in community events. When she is not passionately representing her clients or spending time with family, she enjoys working in her garden and is avid about opera. She loves to introduce opera to the young community and has this as her mission in over a decade of service as a director of the Washington Concert Opera.

Michael V. Nakamura

Michael V. Nakamura is an experienced and compassionate lawyer committed to achieving justice for his clients, primarily those who have suffered devastating injuries as the result of the negligence of others. Clients often come to Mike when they are confused, intimidated or overwhelmed by the legal process, and are unsure about their rights as a victim. As a result, Mike is often hired because of his calming manner and willingness to take the time to explain the legal process. This comforting patience coupled with more than 20 years of experience in protecting and enforcing victims’ rights in situations involving personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice, makes Mike an ideal choice for many clients. Mike has a national practice with noteworthy experience in catastrophic motor vehicle accidents, wrongful death cases of all kinds and brain-damaged baby cases, both in state and federal courts. He also has handled many Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) and Military Claims Act (MCA) cases, successfully representing family members of armed service personnel who were injured by medical malpractice at military hospitals in the U.S. and overseas, including in Japan, England and Germany. He has significant jury trial and bench trial experience, and is skilled in mediation and negotiated settlements. His past experience as a judicial law clerk and as a business litigation attorney encompassing a wide range of legal areas serves his clients well in the balanced evaluation of legal issues, including insurance coverage disputes, consumer protection cases, automobile dealer-manufacturer issues, and other business litigation. Mike has litigated in 11 states and federal courts in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and West Virginia. As an authority in the fields of personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice, he has served as a moderator or speaker at countless seminars. He has also appeared on several local television programs on such topics as dog bite liability, gun liability and premises liability. As a testament to Mike’s integrity and sound judgment, he is one of a few individuals selected to serve on the Character Committee of the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals of Maryland, the court-appointed group of volunteer lawyers responsible for reviewing the character and fitness of applicants, maintaining the court’s Code of Professional Responsibility and upholding the ethics of the profession of law. In addition to his leadership role within the court, Mike has been deeply involved in premier legal organizations, including the American Association of Justice, Maryland Association of Justice and the Trial Lawyers Association for the District of Columbia. He is routinely asked to give presentations before these groups, and participates in their various education-related committees, which continually strengthens his ability to help protect his clients’ and achieve justice on their behalf.

Kelly Calder Mowen

Kelly Calder Mowen oversees complex litigation, having defended hundreds of claims in asbestos and pharmaceutical cases pending in state and federal court. She has years of experience in the areas of product and premises liability, mass torts, toxic torts, bad faith, and other insurance coverage disputes. Kelly has presented on multi-district litigation practice at DRI’s Product Liability Seminar and authored and co-authored publications for DRI and the IADC, among others.

Karl J. Protil, Jr.

Personal injury and medical malpractice victims, and those who have been injured by the federal government, turn to Karl Protil when they need a lawyer who has a 20 year record of winning such cases. Clients depend on Karl when the stakes are high, and when their situations call for a lawyer who is not afraid to take chances when it comes to bringing the much needed emotional and financial closure they deserve. Victims benefit from his unique technical skill-set which includes both deep knowledge of personal injury law and an unusually strong understanding of how those laws intersect with the practice of medicine. Karl frequently represents clients suffering from misdiagnosis, medical malpractice or negligence in cases involving: Birth Trauma, Cerebral Palsy, Infant Shoulder Dystocia, Infant Abnormal Laboratory Cases, Meningitis and Other Childhood Infections, Emergency Room Misdiagnosis, Heart Attack, Stroke, Infections, Cancer Misdiagnosis, Spinal Cord Injuries, Amputation Cases, Blood Clots. Other lawyers, who may not be equipped to handle complicated personal injury matters, often refer such cases to Karl as they know him to have the skills, experience and deep resources required to handle and win such complex cases. Over the course of his 20+ year career, Karl has secured many multi-million dollar recoveries in numerous state and federal courts in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, California, Wisconsin, West Virginia and Mississippi. He has represented clients in Federal Tort Claims Act cases against the United States in 13 states and the District of Columbia, and he has fought for injured parties in Military Claims Act cases against the United States that arose in multiple countries around the world. In addition to his victories in the courtroom, Karl is also highly respected for his contributions to the legal profession and his volunteer work focusing on social, justice and civil rights. Karl has been a mediator for medical malpractice cases in Maryland and D.C. Superior Courts. Both the court system itself and other lawyers often call upon him for his insight on Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) issues. In addition to having taught many CLE classes on the FTCA and writing articles on the subject, he also provides his fellow peers with ad-hoc FTCA guidance. Karl routinely speaks at conferences and publishes articles on a variety of litigation-related topics. Through his volunteer efforts with the Maryland Association of Justice Public Outreach Committee, he frequently speaks at local high schools, educating students on the civil justice system. Karl chairs the Board of Directors for the Menare Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of Underground Railroad history. Karl is currently involves with the Montgomery County Sister City program between Montgomery County and Gondar, Ethiopia. He received an award from former Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett for his efforts in collecting over 500 books for the University of Gondar School of Law in Gondar, Ethiopia.

Jon B. Orndorff

Jon Orndorff has twenty-five years of experience litigating matters involving toxic torts, product liability, premises liability, pharmaceuticals, class actions, insurance defense (including third party disputes and coverage issues), trucking and automotive, banking and credit unions, and appellate issues. He is licensed to practice before the United States Supreme Court, Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, and throughout West Virginia and Kentucky. He has trial experience in West Virginia, California, Oregon, and New York. Jon has defended numerous corporate defendants in trial courts across the country and before the mass litigation panel in West Virginia. He has served as national coordinating counsel for multiple corporate defendants involved in product liability litigation nationwide, with an unparalleled success record of dramatically lowering clients’ case numbers, costs and risk.

Brien Roche

Brien Roche is an attorney with over 45 years of trial experience, practicing since 1976. He is admitted in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. His practice areas include personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, professional liability, legal malpractice, premises liability, and other civil litigation. He has authored several legal publications and books, including the 'Virginia Torts Case Finder'.

Jeffrey J. Downey

Jeffrey Downey has over 35 years of experience handling a variety of cases in both federal and state courts. He spent the first seven years of his practice defending cases for insurance companies. Now he uses that experience to benefit his clients pursuing personal injury and medical malpractice cases. Mr. Downey has obtained record verdicts and established important legal precedents protecting the rights of our elders in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. After working for a large national firm handling antitrust , commercial and False Claims Act cases, Mr. Downey opened his own firm in 2007. His practice is now focused on personal injury, medical malpractice, elder neglect, and commercial law. A published author on nursing home neglect, Mr. Downey also educates other attorneys on how to handle these complex cases. He is an advocate for improved care and his clients have testified before the U.S. Congress regarding the need for nursing home reform.