Orange, VA

Peter C. Burnett

Peter Burnett is a graduate of Hobart College and Antioch School of Law. He has practiced law in Leesburg since 1977. Peter limited his practice to personal injury law when he founded Burnett & Williams in 1988. In addition to building the firm into one of Virginia’s oldest and most experienced personal injury law firms, Peter has compiled an impressive array of legal achievements, including obtaining the highest wrongful death verdict in Virginia history, obtaining the highest personal injury verdict in Loudoun County, and other record results. Peter has guided the firm through a number of noteworthy cases including multi-million-dollar settlements and verdicts for wrongful death, medical malpractice and automobile accident cases. He has earned a reputation as a relentless advocate who is always willing to negotiate carefully and creatively on behalf of his in pursuit of a fair outcome. In cases large and small, Peter works closely with clients to uncover every important detail and to convey a full understanding of their claims to the insurance adjustors and attorneys on the other side. For his dedicated service to his clients and the Virginia legal system, Peter has received numerous accolades and honors. Among them are Lawyer of the Year designated by U.S. News for Plaintiff’s personal injury in 2022 and induction into the Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame. He has also served in leadership positions in the Virginia State Bar and locally having been President of the Loudoun County Bar Association, a member of the Virginia State Bar Council, Chairman of the VSB Diversity Conference, and Chairman of the VSB Judicial Nominations Committee. Currently, as the Chair of the VSB Senior Lawyers Conference, Peter assembled a team to produce a video on the importance of civility and professionalism for lawyers. It is intended to have multiple uses from presentations to 3rd year law students to continuing legal education seminars for practicing lawyers to law firm education for young associates. Peter has been committed to charitable activities in Loudoun County for many years. He is a founding director of the Loudoun Abused Women’s Shelter, a founding director and Chairman of Loudoun Cares, Co-Chairman of the Downtown Improvement Association, founder and Chairman of the Loudoun Law Foundation, and founding Chairman of the Virginia Diversity Foundation, the parent organization of the Ampersand Pantry Project. Whether salvaging a historic Leesburg structure, building a home for a valued member of the community, or planning for the future of downtown Leesburg, Peter is tirelessly devoted to the common good.

C. James Williams III

Jim Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of George Mason University School of Law who began his legal career with a prestigious assignment as a law clerk to United States District Court Judge Glen M. Williams in Roanoke, Virginia. He practiced at Gentry, Locke, Rakes, and Moore in Roanoke and at Morris & Morris in Richmond before becoming litigation counsel for Progressive Insurance Company. With Progressive, he gained extensive experience as a trial attorney, giving him wide-ranging expertise in the complexities of Virginia insurance law, and knowledge of how the defense side approaches litigation. In 1999, Jim left defense and coverage work and began representing injured plaintiffs. A veteran litigator, he has tried more than one hundred personal injury jury cases and was appellate counsel in Virginia’s leading scientific evidence case, Tittsworth v. Robinson. Jim Williams joined Burnett & Williams in 2006 as the lead partner in the Richmond area, with offices in Midlothian and Hopewell, Virginia. He is a regular contributor of law journal articles on personal injury law and litigation issues, and provides expert legal analysis and commentary as a contributor to leading media platforms including Yahoo and Hello Magazine. Jim’s wealth of experience in insurance coverage matters provides invaluable expertise in an insurance-driven legal environment that becomes more complex each year. Born in France and raised in Germany, Jim grew up speaking German, French, and English. He still speaks French with such a pure accent that native Frenchmen can’t tell he is American. He has recently taken up Spanish, delighting in discerning the differences linguistically between Spanish, French and English. Jim has passed his love of languages on to his five children. Ranging in age from mid-teens to mid- twenties, his children are his main focus and his primary source of joy. Over the years he has been an active participant in the Midlothian PTA and a leader of the Evergreen Athletic Association. In 2006, Jim founded The Beth Williams Field of Dreams Foundation, a nonprofit organization named after his late wife, whom he lost to cancer. The foundation is dedicated to bringing people together to make sure children have the best facilities possible to play the sports they love. Partnering with the community, the foundation recently helped transform a 3-acre tract adjacent to the Watkins Annex from an hideous into a multi-use athletic facility that will serve the entire Midlothian community. Jim enjoys being outdoors, whether he is running with his dogs, playing golf, skiing, camping, or fishing. His most relaxing diversion, however, is flying airplanes: like his father and uncle before him, Jim is a licensed pilot.

Donald S. Culkin

Don Culkin is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the United States District Court for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Prior to joining Burnett & Williams, he had a general law practice that included a wide range of civil and criminal litigation matters, real estate, and land development. Since coming to Burnett & Williams, Don has covered cases in the Leesburg, Winchester and Reston offices, establishing an impressive track record in various personal injury matters including medical malpractice, premises liability, products liability, and automobile accidents. In over 20 years with Burnett & Williams, Don’s outstanding analytical skills, along with his experience as a licensed professional engineer, have been invaluable to the firm. His lifelong interest in machinery led to undergraduate and graduate degrees in mechanical engineering. Don worked for several years as an engineer at a large architect-engineering firm in Roanoke, designing HVAC systems with an emphasis on energy conservation. After five years as an engineer, Don realized he wanted to find a way to help people more directly, and he enrolled in law school at the University of Virginia. For Don, the primary role of a lawyer is to provide access to justice. He takes pride in making sure insurance companies live up to their obligations. For every client, every day, Don endeavors to ensure the system treats them fairly. He has participated in numerous cases before the Virginia Supreme Court and has been critical to successes in several substantial medical malpractice and wrongful death cases. When Don is not concentrating on legal work, he enjoys attending baseball games at Fireman’s Field in Purcellville, Davenport Field in Charlottesville, and Nationals Park in Washington. He also enjoys tinkering with old equipment on his horse farm in Hamilton, and converting his 1959 Massey Ferguson MF65 from gas to diesel is one of his proudest mechanical achievements. Don is active in various community-related Bar Association activities and is on the Boards of Directors of Legal Services of Northern Virginia, Inc. In 2001, Don was elected President of the Loudoun County Bar Association. In 2004, he received the Justice Harry L. Carrico Award for exceptional contribution in providing pro bono legal services to the poor.

Michael P. Wallace

Michael P. Wallace is an attorney at Burnett & William’s Leesburg office, where he focuses his practice on representing individuals in complex injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice cases. Michael has experience handling cases including those involving serious brain injuries, spine injuries, motor vehicle collisions, animal attacks, medical transport negligence, drunk driving accidents, commercial truck accidents, pharmacy negligence, boating accidents, pedestrian injuries, and many more. Michael earned his undergraduate degree from James Madison University and later earned his law degree, graduating cum laude, from catholic university’s Columbus school of law. In law school he was a Law Review Note & Comment Editor, he served as a graduate research assistant, and he interned at the United States Securities and Exchange Commission within the Enforcement Division. Prior to coming to Burnett & Williams he practiced as a corporate lawyer for a national law firm in Washington D.C. Michael grew up in Loudoun County, Virginia, where he now lives with his family. He enjoys spending time with family and friends, exercising, skiing, and restoring antique vehicles.

Shayne Hodge

Shayne Hodge is an attorney at The Miller Firm, LLC, where he focuses on complex mass tort and personal injury litigation since 2016. He represents clients in cases involving defective medical devices, hazardous consumer products, and toxic exposures, securing substantial settlements. He holds a Juris Doctor from Liberty University School of Law and a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from Nottingham Trent University in the United Kingdom. He earned his undergraduate degree in Finance from Adelphi University. Before becoming an attorney, he worked in tax and legal research roles at Jackson Hewitt and LexisNexis. He is licensed to practice law in Virginia and New Jersey.

Nancy Guy Armstrong Miller

Nancy Guy Armstrong Miller is a founding member of Armstrong and Guy Law Offices and joined The Miller Firm, LLC in 2014 as a full partner and Chief Executive Officer. She has over 25 years of experience in pharmaceutical and defective products litigation, successfully reaching settlements in complex cases. She was admitted to the Mississippi State bar in 1996 and holds a J.D. from Mississippi College of Law (1995) and a B.S. in Business Administration from The University of Southern Mississippi (1986).

Keith Morgan

Keith Morgan is an attorney with over twenty-five years of experience in complex civil litigation, representing individuals harmed by negligence in mass tort, class action, products liability, personal injury, medical malpractice, wrongful death, and criminal defense cases. He is a former Special Agent of the FBI and a certified public accountant, known for managing 'Operation Pretense'. He received his undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and graduated with honors from the University of Mississippi School of Law. He is licensed to practice law in Mississippi, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.