Sonya L. Powell
Ms. Powell has been practicing solely in the area of family law since 1994. By limiting her practice exclusively to family law, she has become well versed and knowledgeable in all aspects of domestic relations litigation. Ms. Powell has litigated or settled cases involving complex issues of equitable distribution including tracing of separate property interests, valuation of businesses, retirement issues, and significant financial investments and portfolios. Ms. Powell has represented clients in alimony and child support cases on all income levels. She has had substantial courtroom experience in successfully defending against, and advocating for, imputation of income to a party for support purposes and deviations from child support guidelines for such factors as a child's special needs or private school costs. She also has litigated or settled child custody cases, involving diverse issues such as the admissibility of expert testimony of custody evaluators, substance abuse issues, domestic violence and relocation of a parent. Ms. Powell recognizes the emotional and financial benefits to her clients of resolving cases, if possible, without the necessity of going to court. Her primary goal is to settle cases through the negotiation process, which can include mediation, whenever possible. However, she is confident in her trial skills if her cases end up in court. Through the course of her representation, Ms. Powell's clients can be assured that she will be a strong, knowledgeable and well-prepared advocate for their interests.
Ms. Powell receives a preeminent rating (AV) from the Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory and has been listed in the treatise The Best Lawyers in America since 2012. Ms. Powell is recognized as one of Virginia's Super Lawyers and one of the top 100 Super Lawyers in Virginia and top 50 women attorneys in Virginia. She was included in The Washingtonian magazine as one of Northern Virginia's top family law practitioners since 2018 and listed as a top divorce lawyer by Northern Virginia Magazine.
Ms. Powell serves on the Board of Directors for the Falls Church-Mclean Children's Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing early education to all children, regardless of socioeconomic status. She is also a member of the Hispanic Bar Association of Virginia and Fairfax Bar Association.
Areas Of Practice
- Family Law
Bar Admissions
- Virginia
Education
- The University of Alabama School of Law, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
- J.D. - 1994
- Honors: cum laude
- University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia
- B.A.
- Major: Political Science
- Major: Spanish Literature
Representative Cases
- White v. White, Va. App. LEXIS 58, 2015, Va Ct. App
- Parsons v. Parsons, Va. App. Lexis 79, 2012, Va Ct. App
- Stacey v. Stacey, Va. App Lexis 519, 1999, Va. Ct. App
Classes/Seminars
- Asset Management Workshop, Spiggle Law Firm, 2018
- Lecturer-VTLA Family Law Seminar, October 2019
- Lecturer-Jurisdiction Options in Family Law Cases, Fairfax Bar Association seminar, September 2020
- Lecturer-37th Annual Advanced Family Law Seminar, April 2021
Honors and Awards
- AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Northern Virginia Magazine Top Lawyer
- Virginia Top 50 Women, Virginia Top 100 (SuperLawyer)
- Virginia Super Lawyer
- Washingtonian Magazine Top Family Law lawyers
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Hispanic Bar Association of Virginia, Member
Past Employment Positions
- Havrilak Law Firm, Associate Attorney, 2005 to 2006
- Law Firm of Sonya L. Powell, Attorney, 2000 to 2005
- Feldesman, Tucker, Leifer and Fidell, 2006 to 2009
- ShounBach, 2009 to 2014
Pro Bono Activities
- Vice-President, Board of Directors, Falls Church-Mclean Children's Center
Languages
- English