A Little About Me...
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The Stats:
Born: 1970 in Tucson, AZ
Grew Up: Burke, in Fairfax County
High School: Lake Braddock, Class of 1988
Undergraduate: Virginia Tech, Bachelor of Science in Business Management with a Minor in Psychology, 1992
Law School: George Mason University School of Law, Juris Doctor, 2000
Admitted: Virginia State Bar, 2000, United States District Court of the Eastern District of Virginia, 2000
Other Bars Taken: Florida (not active), 2007
Bar Association Memberships: Fairfax, Loudoun
Teaching Positions Held: Adjunct Professor, Old Dominion University. Courses included: Judicial Systems and Sports, Law and Politics
Adjunct Professor, Tidewater Community College. Courses included: Economics and Paralegal Studies
Licensed private pilot
Adult Basic Sailing Instructor
James P. Magner, Esq., The Story:
I've been practicing law in Virginia for over 20 years. But it wasn't my first career. I started out working in government affairs for the trucking industry, specializing in size/weight regulations and Hazmat operations. Exciting stuff let me tell you. When I went back to school to get my Law Degree in 1996, I had no intention of ever practicing law. In fact, I went part-time at night with the idea that I would hang the degree on my office wall and demand a higher salary.
I ended up getting sucked in. I love the law and I love practicing law. By my last year of law school, I had quit lobbying altogether and I was clerking at the county court and working in the United States Coast Guard's legal office.
In 2000, I got my law degree and was admitted to the Virginia State Bar. I went to work as a trademark attorney and civil litigator. Then, the dot-com industry went bust and the real estate market took off. I moved to Virginia Beach where I built a practice around construction law and civil litigation. During those years, I handled almost every kind of case there was to handle, including: complex business litigation, eminent domain, personal injury and injured worker cases, school board appeals, criminal cases, and even a couple of admiralty cases.
In 2008, fortunes changed again. The real estate market and banking industry went belly up. I watched as a lot of close friends in the construction and real estate industries lost everything. That's when I decided to come back to my roots, here in Northern Virginia.
I've been here ever since, earning a reputation as a hard-nosed litigator who's not afraid to take on the difficult cases.
Magner Law is a project that has been in the works for some time. When I finally took the plunge and ventured out on my own, I wanted to create a law practice that upheld the same values I preach to my clients. I'm not looking to become the biggest firm in Northern Virginia. I simply want to provide a good service for a fair price, earn an honest living and enjoy life.