Portsmouth Lawyers

Stephen Taylor earned his Juris Doctor, magna cum laude, from the University of Richmond School of Law, where he served as Allen Chair Editor of the University of Richmond Law Review. He was a member of the John Marshall Inn of Court and was inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa leadership honor society. Stephen's primary practice areas include Elder Law, Estate Planning, Business Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, and litigation in support of these practice areas. Stephen is licensed to practice in Virginia and North Carolina.

I have an extensive litigation practice with a focus on state and federal court litigation in the practice areas of personal injury, Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA); automobile, motorcycle & trucking accidents; wrongful death; medical malpractice; and employment.

Bringing nearly 40 years of legal expertise to the Oast & Taylor team, Bill’s practice areas include Elder Law, Estate and Trust Administration, Estate Planning, Guardianships and Conservatorships, and Litigation.

Jim Hurley has been practicing injury law throughout Virginia for over two decades. He has tried more than 100 cases and handled hundreds more that were settled out of court. He is guided by the principle that the client is in charge of his or her case and should be kept fully aware of the litigation process.

Jim Hurley and John Cooper set up Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers in 2011. In recent years the firm appointed a third partner Bill O’Mara and fourth partner Griff O'Hanlon. The firm retains its family friendly focus and does not represent criminal defendants like...

Brad Brickhouse adds significant talent to the Oast & Taylor team and shows his commitment to our community by serving every client with a clear focus of their personal goals in mind. His primary areas of practice include Elder Law, Guardianships and Conservatorships, Financial Abuse, Estate and Trust Disputes, and Will Contests.

Michael Salasky built a successful personal injury practice over the course of 40 years representing countless people who were needlessly hurt through no fault of their own. It was and is his privilege to right these wrongs for his clients. His efforts resulted in many millions of dollars being awarded to his clients for their proven injuries. Born and raised in Norfolk, Virginia, Michael attended Norfolk Academy and graduated college from Tufts University in Boston where he received a B.A. in English. He received his law degree from the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary...

After graduating from law school in 1980, I served four years as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Roanoke and Portsmouth, Virginia. Tried approximately 60 criminal jury trials during my first four years of practice.

After my service as an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, I entered civil practice. My civil practice includes many personal injury trials. Currently, I accept civil, criminal, personal injury and traffic cases.

Coming to the Oast & Taylor team with valued legal experience, Ms. Smith adds significant skill and talent to our practice. Certified as an Elder Law Attorney (CELA) by the National Elder Law Foundation (NELF), she offers clients exceptional legal assistance in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning, Estate and Trust Administration, Asset Protection Planning, Special Needs Planning, Long-term Care Planning and Veterans Benefits Planning. Ms. Smith is a twenty year veteran of the United States Air Force. Her ongoing work with veterans in our community includes the preparation, presentation and prosecution of claims for veterans benefits...

I have practiced Family Law since graduating law school in 2005. I regularly provide counseling to clients on matters of divorce, equitable distribution, child custody and visitation, spousal and child support and adoptions. As an adoptive parent myself, I understand the blessing of building a family through the grace of adoption and I enjoy assisting families on this journey. I have had the great honor to meet my children's birth families and as a result I feel that I connect to both the adoptive parents as well as the birth parents, all of whom are making a...

Attorney Richard Serpe is a distinguished Virginia personal injury lawyer with a reputation for meticulous trial preparation and presentation, and has a track record of success in obtaining favorable jury verdicts and settlements for his clients. As a personal injury attorney, Richard Serpe advocates for those who have been injured due to the negligence of another person, dangerous product, or company. A substantial portion of his legal career has been devoted to the representation of injured children. Mr. Serpe is frequently associated with complex litigation, managing cases with difficult scientific and medical issues. He has experience managing large case cohorts, including the...

Griffin O’Hanlon joined Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers as an attorney in the fall of 2015. He attended Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake for his freshman and sophomore years, before his parents relocated to Illinois. He returned to Virginia to attend Virginia Tech, where he majored in history. Griff obtained his J.D. from the Saint Louis University School of Law with a concentration in civil litigation.

After law school, Griff returned to Hampton Roads, where he practiced criminal law at the Norfolk Public Defender’s Office and a local private firm before joining Cooper Hurley and has extensive in-court litigation experience. Griff...

Bill O’Mara started his legal career in 2008, moving back to his hometown of Chesapeake, He has a B.A. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Washington and Lee University Law School. He has practiced in the field of plaintiffs’ personal injury and other litigation. He has gained extensive courtroom and trial experience, including contested trials before judges and juries across Hampton Roads. In 2014, Bill O’Mara joined Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers as an associate attorney. He became a partner in 2017.

Bill O'Mara now dedicates his entire practice to helping injured people. He heads up a dedicated premises liability...

Avery Adcock has dedicated her career to representing victims of abuse and neglect in nursing homes, hospitals and assisted living facilities across the country. Ms. Adcock also handles cases involving catastrophic personal injury and wrongful death.

Before joining Senior Justice Law Firm, Ms. Adcock was a trial attorney in the nursing home litigation department of a prominent plaintiff’s personal injury law firm, litigating cases against nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.

Avery currently serves on the board of the DC Trial Lawyers Association and Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. Avery is also involved in the Maryland Association...

John is a native of Virginia Beach & Chesapeake with deep roots throughout Virginia. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and business development. He has personally launched multiple new ventures and ideas. Like many entrepreneurs, some ventures have succeeded while others have failed. A true believer in “failing forward”, John looks for new opportunities in every situation. This mentality allows John to connect with entrepreneurs and business owners in a meaningful way to help them navigate difficulties and grow their success.

Outside of his practice of law, John serves the City of Chesapeake as a Planning Commissioner...

Kelly L. Vasta, a founding member of Nield, Delpierre & Vasta PLC, represents her clients in the seven cities of Southside Hampton Roads and beyond, including Northampton and Williamsburg/James County, Virginia. She focuses her practice in the areas of criminal defense, traffic, juvenile criminal defense, family law and personal injury and wrongful death cases. Ms. Vasta is a kind, compassionate and caring individual who stands up for those without a voice. As a trial lawyer, Ms. Vasta employs lifelong advocacy skills to zealously represent her clients in the courtroom and through all stages of litigation. As an...

Ray Hogge represents and advised Virginia public and private employers, and Virginia executives and professionals, in all aspects of labor and employment law.

Joshua Jewett advocates for employees’ rights in all types of employment law matters before federal and state courts, as well as in administrative and grievance hearings. Mr. Jewett has represented numerous individuals across a broad spectrum of industries. In addition to representing employees in litigation type settings, Mr. Jewett advises management and decisionmaker employees in both the private and federal sector who are facing disciplinary action, possible termination, or are being forced out. Mr. Jewett has helped clients in these situations either keep their jobs or peacefully exit from their situations by obtaining a negotiated severance package.

Bailey Gifford joined Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers in late 2020. Born in Nebraska and raised in Kentucky, she graduated with honors from Central Hardin High School.

After high school, Bailey graduated magna cum laude from Morehead State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture with an emphasis in Business in 2016.

Bailey went on to the Appalachian School of Law, in Grundy, VA, where she obtained her J.D. in 2020. During her time there, she served as president of the Student Bar Association. Bailey also served as a Student Ambassador and participated as a member of both the Mock Trial and...

Kevin Briggs is a North Carolina native who grew up in Norfolk, Virginia. He is a graduate of Old Dominion University where he dual majored in Philosophy and Political Science. After graduating from Old Dominion University, Kevin went on to study law at Regent University. During Law School he volunteered for the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia, and interned for the Virginia Beach Public Defender and Newport News Commonwealth Attorney. After passing the Bar Exam, Kevin was hired with the Legal Aid Society of Eastern Virginia. There, he successfully represented clients with landlord/tenant issues, custody and family matters, and...

Lawrence Land - Your Lawyer for Life! I have been practicing law for more than 35 years. I have a passion for helping people, which prompted me to pursue a career as a lawyer. I graduated with a Psychology major and Human Relations minor from the University of Miami. I then earned a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at the University of Richmond in 1975. As part of my law school curriculum, I also took courses at the University of Kent in Canterbury, England. You can call me a true “homegrown” Virginia lawyer. I reside in...

John Baker joined Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers as a new attorney in early 2018. John has roots in the Hampton Roads community. He was born and raised in Norfolk and graduated from Norfolk Collegiate School in 2002.

After high school, John attended Hampden-Sydney College, where he was a Venable Scholar. He graduated cum laude with a major in History and minors in German and Public Service in 2006. John represented his class in the Student Senate each year at Hampden-Sydney, and he served as Chairman of the Student Senate during his senior year. He also received the James Madison Public Service...

With 40 plus years of experience, Reid Ervin has represented numerous individuals across a broad spectrum of industries on all levels of the company hierarchy. He has been recognized for his work as both a Virginia and Hampton Roads Super Lawyer and as a Virginia Legal Elite in the field of labor and employment law. Mr. Ervin is also among the few attorneys in the region who represent children and their parents against public schools in education law matters. As the principal of the firm, Mr. Ervin has provided a caring environment over the years for the firms many...

Charles B. Lustig joined Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers as an attorney in January, 2020. Charles grew up in Norfolk, Virginia and received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia. He has been practicing law in Virginia for more than 30 years and has extensive experience helping injured clients in both trial and appellate courts. Mr. Lustig has handled cases in nearly every circuit court in Tidewater, Virginia including Norfolk, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Hampton and Newport News. In his spare time, Charles is an avid U.V.A. sports fan and enjoys bicycling and live music.

Going through a divorce or custody situation is one of the most stressful times in a person's life. I know first hand. I've been there, and I understand what you are going through.

It was awful for me, but having a competent, caring, empathetic, and responsive attorney on your side helps more than you can imagine. I'd love to help you in your difficult times to move forward to a happy "new normal."