After graduating from Washington & Lee University, cum laude with Honors, Mr. MacDowell worked in the United States Senate in the office of Sen. Donald Reigle. After observing the legislative process firsthand, Mr. MacDowell determined to embark on a career in the law. He graduated law school from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.
Mr. MacDowell began his legal career as a prosecuting attorney in the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorneys Office in 1982. In 1984 he joined the firm of Connor & Duff and turned his litigation skills to civil practice. Over the next 34 years, Mr. MacDowell has handled a myriad of civil litigation involving: will disputes, Wrongful Deaths, Personal Injury, Construction Contracts, Family Law and Custody, Employment Law, and Domestic Violence. In 2006, Mr. MacDowell obtained the largest jury verdict in the Fairfax County Circuit Court for a domestic violence victim for injuries suffered during the marriage. Recently, he was successful in an appeal before the Virginia Court of Appeals in the case of Ross v. Ross (Record No 0748-17-4), which overturned the trial court’s defined duration award limitation for spousal support to the wife.
Mr. MacDowell has dedicated his career and his law firm to provide quality legal services in litigation-oriented cases in the courts of Northern Virginia. His broad range of experience has also qualified him to counsel and represent clients on Elder Law, Estate Planning, Business Formation and Transactions, Employment Law, Fair Labor Standards Act, and Contract Litigation to list but a few. Mr. MacDowell is admitted to the Virginia and Maryland bars. He is also admitted to practice before the federal courts in the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Virginia, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Areas of Practice
- Family Law
- Personal Injury
- Contract
- Corporate
- Criminal/Traffic
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, 1981
- Maryland, 2018
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, 1981
- U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia, 2016
- U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1981
- Virginia Supreme Court, 1981
Education
- American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
- J.D. - 1981
- Washington & Lee University
- B.A. - 1976
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: With Honors
Honors and Awards
- Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society
Professional Associations and Memberships
- Fairfax County Bar Association, Member
- Virginia Bar Association, Member
Past Employment
- Senator Riegle, Michigan, U.S. Senate Aide, 1976 to 1977
- Fairfax County, VA, Assistant Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney, 1982 to 1986