
Biography
Doug Ross understands that sometimes litigation is necessary to get the result sought by his clients. With 30 years of courtroom experience, he has the willingness and ability to efficiently try those cases that cannot be settled in a manner satisfactory to his clients.
A seasoned trial attorney, Doug has extensive experience with both jury and non-jury trials. His broad litigation practice includes banking, real estate, title insurance, shareholder and partnership disputes, and defamation. While he primarily appears before the Virginia state courts and the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, on occasion he represents clients in courts outside of Virginia, participating in the jurisdiction pro hac vice, or with permission of the court for that particular trial.
Doug, who also serves as the firm's Managing Shareholder, has received an AV Rating, the highest rating given by Martindale-Hubbell® Peer Review RatingsTM for his legal ability and general ethical standards. He also has been listed among Virginia Business magazine's "Legal Elite" seven times for Civil Litigation. In 2020, he was selected by his peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® for Commercial Litigation.
Honors And Awards
- AV Preeminent Peer Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
- Arlington magazine's Top Attorneys – Appellate Law, 2022
- Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” – Appellate Law, 2020
- Virginia 500 - The Power List - Law, 2020-2022
- The Best Lawyers in America - Commercial Litigation, 2020-2024
- Virginia Business magazine’s “Legal Elite” – Civil Litigation, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2018
Practice Highlights
Representative Cases:
- Successfully obtained a summary judgment in favor of a national underwriter on a title insurance claim, which ruling was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Successfully argued a Motion to Dismiss on a substantial defamation claim, which ruling was upheld in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.
- Successfully defended breach of fiduciary duty claims against a corporation’s directors and shareholders, which ruling was upheld by the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.
Reported Cases:
- Murnan v. Stewart Title Guaranty Company, 607 F. Supp. 2d 745 (E. D Va. 2009)
- Avila/Avila v. Community Bank of Virginia, et. al., 2003 WL 22002779 (Mo. App. W.D.)
- Berman v. Physical Medicine Associates, 225 F.3d 429 (4th Cir. 2000)
- FDIC v. Hish, 76 F.3d 620 (4th Cir. 1996)
Practice Areas
- Banking Litigation
- Real Estate & Title Insurance Litigation
- Shareholder & Partnership Litigation
- Defamation Litigation
Education
- George Washington University National Law Center, Washington, District of Columbia
- J.D. - 1983
- Honors: summa cum laude
- Honors: With Honors
- Duke University, Durham, North Carolina
- B.A. - 1979
- Honors: magna cum laude
Bar Admissions
- Virginia, 1983
- U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia
- U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia