Resolving Legal Issues With Insight And Integrity
Biography
Allison E. Coppage Family law cases are emotionally charged and intricate matters. Allison Coppage has spent the last twenty years focusing on the intricacy of those cases. She has zealously advocated for her clients in property division, custody, support and attorney’s fees matters. Allison also spends a significant amount of time assisting clients in negotiating or mediating their differences to save them time, money and emotional stress. Allison has the ability to assess each client’s case and determine whether they need to pursue litigation or if mediation is a better fit for them. She assists the clients in balancing financial decisions and what is best for them and their family with the tendency of clients to make raw, emotional decisions.
In addition to helping clients successfully navigate the court system as they go through divorces and disputes over support, custody, visitation, adoption, and the division of assets, Allison has been certified as a Guardian ad litem since 2001. This means she is often asked by the court system to provide an independent assessment of a case, and advise the judge on what would be in a particular party’s best interest. This is quite different from being a traditional advocate because she isn’t representing a client, so it has given her unique insight into what factors judges consider, and what arguments they find persuasive.
She is a tireless advocate for children that are swept up into family law disputes not only in matters between private individuals but Allison has also represented the Fauquier Department of Social Services, and served as court-appointed counsel in both abuse and neglect cases as well as criminal cases in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court.
Allison’s passion for helping our local youth extends beyond the courtroom. When she is not working, Allison can be found on the ball field. She has coached her daughter softball since 2009 and a winning local travel team since 2012. She coached the local middle school team through two undefeated seasons, and has also served as the assistant coach for the high school’s JV team. She enjoys watching her son (and coaching from the sidelines) play in his fifth season of travel baseball.
Education
- Capital University Law School, Columbus, Ohio
- J.D. - 1999
- Honors: cum laude
- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
- B.A. - 1992
Representative Cases
- Sfreddo v. Sfreddo, 720 S.E.2d 145, 59 Va.App 471 (2012). A published case in which the Court of Appeals overturned, in part, the ruling of the trial court and found for my client. The Court of Appeals stated that the trial court’s finding that there was no corporate intent to gift shares in corporation to husband, as grounds for finding that husband’s ownership interest in the corporation was marital property, was plainly wrong.
Professional Associations
- Member of the Virginia State Bar
- Member of the Ohio State Bar
- Member of the Fauquier County Bar Association, and its Judicial Selection Committee and Juvenile Court liaison committee
- Member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
- Former Vice President of the Rappahannock Legal Services Board
Practice Areas
- Family Law
Honors
- Martindale-Hubble Peer Review rated for High Professional Achievement.
Bar Admissions
- Ohio, 1999
- Virginia, 2001