John D. McGavin

Principal, Managing Partner
3920 University Drive
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
(703) 385-1000 Telephone
(703) 385-1555 Facsimile
jmcgavin@vadctriallaw.com

Areas of Practice

Civil litigation in Federal and State Courts throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia, including:

• Products liability
• Professional liability/malpractice
• Nursing Home Malpractice
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Trucking litigation
• Construction Defects
• Appellate practice
• SIU/Fraud

Education

• Undergraduate: University of Virginia B.A. with Distinction, (1979)
• Graduate: College of William and Mary
  Marshall-Wythe School of Law
  J.D. (1982)

Employment

• Principal of Bancroft, McGavin, Horvath & Judkins, P.C. (1988 to Present)
• Associate Attorney - Lewis & Trichilo (1983 - 1988)
• Law Clerk for the Honorable Oren R. Lewis
  U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
  (1982-1983)

Bar Memberships

• Virginia (1982)
• District of Columbia (2002)

Martindale-Hubbell Rating

• AV

Court Admissions

• U.S. Supreme Court (1995)
• U.S. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)(1983)
• U.S. District Court, E.D. Va. (1983); W.D. Va. (1985)
• Virginia Supreme Court (1982)
• District of Columbia, Court of Appeals (2002)
• U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (2003)

Professional Associations

• Fairfax Bar Association Judicial Selection Committee (1998 - 2000)
• Fairfax Bar Association Conciliation and Mediation Program, Steering Committee Member, (2005-present).
• Virginia State Bar
• Virginia Bar Association
• Northern Virginia Young Lawyers Association President (1987-1988)
• Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys President (2004-2005)
• Defense Research Institute
• Propane Gas Defense Association
• National Arbitration Forum, Panel of Arbitrators and Mediation Selected as Member (2006)

Professional Activities

• Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers, (Virginia Committee 2009- present)
• Boyd-Graves Conference (2004-present)
• Fellow, Virginia Law Foundation 
• Faculty, Carrico Professionalism Course (2009-2012)
• U.S. District Court Merit Selection Panel (2000-Present)
• U.S. District Court Civil Advisory Panel
• Commission on Virginia Courts in the 21st Century, Advisor to the Committee; (2005- 2006)

Significant Reported Decisions

(Reported Circuit Court cases are not included)

• Uniwest Constr., Inc. v. Amtech Elevator Servs., 280 Va. 428; 699 S.E. 2d 223 (2010).
• Covel v. Town of Vienna, 280 Va. 151; 694 S.E. 2d 609 (2010).
• Sunrise Continuing Care LLC v. Wright, 277 Va. 148; 671 S.E. 2d 132 (2009)
• Douglas B. Baker, as Personal Representative of the Estate of Virginia Graeme Baker v. Poolservice Company, et al., 272 Va. 677, 636  S.E. 2d 360 (2006).
• Gibson v. Boy Scouts of America, et. al., 359 F. Supp. 2d 469 (E.D. Va. 2005).
• Gibson v. Boy Scouts of America, et. al., 359 F. Supp. 2d 462 (E.D. Va. 2005).
• Honsinger v. Egan, 266 Va. 269, 585 S.E. 2d 597 (2003).
• John v. Im, 263 Va. 315, 559 S.E.2d 694 (2002).
• Interim Personnel v. Messer, 263 Va. 435, 559 S.E.2d 704 (2002).
• Lambert v. Downtown Garage, 262 Va. 707, 553 S.E.2d 714 (2001).
• USAA Cas. Ins. Co. v. Randolph, 255 Va. 342, 497 S.E.2d 744 (1998).
• Robertson v. Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, 249 Va. 72, 452 S.E.2d 845 (1995).
• Chesapeake Bay Seafood House v. Clements, 14 Va. App. 143 (1992).
• Jackson v. Ratcliff Concrete Co., 8 Va. App. 143 (1989).
• Thiboudeau v. Vandermark, 234 Va. 15, 360 S.E.2d 171 (1987).
• Stone v. Ethan Allen, Inc., 232 Va. 365, 350 S.E.2d 629 (1987).

High Profile Litigation

Estate of Youn v. Cooley Godward LLC, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Virginia (2005). This case involved a wrongful death action arising from use of a cell phone. The matter was reported in USA Today, National Law Journal, and multiple other national and local publications. The claim against the defendant law firm was dismissed on the allegations regarding the duty to have a cell phone policy by an employer and ultimately settled for a small amount.

Paula Johnson v. Precision Dynamics Corporation, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2001). This case involved defense of the highly publicized University of Virginia baby switching case. Mr. McGavin obtained summary judgment for Precision Dynamics Corporation.

Lectures and Seminars

• Virginia CLE - “Trying a Motor Vehicle Accident Case” (Presented Richmond, Virginia May, 2007)
• Lecture Chubb Insurance Company- Third Party Liability in Civil Rights Litigation. (Presented Washington, D.C. April, 2005)
• CLE Program - 48 Important Issues in Handling Personal Injury Cases (April 2005)
• CLE Program - Mock Jury Trial , Defense Counsel, Mild Traumatic Brain Case (Richmond, Virginia, October 2004)
• CLE Program - Products Liability Section, VADA, “Defense of Traumatic Brain Injury Cases: 10 Ways to Avoid a Multi-Million Dollar Disaster.” (October 2003)
• CLE Program - “Lawyers New to a Defense Practice.” (2000-2005)
• Seminar Presentation-National Insurance Crime Bureau-Symposium on “Gypsy Fraud and Investigations”, (November 2001)
• CLE Program - Automobile Section, VADA, “Trying a Motor Vehicle Case.” (October 2001)
• State Farm Insurance Company Regional Conference of Special Investigation Counsel and Claims Personnel, “Update on Special Investigation Projects in Virginia”, (February 5, 2000)
• NSPII - Advanced Insurance Fraud Seminar, “Investigation of MD/DC combination clinics in Virginia”, Cincinnati, Ohio (November 1999)
• Lecture - Virginia State Police Fraud Unit, “Investigating Fraud in Insurance Cases” (January 1999)
• Fairfax Bar Association - (CLE) “Trying a Personal Injury Case” (May 1994)

Articles and Journals

• "Time to Revisit the Gatekeeping Function of the Trial Courts in Virginia." The Journal of Civil Litigation; Vol. XVIII, No. 3 (Fall 2006)
• “Sovereign Immunity: Is it Alive and Well in Virginia after Friday -Spivey v. Collier?”, The Journal of Civil Litigation; Vol. XVII, No. 3 (Fall 2005).

• “John v. Im : Time for Clarification and Revisiting the Decision by The Supreme Court of Virginia.”, The Journal of Civil Litigation; Vol. XV, No. 2 (Summer 2003).

Awards and Recognition

• National Insurance Crime Bureau Certificate of Appreciation (May 30, 2002); In recognition of the supportive investigative efforts provided in a major, multi million dollar, medical billing fraud case that resulted in the arrest and prosecution of several individuals.
• DRI Exceptional Performance Award-2005
• Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys Furness Award -2006.
  Awarded for exceptional leadership.
• "Who's Who in American Law" - 2007-present
• "Super Lawyers" Washington, D.C. - 2007-present
• "Super Lawyers" Virginia - 2007-present
• "Who's Who in America" - 2008-present
• Washingtonian Magazine-Top Lawyers-2007
• Northern Virginia Magazine--Top Personal Injury Lawyers 2010

 

Bancroft, McGavin, Horvath, & Judkins, P.C., handle  civil and business litigation defense, insurance law and defense, government and municipal law, workers' compensation, and DUI/traffic defense  cases throughout the  Commonwealth of Virginia and in the District of Columbia. Call (703) 385-1000 today for a free consultation or fill out our free case review form.