Edward J. Walinsky (1954-2010)

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the death of our friend and colleague, Edward J. Walinsky. Ed passed away on February 28, 2010, after a long battle with cancer. Ed Walinsky was well-known and well-respected in the Fairfax Bar, and dedicated years of service to the Bar. Among other contributions, he was a past member of the Fairfax Bar Association Board of Directors and most recently served on the Judicial Screening Committee. Since 1996, he served on the Virginia State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee. He was a partner in the firm of ShounBach, and despite his illness, served as the managing partner of the firm during 2009.

Mr. Walinsky received his undergraduate degree from the College of William and Mary in 1976 and his law degree from Vanderbilt University in 1979. He has been admitted to practice in Virginia since that date. After graduating from law school, Mr. Walinsky served as a Captain in the Judge Advocate General’s Corps, U.S. Army, and thereafter as a judicial law clerk for the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He has practiced primarily in Northern Virginia since 1984.

While Mr. Walinsky had experience in various aspects of civil and criminal litigation, domestic relations and family law primarily comprised of his caseload. He had presented seminars on business valuations throughout Virginia and had lectured on various other topics, including ethics, divorce procedures, equitable distribution issues and recent developments in domestic relations law. He served the Circuit Court of Fairfax County as a Neutral Case Evaluator and as a Conciliator. He had particular expertise in adoption, including contested adoptions and adoption appeals.

Mr. Walinsky was a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and the Fairfax Bar Association. He had been particularly active in the Fairfax Bar Association, as a past chair of the Law Day and Continuing Legal Education Committees, and as a member and secretary of the Board of Directors. He had also served on the Judicial State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee and as chair of the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board of the Virginia State Bar. As a member of the Family Law Section of the Virginia State Bar, Mr. Walinsky had contributed to the statewide Family Law News.

Mr. Walinsky had been selected by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the "Top Lawyers" in the Washington, D.C. area in the realm of Family Law, and had been recognized by the publication Virginia's Super Lawyers. He was also listed in The Best Lawyers in America and has been designated one of Virginia's "Legal Elite" family law practitioners by Virginia Business magazine. Born: Arlington, Virginia (1954-2010)

Education: College of William & Mary, B.A., 1976, Vanderbilt University, J.D., 1979

Practice Areas: Domestic Relations Law; Divorce; Family Law; Adoption; Litigation

Membership: Fairfax Bar Association (Chairman, Law Day Committee, 1989-1990; Co-Chairman, Law Related Education Committee, 1998; Chairman, Continuing Legal Education Committee, 1998-2001; Member, Board of Directors, 2001- 2006 ; Secretary, 2004- 2006 ); Virginia State Bar (Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board, 1998-2004; Chair, 2003-2004; Fee Arbitration Committee, 1996-); Virginia Trial Lawyers Association

Admissions: 1979, Virginia; 1982, U.S. Court of Appeals, 4th Circuit and U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia; 1985, District of Columbia; 1988, U.S. Supreme Court

Reported Cases: Gamer v. Gamer, 16 Va. App. 335, 429 S.E. 2d 618 (1993); Webb v. Webb, 16 Va. App. 486, 431 S.E. 2d 55 (1993)

Miscellaneous Information: Law Clerk, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1982-1984. Adjunct Professor of Law, George Mason University, 1989-1991; Georgetown University, 1993. Neutral Case Evaluator, Fairfax County Circuit Court, 1997-. Conciliator, Fairfax Circuit Court. Alternate Member, Judicial Screening Committee, Fairfax Bar Association