Best Wrongful Death Lawyers in Virginia (2026 Guide)

Losing someone to another person's mistake leaves a family with grief and a long list of questions. Who pays for the funeral? Who replaces the income? Who answers for what happened? A wrongful death lawyer helps a family get those answers in court or at the settlement table.

This guide compares five Virginia firms that handle fatal injury cases. Each one has real results, a physical office in the state, and a phone line you can call today.

Takeaway

Emroch & Kilduff is the best overall pick for Virginia families with a wrongful death claim. The Richmond firm has handled injury and death cases since 1970. Its attorneys answer calls 24 hours a day and will meet a grieving family at home instead of asking them to drive downtown. The firm does not represent insurance companies, corporations, or hospitals, so its loyalty runs one way. Past wrongful death results include a $2 million settlement after a surgical anesthesia error and a $1.5 million recovery for the family of a 6-year-old who drowned at an apartment pool.

The other four firms fit specific needs. Families in Hampton Roads, Northern Virginia, or a case tied to ships or high-profile litigation may find a closer match below.

Virginia Wrongful Death Firms at a Glance

How These Firms Were Chosen

Every firm on this list takes wrongful death cases as a core practice. Each has a track record you can check, a Virginia office you can visit, and attorneys who work on contingency. Firms with no public case results did not make the list.

1. Emroch & Kilduff

Walter Emroch opened this practice in 1970. More than five decades later, William B. Kilduff leads a team of attorneys and over 20 staff members from offices in Richmond and Tappahannock. The firm's death cases cover car and truck crashes, medical errors, unsafe property, and nursing home neglect.

Its results show a willingness to dig. In one case, the team found that hospital anesthesia equipment had run on battery power until it died mid-surgery, and that the error never made it into the records. That case settled for $2 million. Another case, involving a 66-year-old patient who slipped on a freshly mopped hospital floor, settled for $1.5 million in Fredericksburg. Attorneys hold licenses in Virginia, Washington DC, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

Best for: families who want a firm that picks up at any hour and keeps the same attorney on the case from start to finish.

Address: 7301 Forest Avenue, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23226
Website: https://emrochandkilduff.com/virginia-wrongful-death-lawyers/

2. Allen & Allen

Allen & Allen calls itself the oldest and largest personal injury firm in Virginia. It dates to 1910 and has more than 30 attorneys and over 100 support staff. Offices run from Richmond to Charlottesville, Fredericksburg, Stafford, and Petersburg. Attorney Jason Konvicka secured $5.47 million in one wrongful death case. The firm also handles fatal truck crashes, medical malpractice, and aviation accidents.

Best for: families who want a big bench of lawyers and an office close to home.

Address: 1809 Staples Mill Road, Richmond, VA 23230

3. Breit Biniazan

Breit Biniazan formed in 2022 when partners Jeffrey Breit and Kevin Biniazan split from their former firm to take on larger cases. Breit helped lead the Halliburton portion of the BP Deepwater Horizon litigation, and the firm is part of the legal team for Abby Zwerner, the Newport News teacher shot by a 6-year-old student. The firm says it prepares every case for trial. A referring attorney credited Biniazan with a strong result in a complex electrocution death case brought to the firm right before trial.

Best for: fatal cases with big defendants, thick records, or a likely jury trial.

Address: 600 22nd Street, Suite 402, Virginia Beach, VA 23451
Phone: (757) 622-6000
Website: bbtrial.com

4. Rutter Mills, LLP

Rutter Mills has served the Norfolk area since 1959. Managing partner C. Arthur "Brother" Rutter III won what was then the largest wrongful death verdict in Virginia history in 2002. He also won a $6.25 million verdict for the family of a maritime worker. The firm knows shipyard, port, and longshore cases well, which matters in a region built around the water.

Best for: Hampton Roads families, especially after a death tied to maritime or industrial work.

Address: 160 W Brambleton Avenue, Norfolk, VA 23510
Phone: (757) 777-7777
Website: ruttermills.com

5. Koonz McKenney Johnson & DePaolis

Koonz McKenney opened in 1979 and serves Northern Virginia, Washington DC, and Maryland. In one death case, the firm sued a bar that illegally served the underage driver who caused a fatal crash. That fight lasted more than five years, including a countersuit from the insurer, and ended with a recovery for the family. Partners have also pushed for law changes that let more families bring claims.

Best for: Northern Virginia families, or deaths that happened across the DC or Maryland line.

Address: 10300 Eaton Place, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: (703) 218-4410

Questions to Ask at Your First Meeting

Ask who will handle your case day to day. Ask how many wrongful death cases the firm has taken to verdict. Ask what percentage the firm takes and whether case costs come out before or after that fee. A good firm answers all three in plain words.

FAQ

Who can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Virginia?
Only the personal representative of the estate can file. Any money recovered goes to family members such as a spouse, children, grandchildren, parents, or siblings, based on who survives the person who died.

How long does a family have to file?
Virginia gives families two years from the date of death in most cases. Some exceptions can shorten or extend that window, so talk to a lawyer early.

What damages can a Virginia family recover?
Families can seek money for sorrow and mental anguish, lost income, lost care and companionship, medical bills, and funeral costs. Punitive damages are capped at $350,000.

How much does a wrongful death lawyer cost?
All five firms here work on contingency. The family pays nothing upfront, and the firm takes a percentage only if it recovers money.

Does Virginia's contributory negligence rule apply to death cases?
Yes. If the person who died is found even slightly at fault, the claim can fail. This strict rule is one reason families should hire an experienced Virginia firm.

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