After graduating cum laude with honors from Washington and Lee University, Richard F. MacDowell Jr. worked in the United States Senate in the office of Senator Donald Riegle. His firsthand exposure to the legislative process inspired him to pursue a legal career. He later earned his law degree from American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C.

Mr. MacDowell began his legal career in 1982 as a prosecutor with the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office. In 1984, he joined Connor & Duff, where he applied his courtroom and litigation skills to civil matters.

Throughout his career, Mr. MacDowell has represented clients in a wide range of civil disputes, including personal injury, wrongful death, construction contracts, family law and custody, domestic violence, employment law, and contested wills. In 2006, he secured what was then the largest jury verdict awarded by the Fairfax County Circuit Court to a domestic violence survivor for injuries suffered during a marriage.

Mr. MacDowell also successfully handled the appeal in Ross v. Ross (Record No. 0748-17-4) before the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The court overturned a trial court decision that placed a defined-duration limitation on the wife’s spousal support award.

For more than four decades, Mr. MacDowell has represented individuals, families, and businesses in litigation-focused matters throughout Northern Virginia. His extensive legal background also allows him to advise clients on elder law, estate planning, business formation and transactions, employment matters, Fair Labor Standards Act claims, and contract disputes.

Mr. MacDowell is admitted to practice law in Virginia and Maryland. He is also admitted before the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Areas of Practice

Bar Admissions

Virginia, 1981
Maryland, 2018
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Virginia, 1981
U.S. District Court Western District of Virginia, 2016
U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, 1981
Virginia Supreme Court, 1981

Education

American University, Washington College of Law, Washington, District of Columbia
- J.D. – 1981
Washington & Lee University
- B.A. – 1976
- Honors: cum laude
- Honors: With Honors

Past Employment

Senator Riegle, Michigan, U.S. Senate Aide, 1976 to 1977
Fairfax County, VA, Assistant Commonwealth of Virginia Attorney, 1982 to 1986

Honors and Awards

Phi Alpha Theta History Honor Society

Professional Associations and Memberships

Fairfax County Bar Association, Member
Virginia Bar Association, Member