William D. Ashwell is a career
litigator and advocate who has built a regional and statewide reputation for
assisting clients in the most serious of situations and in high profile
matters. A native of Warrenton, Mr. Ashwell has solidified himself as a leader
in the field of civil and criminal litigation and beyond. A steadfast believer
in giving back to the community, Mr. Ashwell balances his time between his
family and giving back to the community that he calls home. A graduate of
Hampden-Sydney College and the University of Dayton School of Law, Mr. Ashwell
serves Northern Virginia, Piedmont region, central Virginia, and clients statewide, continuing to
be a staple of the courtroom. Mr. Ashwell has also represented clients in
criminal and civil matters internationally, including in England and the United
Kingdom.
Education
• University
of Dayton School of Law, Dayton, Ohio
• Juris
Doctor
• Honors:
Moot Court – Team Member, 2010-2011
• Hampden-Sydney
College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia
• Bachelor
of Arts
• Major:
English
• Oxford
University, St. Anne's College, Oxford, UK
• Virginia
Program at Oxford University
Bar Admissions
• Virginia
• U.S.
District Court Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S.
District Court Western District of Virginia
• U.S.
Court of Appeals 4th Circuit
• U.S.
Bankruptcy Court Eastern District of Virginia
• U.S.
Bankruptcy Court Western District of Virginia
• Supreme
Court of the United States of America
Professional Associations
• Virginia
State Bar
• Virginia
State Bar, Former Member of the 7th District Disciplinary Committee
• Fauquier
Bar Association
Reported Cases
• Chacey
v. Garvey, 781 S.E.2d 357, (2015).
• Shepherd
v. Conde, 797 S.E.2d 750 (2017)
• United States v. Bosyk, 933
F.3d 319 (4th Cir. 2019), cert denied, 140 S. Ct. 1124 (U.S. Feb. 24, 2020)(No.
19-860), 2019.
• Weatherholt
v. Commonwealth, 839 S.E.2d 492 (2020).
• Spell
v. Commonwealth, 851 S.E.2d 83 (2020)
• St.
John v. Thompson, 854 S.E.2d 648 (2021)
• Stafford
Cnty. Bd. of Zoning Appeals v. Grove, 905 S.E.2d 140 (2024).
Unpublished Cases
• Bd. of
Supervisors v. Long, 2023 Va. App. LEXIS 547 * | 2023 WL 5207304 (2023)
• Kamga
v. Commonwealth, 2024 Va. App. LEXIS 11 * | 2024 WL 157539 (2024)
• Ahmed
v Imperial Auto, LLC, 2024 Va. App. LEXIS 181 * | 2024 WL 1381766 (2024)
• Renberg
v. Renberg, 2024 Va. App. LEXIS 234 * | 2024 WL 1724034 (2024)
Representative Cases
• Successfully represented corporate
and individual defendants in a $63 million municipal fraud lawsuit through
litigation to settlement on appeal.
• Represented members of the Foxfield
Racing Association, Inc., in resolving a dispute over the future of the races
and development of the properties held by the association.
• Represented the oldest Virginia
equine association related to corporate sale of assets.
• Successfully represented landowners
in the seeking injunctive and declaratory relief to protect their use of deeded
easements.
• Represented a nonprofit in a
multimillion-dollar land acquisition and negotiated with the municipality to
ensure that affordable housing remained in place for hundreds of families.
• Obtained a defense verdict on a $1
million personal injury claim after the conclusion of the plaintiff’s evidence
during a motion to strike.
• Obtained a dismissal of an
injunction and complaint for damages of a trade secrets matter.
• Successfully overturned erroneous
financial awards from the trial court as to Federal retirement benefits in a
domestic relations matter.
• Litigated
multiple homicide and serious felony cases to verdict.
• Represented
countless clients on criminal matters to jury trial resulting in acquittal.
• Represented countless civil
plaintiffs and defendants from the inception of litigation to trial.
• Represented
as corporate counsel local and regional financial institutions.
Honors
• Virginia
Super Lawyers Rising Star, 2017-2022
• National
Business Institute Outstanding Faculty Award 2022, 2023
Classes & Seminars
• Land Use and Zoning: Navigate Land
Use/Zoning Regulations, Permitting Issues, Disputes and More; National Business
Institute, July 20, 2017.
• How to Get Your Social Media, Email
and Text Evidence Admitted (and Keep Theirs Out), National Business Institute,
October 31, 2017.
• Protecting Your Business, Family
and Future, Greater Piedmont REALTORS, February 21, 2018.
• Local Government Law – Start to
Finish; Government Attorney Ethics – Protect Your Client and Yourself, National
Business Institute, February 23, 2018.
• Road and Easement Law A to Z:
Establishing Easements; National Business Institute, April 9, 2018.
• Take a Comprehensive Look at Land
Use Law; National Business Institute, July 10. 2018.
• Ethics in
Land Use Law; National Business Institute, July 10, 2018.
• How to Lay a Foundation to Get Your
Evidence Introduced; Applying Ethics Rules to Evidence; National Business
Institute, October 30, 2018
• Defining Easements and Ethics in
Boundary Law; National Business Institute, April 15, 2019
• Real Estate Boot Camp and Ethics,
National Business Institute, 04/19/2019 to Present
• Land Use and Zoning from Start to
Finish: Ethics in Land Use and Zoning Law, National Business Institute,
September 10, 2019
• Handling Email, Social Media and
Other ESI; The Rules of Evidence: A Practical Toolkit, National Business
Institute, 10/31/2019 to 10/31/2019
• Annual Probate and Estate
Administration Conference in Virginia, National Business Institute, September
23, 2020.
• Legal Descriptions, Title Insurance
& Surveys in Real Estate Transactions, National Business Institute,
December 17, 2020.
• Challenging or Appealing
Administrative Zoning Decisions: What You Need to Know. National Business
Institute; July 15, 2021.
• Virginia Estate Administration From
Start to Finish, National Business Institute; August 25, 2021.
• Land Surveys and Legal
Descriptions: Everything Paralegals Need to Know; National Business Institute;
• Virginia Real Estate Closings from
Start to Finish; National Business Institute; July 29, 2021.·
• How to Lay a Foundations to Get
Your Evidence Introduced; National Business Institute; August 31, 2021.
• Virginia Land and Water Law:
Ownership and Access; Halfmoon Education, Inc.; July 30, 2021.
• Litigating Civil Cases in Virginia
From Start to Finish; National Business Institute; May 20, 2022.
• Virginia Real Property Law:
Understanding Title, Transfers, and Encumbrances; National Business Institute;
May 17, 2022.
• Virginia Probate Process from Start
to Finish; National Business Institute; June 16, 2022.
• Land Surveys and Legal
Descriptions: Everything Paralegals Need to Know; National Business Institute;
August 17, 2022.
• Resolving Boundary Disputes in
Virginia; National Business Institute; September 28, 2022.
• Civil Trial Guide; Authenticating
and Admitting ESI as Evidence and Utilizing Technology in Your Presentation;
February 22, 2023.
• Forensic Accounting and Money
Laundering Detection/Disruption Conferences; Florida Atlantic University; March
6, 2023.
• Reviewing the Chain of Title, Legal
Descriptions, Land Surveys, and More; National Business Institute; March 29,
2023.
• Legal Descriptions, Title
Insurance, and Surveys in Virginia Real Estate Transactions; National Business
Institute; May 10, 2023.
• Virginia Land and Water Law:
Ownership and Access; Halfmoon Education; July 28, 2023.
• Trial and Error: 50 Mistakes Even
Experienced Trial Attorneys Make; National Business Institute; August 21, 2023.
• Title Law
Boot Camp; National Business Institute; September 21, 2023.
• Virginia
Civil Trial Skills; National Business Institute; October 12, 2023.
• Voire Dire and Jury Selection; The
Complete Guide; National Business Institute; November 9, 2023.
• Probate Process From Start to
Finish; National Business Institute; November 21, 2023.
• How
Jurors Think: What Every Trial Attorney Needs to Know; December 20, 2023.
• Advanced
Litigation Techniques, National Business Institute; January 24, 2024
• Easements: Everything You Need to
Know; National Business Institute; February 28, 2024.
• Attorney’s Complete Guide to
Experts in Virginia Civil Litigation; National Business Institute; May 21,
2024.
• The Rules of Evidence: Creative
Insights From Top Trial Lawyers; National Business Institute; May 21, 2024.
• Trial and Error: 50 Mistakes Even
Experiences Trial Attorneys Make; National Business Institute; May 29, 2024.
• Virginia Probate Process From Start
to Finish; National Business Institute; June 27, 2024.
• Virginia
Real Estate Law 2024; National Business Institute; October 7, 2024.
• Resolving Boundary Disputes in
Virginia; National Business Institute; October 9, 2024.
• Student Bullying Lawsuits: 50
Mistakes Even Experienced School Law Attorneys Make; National Business
Institute; October 17, 2024.
Pro-Bono Activities
• Fauquier
SPCA, Board Member
• Northern
Piedmont Community Foundation, Board Member
• Mental
Health Association of Fauquier County, Board Member
• St. James
Episcopal School Board, Board Member
• Partnership
for Warrenton, Past Board Member
• Ducks
Unlimited, Blue Ridge Chapter, Chairman
• Fauquier
Chamber of Commerce, Past Board Member
• Experience
Old Town Warrenton, Past Board Membe
