About Attorney Linh H. Ly
Linh H. Ly is the founder and owner of the Law Office of Linh H. Ly PLLC. She is licensed in Virginia and her practice is concentrated in family law, estate planning, and civil litigation. After graduating from law school, Linh clerked for the first Asian American judge in Virginia, the Honorable John M. Tran in the Circuit Court of Fairfax County, Virginia, where she gained valuable experience of the inner workings of the Circuit Court. As a judicial law clerk, Linh served as a legal advisor who researched and analyzed complex civil matters in order to draft legal memoranda with recommendations that judges utilized for their rulings. The clerkship provided Linh with the unique opportunity to view court proceedings from the perspective of a judge, creating a strong foundation for her legal career.
After working at reputable small firms in Northern Virginia for approximately ten years, Linh decided to open her own law firm with an emphasis on family law and estate planning. Her experience working at different firms gave her exposure to several practice areas including family law, estate planning, immigration law, business law, landlord tenant law, real estate law, personal injury, and general civil litigation. Linh is both a litigator and a transactional attorney who enjoys assisting clients navigate through challenging times whether they are undergoing a divorce, custody battle, or contract dispute. She serves all areas of Northern Virginia including Fairfax County, Prince William County, Loudoun County, Arlington County, and the City of Alexandria.
Linh is both a litigator and a transactional attorney who enjoys assisting clients navigate through challenging times whether they are undergoing a divorce, custody battle, or contract dispute.
Linh has been practicing family law since 2014 and has extensive experience in all areas of family law including uncontested and contested divorces, prenuptial and postnuptial agreements, equitable distribution, custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, separate maintenance, property settlement agreements, modifications, and post-divorce issues. Going through a divorce can be a stressful and overwhelming process, especially when minor children are involved. Linh aspires to guide clients through this difficult time. She believes that it is in the client’s best interests to resolve cases outside of the courtroom to save on the time and expense of litigation. However, she is a fierce advocate for her clients if matters require court intervention.
Linh was selected to the 2019 to 2023 Virginia Rising Star List in Family Law by Super Lawyers. She was also recognized by Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite for Family Law from 2020 to 2023. In 2022, she was selected as a Top Attorney for Family Law by Arlington Magazine. In addition, Linh was included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Family Law. When Linh was a partner at Pesner Altmiller Melnick DeMers & Steele PLC, she served as the head of their Family Law Department. During law school, Linh served as a student attorney in the Bronfein Family Law Clinic where she represented underserved members of the community in protective order, surrogacy, and divorce matters.
As an estate planner, Linh is highly experienced in drafting wills, trusts, general durable powers of attorney, health care powers of attorney, advance medical directives/living wills, and transfer on death deeds. She has been practicing estate planning since 2015 and is well-versed in assisting clients craft an estate plan that will protect their loved ones and help them avoid the costly and time-consuming probate process. Moreover, Linh was included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Trusts and Estates.
Throughout her professional career, Linh has received several awards and recognition for her prominence in the legal field and civic involvement. In 2022, she received the Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Award by the Leadership Center for Excellence and Leadership Fairfax. In 2021, she was one of seventeen recipients of the Up and Coming Lawyers Award, an honor on the state level that recognizes young attorneys in their first ten years of practice, who exemplify the determination and accomplishments that establish them as leaders of the future. In 2020, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (APABA-DC) awarded Linh the celebrated Rising Star Award after a rigorous selection process. APABA-DC’s Rising Star Award recognizes talented individuals within the APABA-DC community who are under the age of forty and have achieved prominence and distinction in their respective field while demonstrating a strong commitment to APABA-DC and the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
Linh is very active in the AAPI community and has held many leadership positions in various organizations. She serves as the President of the Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area, a professional association dedicated to the advancement of Vietnamese American attorneys and students in the legal profession. She also serves as a Co-Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Network of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association and a Board Advisor to Devotion to Children, a nonprofit committed to providing access to affordable childcare for children under six for economically disadvantaged families. Linh is an active member of APABA-DC and served as its Vice President of Membership from 2018 to 2019 and its Solo & Small Firm Co-Chair from 2017 to 2018.
Bar Admission
- Virginia
Education
- University of Virginia, B.A. 2010 – English and minor in Asian Pacific American Studies
- University of Baltimore School of Law, J.D. 2013 - Concentration in Litigation and Advocacy
- University of Baltimore Journal of Land and Development
- Thomas Tang Moot Court Team
- Bronfein Family Law Clinic
- Teacher’s Assistant for Introduction to Lawyering Skills
Speaking Engagements
- Girls Just Wanna Have FUNds!, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Annual Convention, Las Vegas, NV (November 4, 2022)
- Making Career Changes During the Pandemic, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (February 18, 2021)
- Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Mixer and Panel, Washington, D.C. (May 2019)
- Diverse Perspectives in Law, George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C. (March 2018)
- Little Known Ways to Maintain a Successful Solo/Small Firm in Today's Competitive Market, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Annual Convention, Chicago, IL (November 8, 2018)
Activities
- President (2019 – Present), Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area
- Solo & Small Firm Network Co-Chair (2019 – Present), Solo & Small Firm Boot Camp Subcommittee Co-Chair (2017-2018), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Board Advisor (2019 – Present), Devotion to Children
- Vice President of Membership (2018 – 2019), Solo & Small Firm Co-Chair (2017 – 2018), Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area
- National Conference of Vietnamese American Attorneys
- Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia
- Fairfax Bar Association, Family Law Section, Wills Trusts & Estates Law Section, & Young Lawyers Section
- Virginia State Bar, Family Law Section & Trusts and Estates Section
Publications
- “A Judge's View: Parenting Factors, Modification, Enforcement and More,” National Business Institute Seminar, January 2016, Co-author with the Honorable John M. Tran
Other Languages
- Vietnamese
Awards and Recognition
- Included in the 2024 edition of Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America for Family Law and Trusts and Estates
- Lawyers of Color Hot List 2023
- 2022 Northern Virginia 40 Under 40 Honoree by the Leadership Center for Excellence and Leadership Fairfax
- 2022 Top Attorney for Family Law by Arlington Magazine
- Selected to the 2021 Class of Up and Coming Lawyers by Virginia Lawyers Weekly
- Rising Star Award 2020 - Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area
- Recognized by Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite for Family Law from 2020 - 2023
- Selected to the 2019 - 2023 Virginia Rising Star List in Family Law by Super Lawyers
- 2013 Scholarship Recipient, Vietnamese American Bar Association of the Greater Washington D.C. Area
- 2012 Summer Grantee, University of Baltimore Students for Public Interest
- 2011 and 2012 Scholarship Recipient, Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Maryland
Your Solution for Family, Estate, and Civil Matters
Law Office of Linh H. Ly PLLC