342 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 Phone: 540-433-2444, Fax: 540-433-3916

Areas of Practice

Hoover Penrod PLC assists clients with diverse legal problems and always welcomes new challenges. The following categories summarize some of the areas of law in which our attorneys practice on a frequent basis.

Business and Commercial - We assist clients establishing new businesses with choosing their legal entity, developing organizational plans and preparing legal documents. We assist existing businesses with contracts and other transactional matters; litigation; commercial financing; bankruptcy and work-outs; human resource planning; insurance; risk management; debt collections; reorganizations and dissolutions. Our representative clients range from small start-up companies to long-established organizations.

Litigation / Dispute Resolution - Our civil litigation practice includes trial and appellate work in state and federal courts and administrative agencies. Our seasoned attorneys regularly represent plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving commercial and employment disputes, personal injury, divorce and family law issues, will and estate contests, real estate and zoning. Some of our attorneys are trained arbitrators and mediators, and are experienced party representatives in arbitration, mediation, collaborative law, settlement conferences and other forms of alternative dispute resolution.

Personal Injury - We have represented clients in some of the region’s largest personal injury settlements and verdicts. Some of our attorneys have more than thirty years of experience in handling a wide variety of personal injury claims.

Bankruptcy Practice - Our firm participates in many of the cases heard by the U. S. Bankruptcy Court that sits in Harrisonburg and covers a large area in northwestern Virginia from Clarke to Alleghany Counties. For many years we have represented a lay bankruptcy trustee in a wide variety of cases, and are knowledgeable of local procedures in all types of bankruptcy work. We routinely represent creditors in lift stay actions and discharge matters. Our firm also handles debtor's Ch. 11 cases, both as lead counsel and in conjunction with out-of-town law firms, and we serve clients in all other roles in reorganization cases, including holders of both claims and interests. Related to our work in bankruptcy court, we often advise and negotiate for individual and corporate clients with respect to business liabilities and exposure.

Family Law - We represent select clients in all aspects of family law and marriage dissolution, including pre-nuptial agreements, adoption, spousal maintenance, complex equitable distribution, property division, separation agreements, child custody, visitation and support issues. The firm’s family law practitioners offer sound and knowledgeable advice using solid problem solving and negotiating skills. We are experienced in mediation, collaborative law and settlement conferences. We also represent clients regularly in Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts, Circuit Courts, the Virginia Court of Appeals and the Virginia Supreme Court.

Real Estate and Financing - Our lawyers and staff are experienced in residential and commercial real estate sales, leases, purchases and tax-free exchanges; construction and mortgage loans and refinancing; zoning and development. Our representative clients include individuals, small and medium size businesses and lending institutions.

Estate Planning and Administration - The firm provides comprehensive services in the areas of estate planning and administration. Our estate planning covers the entire range from the simplest wills to sophisticated transfer tax planning, including the use of various types of trusts and charitable gifts. We provide similarly broad assistance with the administration of estates and trusts, including assistance with probate and preparation of inventories and tax returns. This includes the full range of working with small, fairly simple estates, as well as large estates with challenging assets and issues. We are flexible in working with and advising clients who are more comfortable doing much of the work themselves, as well as those who prefer to delegate most of the work to experienced professionals.

Employment Law - The firm’s employment lawyers assist employers in the development of employee handbooks, policies and practices; conduct supervisory and personnel training; assist in investigations of employee complaints; and provide on-going risk management counseling to human resource personnel in order to foster compliance with federal and state laws and regulations and enhance employee morale and productivity. We represent employers and employees in all matters related to employment disputes, including contracts; non-competition and trade secret confidentiality agreements; harassment and discrimination; wrongful termination; and claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Fair Labor Standards Act.