Katharine Maddox

Katharine Maddox is equipped to handle all aspects of family law cases: She has been in practice for over 20 years; she is well versed in negotiation and litigation, and she pursues alternative dispute resolution where appropriate. Katharine is a Virginia Supreme Court certified mediator, and she regularly handles collaborative law cases.

Katharine strives to work as part of a team with her clients in order to achieve the best outcome possible in a respectful and professional manner. This is true whether the case involves complex assets, custody of children, determination of financial support, or any of the other myriad of issues which must be determined pursuant to a separation or divorce. Whenever reasonably possible, Katharine believes that rational settlements are in the best interests of the family unit in order to support the family moving on to the next phase of their lives. 

Katharine is a member of, and involved with, several prestigious family law organizations: 

·      Katharine is a Fellow of the International Academy of Family Lawyers (IAFL) where she serves as First Vice President of the USA Chapter. The IAFL is a worldwide association of practicing lawyers who are recognized by their peers as the most experienced and skilled family law specialists in their respective countries. 

·      Katharine is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML), an elected professional membership association of the most trusted leaders in Family Law in the United States. 

·      Most notably, Katharine is a Fellow of the American College of Family Trial Lawyers (ACFTL), which is a select group of 100 of the top family law trial lawyers from across the United States recognized for their litigation skills in sophisticated and complex family law matters both domestically and abroad. Fellowship to the ACFTL is extended by invitation only to attorneys who have principally practiced family law for a minimum of 20 years, who are members of the AAML, and whose professional careers exemplify the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality.

Katharine is regularly included in Washingtonian’s list of best family law attorneys and is recognized as one of the Best Lawyers in America by the Best Lawyers publication. Further, Katharine is recognized as a "Super Lawyer" in the Super Lawyers publication, as a "Top Lawyer" in the area of family law by Northern Virginia Magazine, and one of the “Legal Elite” in the field of family law by Virginia Business Magazine; she has further received the top rating possible, "Superb, 10 out of 10" from the AVVO ratings website.

Katharine was first published in 2004 and has gone on to co-author the Virginia chapter of an international family law treatise with her law partner, Julie Curran Gerock. More recently, Katharine has been published on the topic of parent-child alienation, relocation of children in custody matters, as well as best practices for lawyers in a virtual world.

Katharine frequently serves as a speaker at various legal conferences both nationally and internationally on a host of topics including processing divorces in Virginia, the Virginia rules of evidence, enforcement of custody orders and related remedies, application of the Uniform Child Custody and Enforcement Act, relocation of children (domestic and international), litigating parent-child alienation matters and law office management. Katharine has also co-organized and moderated two symposiums on the Hague Convention of the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, one in New York City and one in Quebec City.

Katharine received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Virginia and her Juris Doctor (with Honors) from The George Washington University, where she served as the Chairperson of the Law School Academic Integrity Committee. In addition to family law, Katharine is passionate about her own family, her two rescue dogs and cooking.