Office: 703-847-4488
Email: dcochran@cochranowen.com

Deborah D. Cochran assists individuals, families and small business owners with all of their financial and estate planning needs. Her practice includes trust and estate administration, as well as the preparation of comprehensive estate plans, including all types of revocable and irrevocable trusts, wills, charitable trusts, special needs trusts, dynasty trusts and powers of attorney. The December 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008 issues of Worth Magazine/Robb Report named Debby among the top 100 attorneys in the nation serving the needs of affluent individuals and their families. Washingtonian magazine named Debby a leading estate planning attorney in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Debby has also been selected as one of the best Trusts & Estates attorneys by The Best Lawyers In America for the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2009-10 editions, which is compiled through an exhaustive peer-review survey. Additionally, in every year since 2005, Debby has been selected as one of the Legal Elite, a project of Virginia Business magazine in cooperation with the Virginia Bar Association. The December 2009 issue of SmartCEO magazine listed Debby in their Legal Elite section for the Washington area.

Debby graduated with honors from Franklin and Marshall College in 1985, and then proceeded to George Washington University Law School, where she received her Juris Doctor with high honors in 1988 and was a member of the Order of the Coif. Debby is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). Prior to founding Cochran & Owen, LLC, Debby was a partner at Miles & Stockbridge and Squire, Sanders & Dempsey.

Drawing upon her background, Debby and her associates provide a variety of services in all areas of estate, gift and income tax planning and related personal, business and tax matters. They provide their clients with information regarding a wide variety of sophisticated personal estate planning options, including charitable planning and business succession planning. They also advise new business clients on start-up issues and choice of entity questions, including limited liability companies and other business structures. Debby also assists her clients with asset protection issues and the establishment of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.

Debby lives in Great Falls, Virginia with her husband and four children. She is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.

Office: 703-847-4490
Email: aowen@cochranowen.com

Amy S. Owen is a founding member of Cochran & Owen, LLC.  She was formerly a principal at Miles & Stockbridge, P.C. in the Tysons Corner office and at Richards McGettigan Reilly & West, P.C. in Alexandria, Virginia.  After graduating cum laude from Wake Forest University in 1983, she attended law school at the University of Florida, College of Law, where she graduated with honors in 1986 and was a member of the Order of the Coif.  She is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in the Commonwealth of Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  Amy has a commercial litigation practice with substantial litigation experience involving financial institutions, employment matters, real estate, commercial disputes, insurance coverage and business torts.

Amy is a member of the Fairfax Bar Association where she served as the secretary of the Employment Law Section and as a representative appointed by the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors on the Community Action Advisory Board.  She is a member of the Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations, the District of Columbia Women's Bar Association, the Northern Virginia Women Attorneys Association and the American Bar Association.  In 2008 and 2009 Amy was selected as one of the Legal Elite, a project of Virginia Business magazine in cooperation with the Virginia Bar Association.

Amy has been a resident of Fairfax County since 1988.  She is a 1999 graduate of Leadership Fairfax and served on the Board of Directors.  She is currently serving as a Commissioner for the Fairfax Human Rights Commission.  Amy also serves on the Board of Directors for Alternative House, the Abused and Homeless Children’s Refuge.  She, along with other attorneys in the firm, volunteers at Legal Services of Northern Virginia in the pro bono employment law program.  She and her husband, Jack, have four children and together they support a variety of school activities in the Woodson High School pyramid.

Office: 703-847-4482
Email: mbochenek@cochranowen.com

Malgorzata ("Gosia") J. Bochenek focuses her practice on general business, corporate and transactional matters, including stock and asset acquisitions, transfers of partnership and limited liability company interests, mergers, reorganizations and commercial leases.  She has extensive experience counseling individual and business clients on corporate matters and governance, management issues, contract preparation and negotiation, business-succession planning, buy-sell arrangements and shareholders’ agreements.  Gosia’s work also involves licensing issues, joint venture, technology and consulting agreements.

Prior to joining Cochran & Owen, LLC, Gosia was a corporate associate at Tyler Cooper & Alcorn, LLP in New Haven, Connecticut, where she represented public and private companies and financial institutions with respect to corporate, securities, commercial financings and transactional matters.  She worked extensively in the intellectual property area, including trademark and copyright registration, licensing and technology agreements and offered pro bono assistance to artists and art organizations.

Gosia received her Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 1999 and a Polish Juris Doctor from the University of Wroclaw, Poland in 1996.  She was a member of the Connecticut Insurance Law Journal, serving as a Case Note Editor from 1998 to 1999.  Gosia is admitted to practice in the State of Connecticut and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

 

Office: 703-847-4487
Email: scostin@cochranowen.com

Sheila M. Costin has a litigation practice with a primary focus on commercial contracts and business disputes, real property issues and employment matters. Prior to joining Cochran & Owen, LLC, Sheila was an Assistant County Attorney in the Land Use Section of the Fairfax County Attorney’s Office and a principal of the law firm of Richards McGettigan Reilly & West, P.C. in Alexandria, Virginia. She is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Sheila graduated St. Lawrence University, summa cum laude, in 1987, and she earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1990, graduating cum laude, from The Georgetown University Law Center. Sheila is an active participant in the organized Bar. She is a past-president of the Virginia Women Attorneys Association. Sheila is also a member of the Fairfax Bar Association.

Office: 703-270-1801
Email: rcraig@cochranowen.com

Richard ("Dick") E. Craig practices with the firm’s litigation group and has a strong background in real estate and title insurance law.  He primarily concentrates in the resolution of defects in the title to real property as they affect the policy obligations of title insurers, the rights of property owners and the security rights of mortgage lenders and holders.  He also represents borrowers and lenders in transactional matters involving the sale, purchase and financing of real estate.  Dick joined Old Republic National Title Insurance Company in 1994 as Area Counsel with responsibility to underwriting and claims for Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.  In 1995 he assumed the position of Vice President, Area Manager and Counsel, and was responsible for company operations until 2006 when he joined Cochran & Owen, LLC.  In addition to practicing law, Dick was for several years a builder/developer gaining experience in site acquisition, development, architectural design and residential constructions. 

Dick earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the School of Government and Public Administration at American University.  He remained at American University, receiving his Juris Doctor from The Washington College of Law in 1970.  Dick also served in the United States Air Force for four years and the inactive reserve for two years.  He is admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, including the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.

Office: 703-847-4497
Email: efinberg@cochranowen.com

Elizabeth S. Finberg is a litigator with a primary focus on business disputes involving loan transactions and real property issues.  Prior to joining Cochran & Owen, LLC, Liz worked for over ten years for large national law firms in Washington, D.C. and Virginia, representing such clients as Sun Microsystems, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Teva Pharmaceuticals in business related litigation of national importance.

Liz graduated from Rollins College with a degree in international relations, summa cum laude, in 1995.  She earned her Juris Doctor degree in 1998, graduating summa cum laude, from The American University’s Washington College of Law, where she was awarded the T. Morton McDonald Scholarship for excellence in legal research and writing.

Upon graduation from law school, Liz clerked for the Hon. Stanley P. Klein in the Fairfax County Circuit Court.  She has a wealth of experience and is admitted to practice in the state and federal courts in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia and is active in the respective local bars for each jurisdiction.

Prior to her legal career, Liz raised a family and served on active duty in the United States Air Force as a Russian linguist, where she earned the Air Force Commendation Medal for her distinguished service in West Berlin, Germany from 1981-1983.

Office: 703-847-4493
Email: brosen@cochranowen.com

Benjamin H. Rosen focuses his practice in the areas of business litigation and employment law.  Prior to joining Cochran & Owen, LLC, Ben worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Judge Collazo at the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Hearings Unit.

Ben earned his Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mathematics and Economics from Cornell University, College of Arts & Sciences in 2004.  Ben received his Juris Doctor from the American University Washington College of Law in 2008.  He is a member of the bar in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia, and is admitted to the Federal Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia.  Ben is also an active member of the Fairfax County Bar Association.

 

Office: 703-847-4494
Email: bselan@cochranowen.com

Benje A. Selan earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Wake Forest University, graduating cum laude in 1996.  While there he was a member of the Eta Sigma Pi and Pi Sigma Alpha National Honor Societies.  He received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina in 2003.

Ben concentrates his practice in the areas of business and commercial litigation.  He is a member of the bar in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia and is admitted to the Federal and Bankruptcy Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia.

Ben is affiliated with the Fairfax County Bar Association, having served on the Community Outreach Committee, the American Bar Association and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America.  He supports pro bono legal work through the Legal Services of Northern Virginia.  In addition, Ben participates in events and fundraisers sponsored by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the American Cancer Society and the National Marrow Donor Program.

Office: 703-847-4495
Email: kzech@cochranowen.com

Kristin A. Zech focuses her practice in litigation, employment and immigration law.  She regularly represents clients before both federal and state courts and administrative agencies.  In addition to litigation, Kristin advises employers on a variety of issues, including personnel actions, compliance with employment eligibility standards, Family Medical Leave Act and Fair Labor Standards Act compliance and labor relations.  Through her immigration practice, she helps family and business clients obtain a variety of immigrant and non-immigrant visas.

Kristin graduated from the College of William and Mary, summa cum laude, in 2001 with a degree in history.  In 2004, she earned her Juris Doctor at the William and Mary School of Law, where she received the William Hamilton Prize for excellence in legal history.  Prior to joining Cochran & Owen, LLC, she practiced law with Wharton Aldhizer & Weaver in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  Kristin is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Virginia and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.