Attorneys
John E. Ritzert, Jr. (Managing Shareholder). John is admitted to practice in Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He earned a B.A. and an M.B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, an M.A. and a J.D. from Catholic University, and an LL.M.
(Taxation) from Georgetown University Law Center.
He is also licensed as a Certified Public Accountant.
His
practice areas are: Taxation, Estate Planning, Probate and Estate Administration,
Wills and Trusts, Business Planning,
and Corporate Law.
Contact John at jritzert@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9825.
Peter S. Leyton (Shareholder). Peter is admitted to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia. He earned a B.A. from Antioch College, an M.P.A. from American University, and a J.D. from Catholic University.
He served on the Board of Directors of the Career College Association
(CCA) from 1998-2000 and 2002-2004 and is a member
of its Legislative Advisory and Presidential
Advisory Councils.
Peter's
practice focuses particularly on representing institutions of higher education,
especially with respect to resolving federal student financial assistance compliance
matters, national and regional accreditation matters, and in achieving desired transactional results such as institutional mergers, acquisitions, and reorganizations.
Peter works daily with clients and regulatory
agencies regarding transactions, compliance, and
accrediting matters. He has represented many
institutions throughout the United States and
successfully resolved matters before the U.S.
Department of Education, accrediting agencies, and
federal and state court. Peter is the higher
education group leader.
His practice areas
are: Higher/Postsecondary Education Law, Federal Administrative Law, Administrative Litigation,
and Administrative Agency Practice.
Contact Peter at pleyton@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9826.
Steven M. Gombos (Shareholder). Steve is admitted to practice in
Virginia. He received a B.A. from Lafayette College
and a J.D. from the University of Richmond. Steve is a member of the Virginia Trial Lawyers
Association and works extensively with our higher education practice group.
Steve is the firm's senior litigator and highly
experienced in representing institutions of higher
education in federal and non-federal court on
matters involving Title IV or Title IV-related
compliance issues and state and accreditation
actions. His representation related to our higher
education practice includes litigation in
federal courts throughout the United States,
internal investigations, Office of the Inspector
General (OIG) investigations, false claims actions, and the defense of ownership/management in white collar cases.
Steve also has significant trial experience in cases involving commercial disputes, business torts, and professional liability matters.
He possesses considerable expertise in employment law matters, employment agreements and covenants not to compete, and has negotiated and handled significant mergers and acquisitions.
His
practice areas include: Civil Litigation, Business
Crimes and Investigations, Labor and Employment Law,
Commercial Litigation, Strategic Alliances, Business
Litigation, Business Torts, Corporate Litigation,
Corporate Contracts, Corporate Commercial Law,
Higher Education Law, Professional Malpractice, and Sports
Law.
Contact Steve at sgombos@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9831.
J. Carlton Howard, Jr. (Shareholder). Carlton is admitted to practice in Virginia and New York. He received a B.A. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook and a J.D. from the State University of New York at Buffalo.
Carlton spent
his early career with the Office of Chief Counsel, Internal Revenue Service
where he developed skills in tax litigation and
policy. He works in a broad spectrum of tax
areas, including corporate, individual, tax-exempt
charitable organizations, employer taxes, estate and
gift taxes, and state and local taxes. His corporate and tax expertise particularly
benefits our clients involved in mergers and acquisitions activity.
Carlton was
recently named to Virginia Business magazine's list
of
Legal Elite 2005 in the
Taxes/Estates/Trusts category. This list
recognizes those attorneys named by their peers as
among the best in the state.
His practice areas include: Taxation, Estate Planning, Small Business Law, and Probate and Estate Administration.
Contact Carlton at choward@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9830.
Gerald M. Ritzert (Shareholder). Gerry is admitted to practice in Virginia and Maryland. He received a B.S. and an M.B.A. from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and a J.D. from George Mason University.
Gerry
frequently represents institutions of higher education before the U.S. Department of Education
and various accrediting agencies
regarding compliance with federal or state regulations
and accreditation standards. His work with our higher education group
also includes significant experience working on mergers and acquisitions, internal investigations, and other regulatory issues involving accrediting agencies,
the U.S. Department of Education, State Education
Departments, and
the Office of the Inspector
General (OIG).
His practice areas
are: Civil and Administrative Litigation, Higher
Education Law, Employment Law, Business Transactions, and Real Estate Law.
Contact Gerry at gritzert@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9827.
Stephen T. Chema II (Associate). Steve is admitted to practice
in Maryland and Virginia. He received a B.A. from
The College of the Holy Cross and a J.D. from
Catholic University. He works extensively with the
higher education practice group and has worked for
clients on a number of Title IV compliance and
administrative issues. Steve is also a current
member of the American Immigration Lawyers
Association and specializes in Business Immigration
matters.
His
practice areas include: Administrative Law, Higher
Education Law, Immigration Law, and Corporate Law.
Contact Steve at stchema@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9835.
Gene D.
Robinson, III (Associate). Gene has
been an associate with the firm since January 2008.
He is a 2007 graduate of the University of Florida,
Levin College of Law, where he was the Managing
Editor of the Florida Journal of International Law.
He worked as a summer associate for Fowler White
Burnett, P.A., in Miami, Florida and Time Warner,
Inc., in New York City. Gene received an Executive
Certificate in Financial Planning from Georgetown
University in 2003 and a Bachelor of Science in
Speech Communication from James Madison University
in 1999. Gene is a Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP)®
practitioner and worked as a Wealth Management
Advisor for United Bank in Vienna, Virginia before
attending law school.
Gene is an
active member of the Virginia Bar Association and the
Fairfax County Bar Association as well as the
Northern Virginia Estate Planning Council and the
Northern Virginia Financial Planning Association.
His
practice areas include: Estate Planning, Taxation,
Probate, and related Real Estate and Corporate
matters.
Contact Gene at
grobinson@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9828.
Robert B. (Ben) Walker, Jr. (Associate). Ben is admitted to practice in Virginia. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.
He works extensively with the higher education practice group and has worked for a number of clients on Title IV compliance and administrative issues.
His practice areas include: Higher Education Law, Civil Litigation, and Administrative Law.
Contact Ben at bwalker@ritzert-leyton.com
or (703) 934-9834. |
