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Benton Samuel Duffett III

Family Attorney at Alexandria, VA

4.5   8 reviews

also known as Ben Duffett

  • Licensed for 35 years
    State VA
    Acquired 1988
    Status
    Retired (Not in Good Standing) No misconduct found

We have not found any instances of professional misconduct for this lawyer.

About Benton

Learn Benton’s areas of practice.

5
Practice areas
  1. Child custody
    20%
    If you are deciding custody and visitation for the first time, or contemplating changing your arrangements after circumstances have changed, you will need an experienced family lawyer to help you determine your family’s specific needs to get results.

  2. Child support
    20%
    Determining the amount that you should be paying or receiving in child support. If you are owed child support, either for current support or arrearages. Attorney Duffett can file the necessary action to ensure that you receive it.

  3. Divorce and separation
    20%
    You will need a divorce lawyer who understands the process and the importance of communicating with you. Attorney Duffett will be there for every step of the way. Uncontested, Contested, Fault or No Fault. Duffett will asses the situation.

  4. Family
    20%
    Attorney Duffett has devote his entire practice to helping clients resolve their family law issues, from divorce and separation, negotiation and preparation of marital agreements, and more.

  5. Alimony
    10%
    There are many factors to consider when determining spousal support. I will help you determine whether you have any rights to receive, or an obligation to pay, alimony.

  6. Marriage and prenuptials
    10%
    These agreements are the smartest way to address a couple’s understanding of his/her assets, liabilities, and future support needs at a time when both people are stable and level headed.

OVER 25 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE IN FAMILY LAW. CALL ME TODAY

Born in Alexandria, VA, Benton S. Duffett III joined the firm in 1988. Benton is listed in the Bar Register of Preeminent Lawyers and practices in the areas of Family Law including; Support, Custody, Visitation, Alimony, Name Changes and Marital Agreements.

Awards

AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating
Client's Choice 2018
Client's Choice
2018

Contact Benton

Grenadier, Starace, Duffett & Levi, P.C.
649 S Washington St
Alexandria, VA, 22314-4109
Grenadier, Starace, Duffett & Levi, P.C.
12359 Sunrise Valley Dr
Reston, VA, 20191
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Reviews

4.5 / 5.0
  8 customer reviews
5 Star
 
88%
4 Star
 
0%
3 Star
 
0%
2 Star
 
0%
1 Star
 
13%
Client's Choice 2018
Client's Choice
Client's Choice is an Avvo award granted to attorneys with a significant number of client reviews over 4 stars in a given year.
Posted by BSM | February 20, 2019
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent Lawyer!
Ben made a very difficult process easier and explained things in a way I could understand them. He is timely, very knowledgeable in his field and brought so many things to my attention that I never would have thought about. He is a friendly, honest family man and I would seek his counsel again if necessary.
Posted by anonymous | October 17, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Great attorney
Ben has been my attorney on a very difficult divorce case. I am always impressed by how he handles things and keeps me informed about what’s going on. He is an excellent lawyer and I would recommend him.
Posted by Paul | September 29, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Rock Star! Ben Duffett
I am a father and had a very difficult divorce complicated by involving two states as my former spouse abandon the marriage and took my child with no justifiable reason (later demonstrated by Ben in court). This was so very tramatic after 17 years of marriage. Ben is an excellent communicator always calling/emailing you back within 24 hours. I later learned this is not a common practice with many family law attorneys. Ben is the voice of reason in a highly stressful situation. He will take the time to explain how your situation fits into the law, prepare you for all possible outcomes and work quickly and very effiently with your clock time so money is not wasted. I have since learned you can find inexpensive attorneys but I feel you will get what you pay for and in this type of circumstance everything is on the line and it is not the time to economize. Ben has since become a very trusted friend and advisor to me. I can honestly say that I would not be in the happy place I am now if it were not for Ben's tireless efforts, persistant pursuit of my goal to get my daughter back, and true and sincere appreciation for doing the "right" thing for all involved. In every instance he focused on the best decision for my daughter and her physical and emotional health. He even very gently would tell me when I was wrong and help me see a better ethical and moral way to the end result that was a win for all involved even though I was so very angry and upset. Ben is someone you can trust, rely on and sleep at night knowing he is on your side through what may be the most tramatic event of one's life. He often inquired about how I was doing: career, health and relationship with my daughter. It has now been over 10 years and he will occasionally touch base with me to see how my daughter is doing. She is now in High School, healthy, happy and an honor student with lots of friends. He proved to me that it is not a default that a mother always wins. In my case he won two decisions for me. One for jurisdiction so that the divorce case would be held in Virginia vice the other state and then Full custody of my daughter with no support required from me but instead my former spouse. Once my daughter was returned to me her mother moved back to VA and Ben convinced me to change the custody to a 50/50. I was very much opposed to this given the events that had taken place. What he did was show me that while the marriage was dissolved my daughter needed her mother and that was the best thing to do. I struggled with this and he, in his kind way, helped me understand in the end this was now about my daughter and her future. Drawing from his experience he shared stories of cases and outcomes when this was not done to help illustrate this to me. I reluctantly agreed and he was right! My daughter has grown to be an amazing, respectful, kind, beautiful and smart human being. I credit Ben with this. Had he not been so persistent in showing me the best way forward I would not have what I have today. I truly recommend Ben enthusiastically (and have to many friends) knowing you will be cared for and represented as successful as your case permits given your own circumstances.
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Posted by Jim | September 19, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent attorney!
I was quite impressed with how highly organized Ben was going into my child custody trial. Every contingency had been considered. Ben had a very calm but firm court demeanor that was quite effective, and we won the case. I also appreciated that Ben showed some flexibility in negotiating price. I would definitely recommend Ben to others.
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Posted by Susan | September 14, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Excellent legal support during traumatic divorce
Mr. Duffett provided tremendous legal support to me during an extremely complicated divorce. In private consultation he showed a sincere interest in my situation as he respectfully guided me through the entire process. Mr. Duffett was exceptional in remembering the details of my particular case. In the courtroom, he was knowledgeable, quick and forthright. Mr. Duffett represented me in a professional and thorough manner.
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Posted by Margarita | September 10, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Mrs.
Mr. Duffett, Is a Lawyer with dedication and integrity his work was impecable. He was there during and after the hard process of my divorce.
Posted by Michelle | September 9, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Highly Recommend
I hired Mr. Duffett to represent me in my divorce after 15 years of marriage . His professionalism, thoroughness and base of knowledge were exemplary. He spent the time to get to know me, my history, my financial situation and the personalities of my children. He explained all the financial, custodial, tax issues to me, allowed me to decide what is best for me and was successful in obtaining the result that I desired (and then some!). With his experience, we were able to negotiate out of court (after a year and a half of being deadlocked). He is well respected by veteran judges, mediators and other family law attorneys. I would highly recommend Ben Duffett to family and friends going through the difficult challenges of divorce and custody issues. To him I will be forever grateful.
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Posted by anonymous | March 2, 2018
This review is from a person who hired this attorney.
| Hired Attorney
Quit in the middle
After six months of working on a very complex case, Mr Duffett quit. The divorce case was becoming harder and harder. Our side continued to loss at each step and was in court multiple time because he could not reach an agreement with the other side. After six months and over $30,000 spent, he called and informed me he was withdrawing.
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Cost

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Contact for Details

Resume

AVVO RATING 9.6 (Superb)

Work Experience

  • Partner
  • Grenadier, Starace, Duffett & Levi, P.C Law Firm
  • 1988 - Present

Education

  • University of Richmond, The T. C. Williams School of Law
  • J.D.
  • 1988
  • Ohio State University
  • BS - Bachelor of Science
  • 1985

Associations

  • Fairfax County Circuit Court
  • Neutral Case Evaluator
  • 2003 - Present
  • Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
  • Memeber
  • 2000 - Present
  • Fairfax County Bar Association Family Law Section
  • Member
  • 2000 - Present
  • Alexandria Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1989 - Present
  • Fairfax County Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1989 - Present
  • American Bar Association
  • Member
  • 1989 - Present
  • Virginia State Bar Disciplinary District Committee, Fifth District, Section II
  • Chairman
  • 2011 - 2013
  • Virginia State Bar Disciplinary District Committee, Fifth District, Section II
  • Vice Chair
  • 2009 - 2011
  • Virginia State Bar Disciplinary District Committee, Fifth District, Section II
  • Executive Committee
  • 2006 - 2015
View all associations

Languages Spoken

  • English

Honors and Awards

  • Best Lawyer
  • Best Lawyers
  • 2020
  • AV Preeminent Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2018
  • AV Preeminent Rated
  • Martindale-Hubbell
  • 2017

Speaking Engagements

  • Virginia State Bar
  • Virginia State Bar Disciplinary District Committee, Fifth District Annual Meeting Chair
  • 2013
  • Virginia State Bar
  • Virginia State Bar Disciplinary District Committee, Fifth District Annual Meeting Chair
  • 2012

Attorney endorsements

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Alexandria Family Lawyer Benton Samuel Duffett III
Benton Samuel Duffett III
Family Attorney
Alexandria, VA