John Frederick Sawyer

John Frederick Sawyer

5.0
Rating: 9.5

Licensed for 22 years

Estate planning Lawyer at Virginia Beach, VA
Practice Areas: Estate Planning, Guardianship, Probate, Elder Law

Convergence Center IV, Suite 500, Virginia Beach, VA

About John

Biography

Practice Areas

Fees and Rates

We have not found any cost information for this lawyer


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Licenses

Licensed in Virginia for 22 years

State: Virginia

Acquired: 2003

Active

No misconduct found

Location

Wolcott Rivers Gates

Convergence Center IV, Suite 500, Virginia Beach, VA, 23452

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John Frederick Sawyer's Reviews

Avvo Review Score

5.0 /5.0

6 Client Reviews

5 star (6)
4 star (0)
3 star (0)
2 star (0)
1 star (0)

Posted by Christian | January 23, 2024 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Dedicated and Intuitive

John was the single best decision we could have made for our parents. His knowledge and expertise eliminated or solved potential problems before they could arise, saving us lots of money and heartbreak. We are truly thankful for his direction.

Posted by anonymous | January 3, 2017 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Strong advocate for our cause, throrough knowledge of the law and prudent with decisions and recommendations

We hired Mr. Sawyer to assist with an estate gift that was left to our non-profit organization. Our organization is not located in Virginia so we had to seek counsel in another state. Mr. Sawyer was professional, courteous and prompt with replies and action. Most importantly, because we are a non-...profit organization he was sensitive to cost vs. outcome. I would highly recommend Mr. Sawyer. We were very pleased with the outcome, the service and his scope of knowledge of the law.

Posted by Elizabeth | August 6, 2016 | Hired Attorney

This review is from a person who hired this attorney.

Guardian & Conservatorship

John Sawyer represented me in court to be a guardian and conservatorship of my parent. I meet with him in the Fall to get advice on the legal issues involved with caring for my parents and moving them from another state. Upon moving them, the situation turned into an emergency legal issue. Mr. Sawy...er quickly took care of all the legal issues for me. I appreciated his wisdom and compassion through the process.

Posted by Mark | December 5, 2014

Guardian & Conservatorship

My initiative to seek guardianship and conservatorship for the personal care of my wife of 46 years suffering from dementia was easily obtained through the court system by Mr. John F.Sawyer. His demeanor, guidance and direction gave me great solice for the action I knew had to be taken. Mr. Sawyer... kept me informed during the process and important matters that I should be aware of after the request was granted. I highly recommend the services of Mr. Sawyer for his areas of expertise.

Posted by Matt | December 4, 2014

Guardianship and Estate Matter

In handling a guardianship and estate matter for me recently, I found John Sawyer to be a thorough, knowledgeable, and diligent attorney. His clearly explained process and very specifically laid out my options about how to proceed. He was honest in setting expectations about outcome and provided me... with potential options with if/then scenarios. I will continue to have John represent my interests with my ongoing estate and guardianship matters. I will continue to use John

See All Client Reviews

John Frederick Sawyer's Lawyer Endorsements

Endorse John
Stephan John Lipskis headshot
Stephan Lipskis

Litigation lawyer | Sep 28

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"John is an excellent attorney with litigation experience at all levels of Virginia courts."

Kellam Thomas Parks headshot
Kellam Parks

Guardianship lawyer | Sep 11

Relationship: Fellow lawyer in community

"I highly recommend John for Guardianship/Conservatorship matters. I had the pleasure of working with John for a number of years at Wolcott Rivers Gates where I saw first-hand his depth of knowledge, professionalism, and dedication to his clients. He remains my go-to person for these kinds of cases now that I have my own firm. I regularly refer my clients to him for assistance and they universally have been extremely happy with his work."

Stephen Patrick Pfeiffer headshot
Stephen Pfeiffer

Guardianship lawyer | Feb 20

Relationship: Co-worker

"John Sawyer is a fantasic attorney and the person I trust with all of my cleints' guardianship and banking needs. He is committed to excellence in all aspects of work from the intial client meeting to representing their interests in court."

View All Endorsements
Brian Matthew Latuga headshot
Brian Latuga

Criminal defense lawyer

Charles Arthur Robinson II headshot
Charles Robinson

Unknown lawyer

Edward Wallace Wolcott Jr. headshot
Edward Wolcott

Unknown lawyer

Barry Joseph Dorans headshot
Barry Dorans

Litigation lawyer

Hugo Raul Valverde headshot
Hugo Valverde

Immigration lawyer

Experience

Rating:  9.5 (Superb)

Honors

2016

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2016

Top Lawyer, Coastal Virginia Magazine

2015

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2014

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2013

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2012

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2011

Rising Star, SuperLawyers

2010

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2008

Rising Star, Super Lawyers

2003

Richard Reeves Baxter Award for Excellence in Writing, Dickinson School of Law, Pennsylvania State University

Work Experience

2003 - Present

Partner, Wolcott Rivers Gates

Associations

2012 - Present

Norfolk Collegiate School Alumni Board

President

2008 - Present

Sertoma Club of Norfolk

Member

2003 - Present

Virginia State Bar

Member

2003 - Present

Norfolk and Portsmouth Bar Association

Committee Member

2003 - Present

Virginia Beach Bar Association

Member

2003 - Present

Second Presbyterian Church

Session Member

2003 - Present

Virginia Bar Association

Member

Sample of Legal Cases

Henderson v. Ayres & Hartnett, P.C., 285 Va. ___ 120463, ___ S.E.2d ___ (2013)

Affirmed

See More Legal Cases

Education

2003

Pennsylvania State University, Dickinson School of Law

JD - Juris Doctor

1997

College of William and Mary

BA - Bachelor of Arts

Speaking Engagements

2012

Continuing Legal Education

Landlord Tenant Law: Surviving in a Difficult Economy

2010

Continuing Legal Education

Environmental Issues in the Foreclosure Process

2008

Continuing Legal Education

Judgment Enforcement: Post Judgment Collections

Publications

2003

Penn State International Law Review "Shipbreaking and the North-South Debate: Economic Development or Environmental and Labor Catastrophe?", 20 Penn St. Intl. L. Rev. 535, 2002

Languages

English

Activity

Avvo Rating

Our Rating is calculated using information the lawyer has included on their profile in addition to the information we collect from state bar associations and other organizations that license legal professionals. Attorneys who claim their profiles and provide Avvo with more information tend to have a higher rating than those who do not.

What determines Avvo Rating?
  • Experience & background Years licensed, work experience, education
  • Legal community recognition Peer endorsements, associations, awards
  • Legal thought leadership Publications, speaking engagements
  • Discipline Disciplinary information may not be comprehensive, or updated. We recommend that you always check a lawyer's disciplinary status with their respective state bar association before hiring them.
Avvo Rating Levels
10.0 - 9.0 Superb8.9 - 8.0 Excellent7.9 - 7.0 Very Good6.9 - 6.0 Good5.9 - 5.0 Average4.9 - 4.0 Concern3.9 - 3.0 Caution2.9 - 2.0 Strong Caution1.9 - 1.0 Extreme Caution