Rebecca Bricken Kinsel

Rebecca Bricken Kinsel chairs the firm’s Domestic Relations practice team and serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s Litigation practice team. She is a trial and domestic relations attorney who leads trial teams through all stages of litigation while facilitating problem-solving and dispute resolution. She is certified by Mosten Guthrie as a collaborative attorney. A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia and a fifth-generation attorney, Becky is rooted in the greater Northern Virginia community. Becky led the firm’s trial team to achieve the second-largest jury verdict in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2015.

Becky guides clients through the process, whether it’s a business dispute, divorce or other type of family dispute. She looks for ways to resolve divorces and business disputes outside of court, through settlement negotiations, both with and without the aid of mediation, but has no hesitation in taking cases to trial if necessary.

For her domestic relations cases, Becky has a keen understanding of the many nuances within a family’s dynamics that deeply matter to her clients. Through gaining an understanding of her client’s family, Becky is able to shape specific resolutions for each client that promote her client’s interests and those of her client’s children. When negotiating the details of a divorce and its effects on her client’s children, Becky helps her clients develop schedules and other details that are specific to her client’s and the children’s needs, rather than using a cookie-cutter approach to every divorce. By taking an individualized approach, Becky helps her clients minimize the effects of divorce on the children.

Becky also has extensive experience representing men and women who are in the military or have other governmental jobs experiencing a divorce, custody dispute, or other domestic relations issues. A proud daughter of a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Becky understands the sacrifices parents make serving in the military, and how those sacrifices can affect the relationships within the family. She works hard for her clients serving in the military or other governmental jobs to protect their interests during a divorce, including understanding if the other parent may be making efforts to alienate the children’s affection to the military parent.

Prior to joining Protorae Law, Becky practiced in complex civil litigation throughout state and federal courts across the United States, involving claims against companies with national scope. She has extensive experience in all stages of civil litigation.

Becky received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia. She serves as the President of the Fairfax Law Foundation and as a conciliator for the Fairfax Circuit Court. She is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the District of Columbia Bar, the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys, the Virginia Bar Association, the Fairfax Bar Association, and the Loudoun County Bar Association. She is the past President of the Rotary Club of Sterling, Virginia.

Representative Matters

Defended military father against his wife’s efforts to restrict his access to their children
Represented father during divorce after he learned of his wife’s adultery
Represented father to modify his child custody order to give him more time after an appeal from the Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court
Negotiated numerous pre-nuptial agreements
Received an order to garnish federal employee wages for failure to pay support to a mother in a matter involving two federal government employee parents
Led the trial team achieving the second-largest jury verdict in the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2015 on behalf of an international telecommunications company awarded damages for misappropriation of trade secrets, business conspiracy, and tortious interference with contracts
Successfully defended a co-owner of a local LLC from a temporary injunction after a two-day evidentiary hearing regarding potential misappropriation of trade secrets and breach of fiduciary duties and tortious interference
Crafted well-considered motions for summary judgment on multiple federal court cases, disposing of claims before trial
Defended a new hair salon, its owner, and one of its employees against claims brought by their former salon, resulting in a favorable settlement
Negotiated a favorable resolution of multiple matters involving local businesses receiving negative comments on Facebook, Yelp! and other social media platforms
Negotiated a favorable settlement between co-owners of a local university in a business dispute over their ownership contribution requirements
Negotiated a favorable settlement in a business dispute between two transportation companie

Honors and Awards

2021 Top Attorney – Family Law, Arlington Magazine
2020 AV Preeminent Peer Rated, Martindale-Hubbell®
2019 – 2016 Rising Star – Business Litigation Attorney, Super Lawyers, Virginia and Washington, D.C.
2020 – 2015 Virginia Legal Elite – Civil Litigation, Virginia Business
2021 Virginia Legal Elite – Family Law/Domestic Relations, Virginia Business

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: THE RESULTS OF ALL CLIENT MATTERS DEPEND ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS UNIQUE TO EACH MATTER. PAST SUCCESSES DO NOT PREDICT OR GUARANTEE FUTURE SUCCESSES.