Jonathan Westreich

A career built in the courtroom

Jonathan began his legal training as a paralegal with a large Washington D.C. law firm, where he spent three years — before law school — learning the ins-and-outs of high-end litigation. Upon graduation cum laude from The American University, he opened his own office and began trying cases immediately. That trial experience, combined with pre-law training in a major firm, shaped his approach: big-firm attitude with the focus of a sole practitioner.

Twenty years of continual trial work have given Jonathan a perspective that guides everything he does: by understanding what a Court would do with a dispute, he is well prepared to help clients avoid the problem in the first place. This is the core principle of the practice — seek to avoid the avoidable problem, and where problems arise, find solutions that meet clients' needs through negotiation or litigation.

How the practice works

Jonathan advises clients of their rights, their chances of winning or losing, and the costs involved — so clients can decide how to proceed, whether to settle or to litigate. The aim is always to help you obtain the best results at the lowest cost. Where possible, he helps clients see the benefit of settlement, either early in a case or before trial. While some lawyers may wish to drag out a case to earn a fee, Jonathan's firm belief is that resolving matters for clients as inexpensively as possible is good practice.

He also holds one skill that he considers particularly important: he knows what he is not good at. Rather than take on cases that don't fit, he refers them to other attorneys — whether the reason is subject matter, bandwidth, or anything else. If Jonathan isn't the right lawyer for your matter, he'll say so and try to get you to someone who can help.

Credentials & Education

• The American University, Washington, D.C. — J.D., cum laude
• Three years as a paralegal at a large Washington D.C. litigation firm prior to law school
• Admitted and practicing in Virginia State and Federal courts
• Affiliated with Greenberg & Lieberman LLC for intellectual property and domain name matters