Flora Pettit

05/03/2026

On April 23, 2026, Katrina Jedamski, an attorney with Flora Pettit, presented “Liability 101 for Agritourism” at the annual Virginia Women in Agriculture Network, an outreach and education program of the Virginia Cooperative Extension that seeks to foster female farmers in Virginia.

This was the 8th Annual Women in Agriculture Gathering. The event offered female farmers, landowners and agriculture enthusiasts opportunities to network with peers, hone technical skills and discuss solutions to unique challenges. Several Virginia Cooperative Extension agents started the WAG program in 2018 after identifying ongoing growth in the state’s female farmer population.

There are more than 25,000 female producers in Virginia according to the 2022 U.S. Census of Agriculture.

Katrina’s presentation talked attendees through entity choices and their tax and liability nuances, operational ways to limit liability, Virginia’s potential statutory protections for agritourism, and the importance of insurance coverage and safety practices.

03/23/2026

Steve Shashy will present “Accrual and Unusual Punishment: Federal Tax Crimes, Substance and Procedure” through the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association’s CLE program, addressing significant legal, procedural, and constitutional considerations in federal tax crime matters. Read the full article, linked below, for additional information.

On April 29, 2026, Steve will be giving a two-hour presentation on federal tax crimes as part of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Bar Association’s CLE programming  (CLE credit approval pending).  Steve’s presentation will highlight the ongoing relevance of federal tax crimes, specifi

03/17/2026

Steve Shashy will serve as moderator for a panel at the Virginia Tax Study Group examining recent developments in the Economic Substance Doctrine and their implications for the broader tax landscape. Read the full article, linked below, for additional information.

Steve will be moderating a panel at the Virginia Tax Study Group, focusing on recent developments in the Economic Substance Doctrine and what they mean for tax litigation, tax planning, and tax compliance.  In general, the Economic Substance Doctrine is a judicial doctrine that courts apply

12/03/2025

Flora Pettit proudly announces that thirteen of its attorneys have been named to Virginia Business magazine’s 2025 “Legal Elite,” an honor given to only 4.9 percent of the approximately 32,631 active Virginia State Bar members. The recognized attorneys represent a wide range of practice areas, including Intellectual Property, Civil Litigation, Family Law, Real Estate, Appellate Law, Labor and Employment, Cybersecurity and Technology, Construction Law, and Taxes, Estates, and Trusts. Read Press Release:https://zurl.co/9hVMg or visit the 'News' tab at fplegal.com.

Flora Pettit proudly announces that thirteen of its attorneys have been named to Virginia Business magazine’s 2025 “Legal Elite,” an honor given to only 4.9 percent of the approximately 32,631 active Virginia State Bar members. The recognized attorneys represent a wide range of practice areas,...

09/29/2025

Flora Pettit is pleased to announce that Lesley A.Z. Rigney has joined the law firm as an attorney in its Charlottesville office. Lesley focuses her law practice in real estate, land use, community association, corporate, and business law.

A native of Virginia, Lesley joins Flora Pettit with over a decade of legal experience in both litigation and transactional roles which makes her particularly well-suited to advise business clients. While the majority of her practice has involved real estate-related areas, she also has experience in governmental, corporate, employment and bankruptcy law.

Most recently, Lesley served as Director of Legal & Policy Services at the Virginia School Boards Association supporting school boards across the Commonwealth from an office in Charlottesville. She also spent several years in private practice in the Richmond area and in Northern Virginia where she taught Legal Transactions and Contract law as an adjunct professor at Northern Virginia Community College.

Lesley earned her undergraduate degree from Auburn University, Alabama, and her law degree from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Cleveland, Ohio.

Jennifer E. Shirkey, President of Flora Pettit, said, “We are delighted to welcome another experienced and highly qualified attorney to our firm. It is difficult to find attorneys with the breadth of Lesley’s real estate knowledge, and she will have an immediate beneficial impact on our clients.”

Flora Pettit is a business and litigation law firm with 29 attorneys specializing in over 22 diverse practice areas. Flora Pettit attorneys excel at solving their clients’ toughest and most complex issues. Flora Pettit serves the Commonwealth of Virginia from offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

09/15/2025

Flora Pettit is pleased to announce that Stephen N. Shashy has joined the law firm as an attorney in its Charlottesville office. Steve specializes in tax law, drawing on experience in both private practice and government service to represent individuals, businesses, trusts and estates, and non-profit organizations in tax controversies and advise them on questions of planning and compliance. Steve’s tax controversy work involves engaging with federal and state taxing authorities in administrative proceedings and litigating cases in U.S. Tax Court, U.S. District Courts, and other federal and state courts.

Prior to joining Flora Pettit, Steve began his career as a tax lawyer in the Washington, D.C. office of a global law firm. He then served as a trial attorney for the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice, where he represented the United States in all phases and aspects of affirmative and defensive civil tax litigation in U.S. District Courts, U.S. Bankruptcy Courts, and state courts. He was also previously hired to lead tax vetting for the transition team of a U.S. presidential candidate.

Steve earned his undergraduate degree from Amherst College and his law degree from the University of Virginia, where he served as Editor-in-Chief and Executive Editor of the Virginia Tax Review and was awarded the prestigious Edwin S. Cohen Tax Prize. Steve has also been named a Virginia Rising Star by Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters 2020-2022.

Jennifer E. Shirkey, President of Flora Pettit, said, “We are thrilled to welcome Steve to the firm. Finding an individual with his experience and expertise practicing outside the DC area is rare. Flora Pettit is fortunate to have an existing concentration of excellent tax attorneys, and Steve will be an outstanding addition. His background supports both planning clients and clients with active disputes across a range of matters raising tax issues, including general business, real estate, family law, and more.”

Flora Pettit is a business and litigation law firm with 28 attorneys specializing in over 22 diverse practice areas. Flora Pettit attorneys excel at solving their clients’ toughest and most complex issues. Flora Pettit serves the Commonwealth of Virginia from offices in Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

08/26/2025

John Flora was recently recognized by Virginia Lawyers Weekly in its “Virginia’s Go To Lawyers for Tax Law 2025” list published on August 25, 2025. Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s “Go To Lawyers” lists are intended to recognize leading lawyers in a particular field who are: “(a) a senior expert in his or her field, well-versed in case law, statutes and regulations; (b) experienced, with a record of success; (c) a lawyer to whom other lawyers make referrals because of his or her expertise and accomplishments; and (d) a lawyer who can think creatively and identify all options for a client.” The featured attorneys were nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from Virginia Lawyers Weekly.

John has substantial experience related to tax and business issues, and also specializes in estate planning, farm succession and wealth management. In all these areas, John brings to bear technical expertise in federal and state taxation law. In addition to his Juris Doctorate, John received an L.L.M. in Taxation from The Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William & Mary.

John has also been selected for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America®, Trusts and Estates, 2012 - 2025, Tax Law 2018 – 2025, Named Best Lawyers® Charlottesville Tax Law - “Lawyer of the Year.” (Copyright by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, SC), 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025; selected to “Legal Elite,” Virginia Business Taxes/Trusts/Estates, 2001 - 2008, 2019 – 2020 Taxes/Estates/Trusts/Elder Law, 2009 - 2015, 2017 – 2018; selected to “Virginia Super Lawyers,” Tax, Super Lawyers, Thomson Reuters, 2006 - 2010, 2012.

Jennifer Shirkey, President of Flora Pettit, said, “We encourage all of our lawyers to become subject matter experts. It takes a lot of time and dedication to truly understand the nuances and master an area of the law. We appreciate Virginia Lawyers Weekly for recognizing John’s depth of knowledge and leadership in this area of law.”

05/07/2025

Andrew Stockment was one of only 20 attorneys in Virginia recognized by Virginia Lawyers Weekly in its "Virginia's Go To Lawyers for Cybersecurity/Data Privacy 2025" list published on April 30, 2025.

Virginia Lawyers Weekly's "Go To Lawyers" lists are intended to recognize leading lawyers in a particular field who are: "(a) a senior expert in his or her field, well-versed in case law, statutes and regulations; (b) experienced, with a record of success; (c) a lawyer to whom other lawyers make referrals because of his or her expertise and accomplishments; and (d) a lawyer who can think creatively and identify all options for a client." The featured attorneys were nominated by their colleagues and chosen by a panel from Virginia Lawyers Weekly.

Andrew focuses his practice on corporate, intellectual property and technology, and cybersecurity and data privacy laws. Andrew enjoys working with established business owners and startups to form, grow, and sometimes sell their businesses and to develop, protect, and license their intellectual property and technology assets. He advises organizations when they face cybersecurity and data breach incidents. He frequently publishes and speaks on intellectual property, technology, and cybersecurity issues. He has also been selected to the Legal Elite list by Virginia Business magazine (2019 - 2024) in several areas, including Cybersecurity, Data Privacy, and Information Technology and currently serves on the Virginia State Bar's Business Law Section Board of Governors.

05/02/2025

We are pleased to announce that three of our attorneys have been honored by selection for inclusion in the 2025 Virginia Super Lawyers list, a Thomson Reuters business.

The selected lawyers and the area of law for which they were recognized are:

MICHAEL E. DERDEYN (GENERAL LITIGATION) – Mike Derdeyn has a diverse business and real estate litigation practice representing clients in litigation before federal and state courts, including the Virginia Supreme Court and in dispute resolution proceedings. Mike’s litigation experience includes litigating claims for individuals and for businesses in the areas of commercial litigation, real estate, construction, landlord-tenant law, employment, shareholder and other commercial disputes.

CATHLEEN P. WELSH (EMPLOYMENT & LABOR) – Cathy Welsh helps clients work through complicated employment situations including investigating employee misconduct; understanding and managing employee leaves of absence and requests for accommodation; I-9 and immigration law compliance, exempt/nonexempt classification and pay procedures; and employee discipline and termination. She has assisted clients of all sizes from small businesses not covered by most federal employment laws to healthcare, manufacturing and hospitality clients with thousands of employees. She has also represented governmental employers and federal contractors who have additional compliance obligations.

ASHLEY T. HART (VIRGINIA RISING STARS – BUSINESS LITIGATION) – Ashley Hart focuses her practice in the areas of commercial litigation and insurance coverage and defense. She has litigated cases across Virginia, in both state and federal courts, involving issues such as personal injury defense, products liability, workers’ compensation, breach of contract, breach of warranty, unjust enrichment, and trademark infringement. Ashley takes a detail-oriented approach to her cases and embraces analyzing complex legal questions.

03/13/2025

We are pleased to announce that at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Virginia State Bar, Andrew Stockment was elected to a three-year term on the VSB Business Law Section Board of Governors!

The VSB Business Law Section members range from solo and small firm to large multi-national law firm practitioners, as well as in-house counsel. Judicial and student membership classes are also important section constituencies. The practice areas of its members run the gamut from general business to niche specialists, such as antitrust, international law, intellectual property, and litigation. The Business Law Section facilitates understanding and synergies among these diverse fields of expertise as well as drawing from a wide range of talent in planning and delivering tools to increase the knowledge and effectiveness of our members. The Business Law Section is known for its excellent continuing legal education programs and publications, including its Annual Advanced Business Law Conference that has been held annually for fifty years.

Andrew focuses his practice on corporate and business law, intellectual property and technology, and cybersecurity and data privacy. He advises clients regarding the preparation and negotiation of contracts and the formation, operation, purchase, finance, and sale of businesses. Andrew enjoys working with startups and established companies to form and grow their businesses and develop, protect, and license their intellectual property and technology assets. Andrew counsels clients regarding information governance and data security and privacy issues, and he assists organizations with cybersecurity incident response and data breach notification compliance. He frequently publishes and speaks on intellectual property, technology, and cybersecurity issues, and he has been selected to the Legal Elite list by Virginia Business magazine (2019 - 2024).

01/16/2025

We are proud to announce that Liz Southall was elected as a shareholder of the firm effective January 1, 2025.

Liz is an experienced trial lawyer focusing her litigation practice at Flora Pettit in the areas of family law and real estate litigation. Liz is a zealous advocate for her family law clients, helping them navigate one of the most difficult times of their lives. In addition to individual clients, Liz easily pivots to representing business and local government clients and she has litigated and resolved matters involving real property disputes, fraud, business torts, breach of contract, premises liability, and municipal liability involving civil rights violations, employment discrimination, and wrongful termination.

Liz has been recognized as a Virginia Rising Star bySuper Lawyers magazine (Thomson Reuters) and has also been selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America, 2024–2025. She is actively engaged in the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association and both of Virginia’s statewide bar organizations.

Jennifer Shirkey, President of Flora Pettit, said, “We were so fortunate when a litigator with Liz’s skills and character joined our firm as an experienced lateral attorney. She has a profound commitment to our clients and our communities, and she has lent her leadership to our Firm in many ways already. We are thrilled to welcome her as a shareholder.”