Located in Downtown Norfolk and serving all of Hampton Roads with divorce, custody, visitation, support, adoptions, and more. In 2010, two great legal minds joined foreces to establish the family law firm of Phillips & Peters, PLLC. With a shared vision, they built a practice dedicated to helping individuals and families navigate the challenges of divorce, custody disputes and more. Through mentorship and leadership, the founders cultivated Lisa Jackson and Sarah Nelson into attorneys who could continue to carry on the core values of the firm. The founders later entrusted Lisa Jackson and Sarah Nelson in carrying on the firm, renaming Phillips & Peters, PLLC to Jackson Nelson, PLLC. Today, Lisa Jackson and Sarah Nelson continue to carry forward the original mission and vision, upholding the highest standards of integrity, professionalism, respect for clients and peers, and the care to provide compassionate and personalized service to each of our clients, and are continuing the mission of Helping You Move Forward. Lisa Jackson, originally from Yakima, Washington, began her college career at Washington State University before transferring to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, where she earned her B.S. After moving to Norfolk, Virginia, Lisa began a career in law enforcement as a police officer with the Norfolk Police Department, later serving as an Investigator in Vice and Narcotics and a Task Force Officer with the ATF. While still working full-time in law enforcement, Lisa attended Regent University School of Law. Since becoming licensed as an attorney in Virginia over 10 years ago, she has handled high-conflict divorces, custody cases, and serves as a Guardian ad litem. Today, she uses her sharp investigative skills and deep community roots to represent clients in contested divorce, custody, and visitation matters. As a Guardian ad Litem and Legal Aid volunteer, Lisa remains committed to advocacy and access to justice. Sarah Nelson has spent most of her life proudly rooted in Southeast Virginia. A Grassfield High School graduate, Sarah earned dual degrees in Criminal Justice and Sociology from Old Dominion University before obtaining her J.D. from Regent University School of Law. While in law school, she served on the Regent Law Review, Trial Advocacy Board, and Honor Council, and played a key role in advancing the use of facility dogs for child victims in Virginia courts—an initiative that became law in 2018. Since 2019, Sarah has focused her legal career on family law, with particular experience in non-parent custody, same-sex divorce and custody, and relocation matters. As a certified Guardian ad Litem, she is passionate about protecting children’s interests and helping families navigate complex transitions. In addition to practicing law, Sarah is a member of several local and statewide bar associations, including the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Beach Bar Association, the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association, and Virginia Trial Lawyers Association. She has previously been a member of the James Kent Inn of Court has served on a scholarship committee and coached youth athletics.
