Stephen C. Price
PrincipalSteve Price’s business practice is focused on:
- Real estate matters
- Litigation involving adverse possession, easement and covenant disputes, partition and quieting of title
- Condemnation
- Land conservation easements
- Litigation involving estates and trusts
- Representation of not-for profits
Steve has:
- Handled over 40 jury trials in state and federal courts
- Lead counsel in over 30 reported state and federal decisions
- Argued cases in the Virginia Supreme Court and the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
In addition, Steve has served in the following capacities:
- Local Right-of-way counsel for the Virginia Department of Transportation (1981-1990), handling over 75 property acquisitions through condemnation for the Commonwealth
- Commissioner in Chancery and Judge pro tempore for the Circuit Court of Loudoun County
- Substitute Judge for the General District Courts of Loudoun, Fauquier and Rappahannock Counties 1982-94
- General Counsel: Land Trust of Virginia, Healthworks for Northern Virginia, Museum of the Shenandoah Valley, and The Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, Incorporated
Honors
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- AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated attorney, the highest rating from Martindale-Hubbell®.
- Voted among the “Legal Elite” Virginia Business, 2009, 2010, 2012-21
- Virginia “Super Lawyer,” 2014-22
- Leesburg’s Thomas Balch Library Advisory Commission 2014 History Award for his many contributions to the conservation of land, historic preservation, and the history of Loudoun County.
Activities
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- Loudoun Unmet Housing Needs Discussion Group, 2019-present
- Chairman, Virginia Piedmont Area Heritage Association, 2018-2019 and 2022-25, and Board member 2010-present
- Chairman, Mosby Heritage Area Association, 2018-19
- President, George C. Marshall International Center, 2001-2006 & 2009-2012
- Member, Loudoun County Civil War Sesquicentennial Committee, 2009-2015
- Served to Captain, United States Army
- Virginia Bar Association Board of Governors, 2005-2008
- Chairman, Civil Litigation Section, 1999-2000
- Member, Real Estate Section Council, 2014-present
- Committee on Nominations to Virginia Appellate Courts, 2002-2009
- Virginia State Bar Public Protection Task Force, 2008-2010
- Loudoun County Bar Association (President, 1986)
- Member, Boyd-Graves Conference
Publications
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- A Conceptual Framework for Addressing Loudoun’s Unmet Housing Needs
- Eaton v. Baer (sitting as Judge pro tempore):
- Memorandum Opinion, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Case No. 82643. Issued November 4, 2014.
- Memorandum Opinion, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Case No. 82643. Issued August 20, 2015.
- Memorandum Opinion & Order, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Case No. 82643. Issued September 26, 2017.
- Final Order, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Case No. 82643. Issued September 27, 2017.
- Supreme Court Order, Issued October, 11, 2018.
- Final Decree & Memorandum Opinion, Issued October 2, 2019, 2019 Va. Cir. LEXIS 458.
- Commissioner’s Report – Parry v. GC Property, LLC, Circuit Court of Loudoun County, Case No. 87179. Issued March 14, 2016 and Confirmed August 5, 2016.
- Legalities of Leasing Arrangements, presentation at the Piedmont Environmental Council’s Farmland Leasing Workshop, November 4-5, 2015.
- Resolving Boundary Line Disputes in Virginia, conducted by NBI in Fairfax, Virginia on April 14, 2015. An outline of his remarks is available here: “Litigating Boundary Disputes: Motions for Judgment to Establish Boundary Lines and Claims of Adverse Possession” (PDF).
- “Litigating Disputes Over Easements and Restrictive Covenants” conducted by NBI in Fairfax, Virginia on April 1, 2014. An outline of his remarks is available here: “Overview of Easements (Servitudes), Licenses and Restrictive Covenants Relating to Land” (PDF).
- “Advanced Eminent Domain and Valuation,” conducted by NBI in Fairfax, Virginia on October 3, 2013. An outline of his remarks is available here: “Advanced Ethical Issues in Condemnation” (PDF).
Notable Cases
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- Cale v. Paderick, 546 F2d 577 (4th Cir. Va. 1976)
- Cradle of Democracy Broadcasting Co. v. David Green Broadcast Consultants Corp., 33 B.R. 1004 (1983)
- McLean Bank v. Nelson, 232 Va. 420 (1986)
- United States v. 198.73 Acres of Land, 800 F.2d 434 (4th Cir. 1986)
- Loudoun County Bd. of Supervisors v. Lunn, 24 Va. Cir. 13 (Loudoun 1990)
- Trout v. Commonwealth Trans. Comm’r, 241 Va. 69 (1991)
- First State Holdings, Inc. v. Shor Leesburg Assn., L.P., 28 Va. Cir. 314 (Loudoun 1992)
- DCDF Inc. v. Shay, 30 Va. Cir. 185 (Loudoun 1993)
- Sjurseth v. Loudoun Co., 31 Va. Cir. 335 (Loudoun 1993)
- DCDF, Inc. v. Cam-Net Data Systems, 31 Va. Cir. 457 (Loudoun 1993)
- Alberts v. Karl Mintjens Furniture International, Inc., 30 Va. Cir. 245 (Loudoun 1993)
- Dator Corporation v. Rufus S. Lusk & Son, 1995 U.S. App Lexis 14605
- Loudoun County Bd of Supervisors v. Vanguard Ltd. Partnership, 35 Va. Cir. 254 & 38 Va. Cir. 200 (Loudoun 1994 & 1995).
- Miller v. Miller, 1996 Va. App. Lexis 499
- Wilson v. Farmington on the Green Homeowners’ Assn, 1997 Va. Cir. Lexis 693
- Stephens v. Caruthers, 97 F. Supp. 2d, 698 (E.D. Va. 2000)
- America Online, Inc. v. E*Trade Group, Inc., 59 Va. Cir. 48 (Loudoun 2002)
- Sherry Wilson and Co., Inc. v. Generals Court, L.C., No. 21696, 2002 WL 32136374 at (Va. Cir. Ct. Sept. 27, 2002)
- Shilling v. Jimenez, 268 Va. 202 (2004)
- Kerttula v. Candea, 68 Va. Cir. 414 (Loudoun 2005)
- Gowin v. Granite Depot, LLC, 272 Va. 246 (2006)
- Phoenix Renovation Corp. v. Rodriguez, 461 F. Supp. 2d 411 (E. D. Va. 2006)
- Augmentation Inc. v. Atoka Chase Ass’n, 2008 Va. Cir. LEXIS 198 (Loudoun)
- Christian Gonzales Construction, L.L.C. v. Webb et al., 2009 Va. Cir. LEXIS 179 (Loudoun)
- Fein, Trustee v. Zand 78, LLC (Supreme Court of Va. 2015) http://www.courts.state.va.us/courts/scv/orders_unpublished/home.html
- Miller, Trustee, et al. v. Athey, 96 Va. Cir. 223 (Loudoun 2017)
- Van Buren v. Poston & Old Meadow, LLC, 97 Va. Cir. 229 (Loudoun 2017)
- Westlake Legal Group v. Flynn, 293 Va. 344 (2017)
- Feeney v. Feeney, 295 Va. 312 (2018)
- Sweeney v. Greatorex, 102 Va. Cir. (Frederick 2018)
- Zemanovich v. Greatorex, 2019 Va. Cir. LEXIS 264 (Frederick)
- Comm’r of Hwys v. Thompson, 2020 Va. Cir. LEXIS 112 (Frederick Co.)
- Dagvadorj v. Aljabi (Supreme Court of Virginia 2022) 210785.pdf (vacourts.gov)
Education
- 1977 LL.M., University of Cambridge (Queens’ College)
- 1974 J.D., University of Virginia
- 1971 B.A. with honors, Virginia Military Institute
Practice Areas
Admissions
- Virginia
- United States Supreme Court
- U.S. District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia
- U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit
Awards
Noteworthy Updates
News & Highlights
2014 HISTORY AWARD GIVEN TO STEPHEN C. PRICE
2024 SUPER LAWYERS NAMES 7 ML ATTORNEYS
ADVANCED EMINENT DOMAIN AND VALUATION HELD IN OCTOBER 2013
ALL ML LAWYERS NAMED TO LEGAL ELITE FOR 2023
STEPHEN PRICE ELECTED CHAIRMAN OF PAHA
STEPHEN PRICE SELECTED AS 2024 LOUDOUN LAUREATE
ML ATTORNEYS NAMED “TOP LAWYERS” BY NORTHERN VIRGINIA MAGAZINE
NORTHERN VIRGINIA MAGAZINE NAMES 11 ML ATTORNEYS AMONG 2023 TOP LAWYERS
OVERVIEW OF ADR, MEDIATION, ARBITRATION, AND COLLABORATIVE LAW
SEMINAR REGARDING EASEMENT LITIGATION AND RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS
