Overview
James Korman is a shareholder of Bean, Kinney & Korman. He is a widely renowned divorce attorney with over 40 years of experience in domestic relations and personal injury matters.
Jim counsels and represents clients in all aspects of family law with particular focus on complex divorces involving the division of property and marital assets including stock options, pension plans, investment and business interests for high net worth individuals. He regularly applies his past experience in business, commercial, and banking law to benefit his family law clients.
Jim is consistently featured in Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, Washingtonian magazine, Northern Virginia magazine and other regional and national publications for his depth and breadth of experience in domestic relations.
In 2009, the Northern Virginia magazine listed Jim as a “Top Divorce Lawyer” and said, “He always tries to settle a case, but is not afraid to go to court,” and “He is respected by fellow attorneys for his intellect, ethics and professionalism.” Jim was described by Washingtonian magazine in March 2000 as “a straight shooter who always does his homework,” “adept at complicated cases” and knowledgeable about banking law which “is especially helpful in advising divorce clients on issues involving creditors.”
In February 2004, Washingtonian magazine said, “He has a stellar reputation…For clients who want things handled, he is the man…He is always prepared and business-like.” In his nomination for the Virginia State Bar Family Law Section’s Lifetime Achievement award, which Jim received in 2014, fellow family law attorney Terrence R. Batzli wrote, “He is always willing to discuss potential solutions to every pending issue in a manner which will effect the best result for his client.”
As a seasoned trial attorney, Jim knows when to litigate, when to negotiate and when to mediate.
Beyond the Suit
When Jim isn’t litigating divorce cases, he enjoys traveling with his wife, attending Washington football games and collecting political campaign buttons.
Experience
- Korman, Administrator v. Carpenter, 216 Va. 86 (1975)
- Gambino v. Fairfax County School Board, 429 F. Supp. 731 (E.D. Va. 1977), aff’d, 564 F.2d 157 (4th Cir. 1977)
- Stein v. Fairfax County School Board
- Butler v. Butler, 219 Va. 164, 247 S.E.2d 353 (1978)
- Mahoney v. NationsBank of Virginia, NA, 455 S.E.2d 5 (1995)
Bar and Court Admissions
Virginia, 1968
District of Columbia, 1970
Supreme Court of Virginia
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
U.S. Supreme Court
Education
George Washington University School of Law, J.D., 1968
College of William & Mary, A.B., 1965
Academic Appointments
Adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at George Mason University Law School, 1996 – present.
Awards and Honors
Martindale Hubbell, AV Preeminent Rated, 2022
Northern Virginia Magazine, Top Lawyer, Divorce & Family, 2020
AV Preeminent Rating, Martindale-Hubbell, Judicial Edition, 2019
Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame, 2018
Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Leader in the Law, 2015
Arlington County Bar Foundation, William L. Winston Award, 2015
Virginia State Bar Family Law Section, Betty A. Thompson Lifetime Achievement Award, 2014
Washingtonian, Top Lawyer in Domestic Relations, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 & 2018
Washingtonian, Top Divorce Lawyer, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2009, 2012, 2019, 2020, 2021
Best Lawyers in America in Family Law, 1995 – 2023
Best Lawyers in America “Family Law Lawyer of the Year” for the Washington, D.C. area, 2012
Virginia Super Lawyers in Family Law, 2006 – 2022
Virginia Super Lawyers, Top 100 Lawyers, 2015 – present
Washington D.C. Super Lawyers in Family Law, 2007 – 2022
Virginia Business, Legal Elite in Family Law/Domestic Relations, 2016, 2020
Additional Awards
Virginia Business magazine, Legal Elite, 2006 & 2011
Northern Virginia magazine, Top Lawyer, 2013
Northern Virginia magazine, Top Divorce Lawyer, 2009 & 2016
Outstanding Lawyers of America
AV Rated by Martindale-Hubbell
Affiliations
American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (Fellow; Certified Matrimonial Arbitrator; Past President, Virginia chapter)
Arlington Bar Association (Past-President)
American Association for Justice (formerly Association of Trial Lawyers of America)
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
Virginia State Bar (Former Chair, Committee on Women and Minorities)
Videos
Events
- Dividing and Valuing Complex Assets in Divorce
Webinar - 1:00 - 2:30 pm EST, Wednesday, August 7, 2019
News
- Sixteen Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2023 Best Lawyers in America and Six Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
Thursday August 18, 2022 - 2022 Super Lawyers
Thursday May 5, 2022 - Fifteen Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2022 Best Lawyers in America and Five Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
Thursday August 19, 2021 - 2021 Super Lawyers
Thursday May 6, 2021 - Thirteen Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2021 Best Lawyers in America and Three Attorneys Listed in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch
Thursday August 20, 2020 - 2020 Super Lawyers
Thursday May 7, 2020 - Eleven Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2020 Best Lawyers in America
Thursday August 15, 2019 - 2019 Super Lawyers
Thursday April 18, 2019 - Ten Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2019 Best Lawyers in America
Wednesday August 15, 2018 - Bean, Kinney & Korman Attorneys Recognized as 2018 Virginia Super Lawyers, Top 10 and Rising Stars
Monday April 30, 2018 - Nine Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2018 Best Lawyers in America
Tuesday August 22, 2017 - Fourteen Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as 2017 Virginia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Thursday April 13, 2017 - Eight Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2017 Best Lawyers in America
Monday August 15, 2016 - Eleven Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as 2016 Virginia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Thursday April 7, 2016 - James Korman Honored with William L. Winston Award
Monday September 28, 2015 - James Korman Named “Leader in the Law” By Virginia Lawyers Weekly
Wednesday August 26, 2015 - Eight Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2016 Best Lawyers in America
Monday August 17, 2015 - Twelve Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as 2015 Virginia Super Lawyers and Rising Stars
Thursday April 9, 2015 - Eight Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Listed in 2015 Best Lawyers in America
Monday August 18, 2014 - Six Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as 2014 Virginia Super Lawyers
Friday June 13, 2014 - When power couples melt down
Politico, Friday May 9, 2014 - Six Attorneys Recognized as 2014 Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers
Friday April 25, 2014 - James Korman Awarded 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award
Monday March 10, 2014 - Arlington Attorney Korman Honored by Va. State Bar
Arlington Sun Gazette, Saturday March 8, 2014 - James Korman was quoted in “How Would Divorce Lawyers Mediate the Shutdown Debate?”
Washingtonian Magazine, Thursday October 10, 2013 - Eight Attorneys Recognized as 2014 Best Lawyers in America
Thursday August 15, 2013 - Six Attorneys Recognized as 2013 Virginia Super Lawyers
Monday June 17, 2013 - Dissecting the Stigma of Family Law: An Interview with Jim Korman
LAWS.com, Tuesday April 30, 2013 - Nine Attorneys Recognized as 2013 Best Lawyers
Thursday August 23, 2012 - Six Attorneys Recognized as 2012 Virginia Super Lawyers
Monday July 2, 2012 - James Korman and Timothy Hughes named among Virginia Business’ Legal Elite
Friday December 2, 2011 - James Korman of Bean, Kinney & Korman recognized by Best Lawyers as Lawyer of the Year in Family Law
Friday October 21, 2011 - Seven Attorneys from Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as 2012 Best Lawyers
Friday September 9, 2011 - Four Attorneys Recognized as 2011 Virginia Super Lawyers
Thursday June 23, 2011 - Bean, Kinney & Korman Represents Winning Defendant DeMayo in a Case Involving A Complicated Property Settlement Agreement
Monday April 4, 2011 - Bean, Kinney & Korman Recognized as First-Tier Law Firm For Family Law and Family Law Mediation
Monday September 27, 2010 - Why I Became A Lawyer
Virginia State Bar, Monday August 31, 2009 - Doing Without D.C.
Legal Times, Monday June 5, 2000
Publications
- Commentary: Hook Shot
Virginia Lawyers Weekly, October 3, 2022 - How I Became an Award-Winning Sculptor
Family Lawyer Magazine, January 5, 2021 - Business Valuation in the Time of the Plague
Virginia Lawyers Weekly, May 11, 2020 - Do You Have a Pre-Nuptial Agreement that Has a Provision for Alimony?
March 2, 2018 - What Are My Options in a Divorce Besides Going to Court?
October 21, 2013 - Divorce, Child Support and Alimony
October 16, 2013 - Divorce and the Professional: Division of Property and Business Interests
August 7, 2013 - When You Are Divorced, What Happens to Child Custody if a Parent Moves?
June 11, 2013 - How Is Child Custody Determined?
May 3, 2013 - Emergency Points if a Divorce is Impending: Financial Accounts and Personal Property
March 27, 2013 - Marriage, Divorce and Your Business
September 16, 2012 - Adultery and the Fifth Amendment
The Matrimonial Strategist, April 1, 2012 - The Drafting of Property Settlement Agreements: DeMayo v. DeMayo – A Cautionary Tale
The Fee Simple, May 1, 2011 - Tips for Maximizing Alternative Dispute Resolution
Virginia Lawyers Weekly, Page 8, September 5, 2010