James W. Korman

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 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.

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

Washingtonian, Top Divorce Lawyer, 1995, 2000, 2004, 2009 & 2012

Best Lawyers in America in Family Law, 1995 - 2019

Best Lawyers in America “Family Law Lawyer of the Year” for the Washington, D.C. area, 2012

Virginia Super Lawyers in Family Law, 2006 – present

Virginia Super Lawyers, Top 100 Lawyers, 2015 - present

Washington D.C. Super Lawyers in Family Law, 2007 – present

Virginia Business, Legal Elite in Family Law, 2016

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

• 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)

Adjunct professor of Trial Advocacy at George Mason University Law School, 1996 – present.

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)

When Jim isn’t litigating divorce cases, he enjoys traveling with his wife, attending Redskins games and collecting political campaign buttons. During one of their many trips to Paris, they visited the Rodin Garden where Jim posed with The Thinker statue.