Robert J. Stoney

Principal

rstoney@bklawva.com

o. 703-691-1235
f. 703-691-3913

Robert J. Stoney

Rob’s practice focuses on major automobile, commercial truck and bus crashes, products liability, wrongful death and traumatic brain injury cases – these are complicated and important cases. “Our clients are good people who have had devastating things happen to them and their loved ones.” Rob and his team keep a small docket of cases so they can devote their full attention to those they represent. “We treat each client like they are a part of our family. We understand that their families have been shattered by the carelessness of others and they rely on us to help them rebuild their lives.”

Rob's litigation philosophy is simple - he takes a few cases and devotes his full attention to those he represents. His clients are often very badly hurt and the defendants are typically corporations or individuals who have refused to take responsibility for their actions.

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Rob also has a strong and long standing commitment to our community, both locally and statewide. He has initiated a program to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. He has dedicated thousands of hours to pro bono and legal aid programs to ensure that everyone, no matter how poor or disenfranchised, has equal access to justice. Through "Trial Lawyers Still Care" he encourages all Virginia trial lawyers to take at least one deserving case each year and donate the amount that would have been their fee to legal aid for the poor.

Rob practices in courts throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and has litigated cases throughout the United Sates, and as far away as Germany, Australia and China.

Credentials

Education
  • William and Mary Law School (1987) Order of the Coif; Board of Editors, William & Mary Law Review
  • University of Virginia (1982)
Bar Admissions
  • Virginia State Bar, 1987
  • Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals, 1987
  • Eastern District of Virginia, 1987

Professional Honors & Activities

Professional Honors

  • Named Best Lawyers in America Lawyer of the Year 2013, 2017 and 2021 in Products Liability Litigation-Plaintiffs, Washington, DC
  • Rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell (1998-present)
  • Award for Extraordinary Public Service to the Supreme Court of Virginia (2009)
  • Washingtonian Magazine "Top Lawyer" - Personal Injury (2022-2024)
  • Arlington Magazine, Top Attorney  - Legal Aid/Pro Bono (2024)
  • Listed in Best Lawyers in America - Personal Injury Law (2003-present)
  • James Keith Public Service Award - Fairfax Bar Association (1997) 
  • Virginia Business Magazine Legal Elite - Pro Bono / Legal Services (2004-2024)
  • Northern Virginia Magazine, Top Lawyer - Personal Injury (2023)
  •  Legal Times Best Lawyers - Personal Injury (2006-present)
  • Super Lawyers - Washington, D.C.(2006-present)
  • Top Commercial Litigation Lawyers, Litigation Magazine (2006)

 

Professional Activities

  • Member - Board of Governors, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (2010-2012)
  • Chair, Products Liability Section, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (2010-2012)
  • Fellow, American Bar Foundation (2004-present)
  • Member - Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (2020-present)
  • Member – Character and Fitness Committee, Virginia Board of Bar Examiners (2018-2020)
  • Co-Chair VBA Pro Bono Council (2016 to 2019)
  • Member - VSB/VBA Task Force on Pro Bono (2010)
  • Member VSB Task Force on Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Admission (2010)
  • President Legal Services of Northern Virginia (2003-2004)
  • Member, Board of Directors: Legal Services of Northern Virginia (1998 - 2008)
  • Member, Board of Directors: Legal Service of Virginia (2002-2006)
  • Member, Board of Directors: Fairfax Law Foundation (2004-2006)
  • Chair, Virginia State Bar Special Committee on Access to Legal Services (2002-2007)
  • Chair, VSB Subcommittee on Local Pro Bono Initiatives (2002-2006)
  • Chair, VSB Special Subcommittee on Unbundling Legal Services (2003-2006)
  • Chair, Fairfax Bar Association Pro Bono Advisory Board (1992-1996; 1998-2003)

Representative Cases

  • Secured a $4,400,000 jury verdict for a client injured in a collision caused by a dump truck towing a trailer with missing brake components. The case involved claims against the truck company, its driver, and the inspection company responsible for the faulty brake inspection.
  • Secured a $5,075,000 settlement for a client who suffered paraplegia after a rear-end collision caused their truck’s seatback to collapse, propelling their head into the rear compartment.
  • Secured a $3,250,000 settlement for the estate of a 16-year-old boy who tragically lost his life in a construction trench collapse, holding the construction company, its manager, and the property owner accountable for negligence and unsafe conditions.
  • Secured a $3,000,000 settlement for an engineer who sustained multiple fractures and underwent several surgeries following a head-on collision.
  • Secured a $2,850,000 settlement for a young woman who suffered burns to her face, neck, and torso from a defective pressure cooker and her husband’s loss of consortium claim, demonstrating that a manufacturing defect in the locking mechanism caused the explosion despite the defendants’ claims of user error.
  • Secured a $1,475,000 settlement for a client with rheumatoid arthritis who fractured his elbow after tripping over a displaced cement slab in an outdoor retail courtyard, a condition found to violate the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.