Virginia Domestic Relations Handbook

John E. Byrnes, Kelly Byrnes & Danker, PLLC

John E. Byrnes has been practicing exclusively in the area of family law since 1996. He practices in all of the northern Virginia circuit courts and juvenile and domestic relations district courts as well as the Virginia Court of Appeals. While most matters are amicably resolved through negotiation or mediation, John has extensive litigation experience. During his career, John’s practice has covered virtually every aspect of family law, from: complex equitable distribution matters involving business valuations and detailed tracing issues; forensic accounting considerations for determining a party’s income; intricate custody concerns dealing with non-parental rights, international legal considerations, and abuse claims; as well as unique family law issues such as litigating the validity of divorces obtained in foreign countries.

John graduated from the George Mason University School of Law, where he was selected to be in the Dean’s Scholar Program and was also chosen to be the Lead Articles Editor for the George Mason University Independent Law Review. Since his completion of a one-year clerkship for the Honorable J. Howe Brown of the Fairfax County Circuit Court in August of 1996, John’s law practice has concentrated solely on the area of family law and divorce.

John is the former Chairperson of the 5th District Disciplinary Committee of the Virginia State Bar, and previously served on the Virginia State Bar Judicial Candidate Evaluation Committee, and the Virginia State Bar Mid-Year Seminar Committee. He has also lectured for the Virginia CLE, attended the Bar Leadership Institute, was previously recognized by Legal Services of Northern Virginia for providing pro bono legal services, and is a past Chair of the Fairfax Bar Association’s Membership Committee. Lastly, John is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Fairfax Bar Association, and the Loudoun Bar Association.