Trying Civil Cases in Virginia Circuit Courts

A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay of the May 2026 webcast, Trying Civil Cases in Virginia Circuit Courts.

This program equips you with the strategies to effectively present your civil cases in circuit court throughout the Commonwealth. Lee Livingston, with over 30 years of successfully litigating cases in Virginia courts, along with a member of the bench, provides you with the road map to trying civil cases and help you earn better rulings by building better context in the court’s working language.

Additionally, while many Virginia Circuit Court judges come to the bench with deep experience in criminal law and/or domestic relations cases, they often lack familiarity with many areas and issues of civil practice. This CLE teaches civil litigators how to present civil issues in a way that helps judges quickly orient to the governing civil standards, rules, regardless of their experience, and make clean rulings.

• Learn how to navigate civil procedure friction points efficiently and respectfully.
• Get a judge’s perspective on common advocacy missteps.

R. Lee Livingston, Livingston Law Group, PLLC / Charlottesville

Lee Livingston practices civil litigation, personal injury law, medical malpractice, and defamation law at his firm, Livingston Law Group, PLLC. He served as president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association in 2017–2018. He is former chair of the Virginia State Bar Litigation Section Board of Governors and the Virginia State Bar Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Board. He is a fellow in the Virginia Law Foundation.

Mr. Livingston teaches Trial Advocacy and Professional Liability Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He is co-author of Evidence for the Trial Lawyer, a Matthew-Bender (Lexis) publication. He has served on the Virginia Supreme Court’s Appellate Rules Advisory Committee and Electronic Filing Study Committee, and the Virginia Model Jury Instructions Committee. He is a member of the Boyd-Graves Conference and chairs its evidence committee.

Mr. Livingston is listed in Best Lawyers in America and was named Lawyer of the Year—2012 and 2021 Medical Malpractice, and Lawyer of the Year—2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021 Personal Injury, Charlottesville, Virginia. He is “AV-preeminent” rated by Martindale Hubbell, and he has been honored for selection by Richmond magazine as a top 100 Virginia “Super Lawyer” and a top 50 “Super Lawyer” in Richmond, Virginia. He was awarded the Professor W. McKinley Smiley Jr. Lighthouse Award by the Southern Trial Lawyers Association in 2019.

Hon. Christie A. Leary, 19th Judicial District / Fairfax

Christie Leary joined the Fairfax Circuit Court in 2022. Prior to joining the Circuit Court, Judge Leary served as a Substitute Judge in the General District and Juvenile Courts for eight years. Judge Leary practiced law for over 20 years before taking the bench handling bench and jury trials in state and federal courts focused on criminal defense, personal injury and civil litigation matters.
Judge Leary earned her Bachelor of Arts in History and Government from the College of William and Mary and her juris doctor from George Mason University School of Law.

Hon. Tania M.L. Saylor, 19th Judicial District / Fairfax

Ms. Saylor resides with her husband and two children in Fairfax County, Virginia. She received her B.A. from the University of Virginia in 1999, and her J.D. from The George Washington University School of Law in 2003. She was admitted to practice law in Virginia (2003); United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2007); United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia (2007); and United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (2009).
Since 2003, Ms. Saylor has practiced law primarily in Northern Virginia. Her legal career began in the area of civil litigation involving personal injury and medical negligence defense cases. Her practice currently consists of estate litigation and contested guardianship matters. In 2015, Ms.
Saylor was appointed by the Fairfax County Circuit Court as a Substitute Judge. Ms. Saylor has served in this capacity most frequently in Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court. Since 2016, Ms. Saylor continued to demonstrate a sincere and on-going interest in these matters and has benefitted from additional years of service as a Substitute Judge. During her service, Ms. Saylor has heard at least one hundred custody cases as a Substitute Judge. Her continued service confirmed her strong interest in expanding her experience as a Judge and her aptitude. Based upon Ms. Saylor’s responses during her interview and application, the Committee recognized her ability to handle complex