Colleen Marea Quinn, ESQ.
Principal Attorney
Quinn Law Centers, LLC
Personal Injury | Employment Law | Adoption & Surrogacy | Estate Planning
4901 Dickens Road, Suite 101Richmond VA 23230
Main (804) 554-0047
Direct (804) 548-4563
Email: colleen@quinnlawcenters.com
www.quinnlawcenters.com
About Colleen
Colleen Marea Quinn, Esq., is the Founder and Principal Attorney of Quinn Law Centers, LLC, based in Richmond, Virginia. A nationally respected attorney with over 35 years of experience, Colleen practices in personal injury, employment law, adoption and surrogacy, guardianship, and estate planning. Her approach blends technical excellence with profound compassion and values-based advocacy.
Colleen sees the law not just as a tool for justice but as a means of restoring dignity, healing emotional wounds, and shaping futures with intention and care. This commitment is reflected not only in the courtroom but also in how she engages with life and community.
In her personal writing, such as “Cleaning my mother-in-law’s cottage”, Colleen explores the balance between holding on and letting go—an insight that parallels her work with families navigating legal and emotional crossroads. The piece, featured in Richmond Times-Dispatch, is a meditation on memory, loss, and the internal “spring cleaning” that allows space for future joy.
Her values echo those captured in other stories from Richmond’s Faith & Values section:
- A cemetery cycling tribute honoring the quiet strength of the human spirit,
- An underwater sermon delivering faith in unexpected places,
- And a lesbian couple’s legal battle that secured parental recognition and justice.
Each story—like each client she serves—reminds her that the law should never lose sight of the people it’s meant to protect.
Areas of Practice
- Personal Injury Law
- Employment and Civil Rights Law
- Adoption, Surrogacy, and Assisted Reproduction Law
- Estate Planning and Guardianship
Leadership and Legal Honors
Colleen was the 2024 President of the Virginia Law Foundation, leading its 50th Anniversary celebration. She was named a Virginia Law Foundation Fellow in 2021 and is consistently recognized among the top attorneys in Virginia and nationwide.
Legal and Professional Awards and Recognition:
- “Hall of Fame” Virginia Lawyers Weekly (2025)
- “Best Lawyers in America” (U.S. News & World Report, 2015–2025)
- “Virginia’s Top Rated Lawyers” (Law.com & Legal Leaders, 2012–2020)
- Super Lawyers® (2006-2025)
- Top 100 in Virginia (2012-2013, 2019–2025); Top 50 in Virginia (2011)
- Top 50 Female in Virginia (2012-2025); Top 25 Female in Virginia (2010–2011)
- Top 50 in Richmond (2013, 2019–2025); Top 25 in Richmond (2012)
- “Legal Elite” by Virginia Business Magazine (2005, 2010–2017, 2019–2025)
- Virginia Law Foundation Fellow (2021)
- “Influential Women in Virginia” Inaugural Honoree, Virginia Lawyers Weekly (2019)
- 2017 “Adoption Attorney of the Year”, Lawyers Monthly Magazine
- 2017 MRWBA Women of Achievement Award
- 2016 Richmond NAWBO “Entrepreneur of the Year”
- 2015 Virginia State Bar Family Law Service Award
- 2009 “Leader in the Law”, Virginia Lawyers Weekly
- 2008 Congressional “Angels in Adoption” Award
- 2011 YWCA Outstanding Woman in Law & Government
- 2011 “Hats Off to Women” Award, ABWA Cavalier Chapter
Firm Recognitions:
- Quinn Law Centers: “Best Law Firms in America”, U.S. News & World Report (2023)
- Locke & Quinn (Former Partner): “Best Law Firms in America” (2015–2022); Trial Lawyers Board of Regents “Litigator Award” (CNN, 2015)
Peer and Client Ratings:
- AV Preeminent® Rating, Martindale-Hubbell (highest rating by both peers and judiciary)
- Client Champion Award, Martindale-Hubbell
Legal Leadership and Board Service
- Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA): President (2016–2017), Board Member (2007–2011, 2013–2018), and current Awards Chair
- Virginia Law Foundation: President (2024), Board Member (2019-2025)
- Virginia Family Law Coalition: Board Member
- National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO), Richmond Chapter: Past President
- Richmond NAWBO Foundation: Past Secretary; Co-Chair, Women of Excellence Awards (4 years)
- Metropolitan Richmond Women’s Bar Association: Past President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Judicial Candidate Evaluation Chair
- Richmond Women’s Business Consortium: Past Chair
- Virginia Trial Lawyers Association:
- Co-Chair, Employment/Civil Rights Section
- Co-Chair, Public Affairs and Pro Bono
- Chair, Diversity
- Member, CLE, Convention, Amicus, Insurance, and Long Range Planning Committees
- Family Formation Charitable Trust: Trustee (2016–2018)
- Creating a Family: Board Member (2013–2016)
- Girl Scouts of Central Virginia: Board Member and Treasurer (2014–present)
- United Way Women’s Leadership Council: Member (2012–2017)
- Richmond YWCA: Past President and Advisory Council Member
Affiliations and Memberships
- LGBT Bar Family Law Institute
- Equality Virginia, Gay RVA, ACLU of Virginia
- American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM)
- American Association for Justice (AAJ)
- Virginia State Bar (VSB), Virginia Equality Bar Association (VEBA)
- Richmond Bar Association (RBA)
- American Bar Association (ABA)
Publications and Speaking Engagements
Colleen has authored and presented over 500 publications and presentations across her practice areas. She is the Founder and Host of the “Raising the Bar: Greater RVA Law Talk Radio Show.”
Featured Legal Topics:
Presentations & Publications for AdoptART >
(updated 2/20/25)
Presentations & Publications for Personal Injury, Employment, and Litigation >
(updated 2/20/25)
Cases
Published and Unpublished Cases
(updated 11/15/24)
Community Involvement
Colleen’s work is inspired by and grounded in community service, reflecting values of resilience, dignity, and inclusion. Her support includes:
- AHA Go Red for Women: Executive Leadership Team, Ruby/COR Vitae, Circle of Red
- Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance
- Petersburg Domestic Violence Task Force
- LINC (Legal Information Network for Cancer)
- Lifetime Girl Scout Member
- Leadership Metro Richmond Graduate (1996)
Personal Background
Colleen earned her J.D. from the University of Virginia (1988) and her B.A. from The College of William & Mary (1985). She served as Judicial Clerk to the Honorable Harry L. Carrico, Chief Justice of the Virginia Supreme Court, in 1988.
Colleen’s life outside the courtroom reflects the same balance of discipline and empathy. She is a lifelong Girl Scout, an active supporter of local nonprofits, and a recreational scuba diver, cyclist, and tennis player. Her energy, compassion, and sense of fairness are evident both in and outside of her legal work.