Irvin Cantor and Jeffrey Breit grew up in different parts of Virginia (Cantor in Richmond, Breit in Virginia Beach), graduated from law school a year apart (Cantor in 1978 from the University of Virginia, Breit from Tulane in 1979), and later became great friends and two of the most heralded trial attorneys in their home state.
Each has been president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association and routinely recognized as among America’s “Super Lawyers” and the nation’s top litigators. In Richmond, the legal community considers Cantor, Stoneburner, Ford, Grana and Buckner one of Virginia’s top brain injury and medical malpractice firms. In Hampton Roads, Breit, Drescher and Imprevento is viewed as the “go-to” practice for complex personal injury cases.
Now, Jeffrey Breit and Irvin Cantor have united their legacies and companies into one. Breit Cantor Grana and Buckner, with offices in Richmond and Virginia Beach, will represent victims of accidents caused by the negligence of others, seeking to secure fair settlements for their injured clients.
“We are both veterans in the area of personal injury law in Virginia and elsewhere,” says Breit, who comes from a family of attorneys (father, brothers and wife) and now teaches as an adjunct professor of law at the College of William and Mary. “Each of us has outstanding young attorneys working with us, so Irv and I thought it was time to bring together everyone’s talents to provide Virginians with serious injury cases the most experienced, knowledgeable and vigorous representation possible.”
“Stephanie Grana and Elliot Buckner are also Super Lawyers in their fields and well known in Central Virginia for their ability to win significant awards,” says Cantor. “In fact, Stephanie is a past president of the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, and Elliot is in line to become one. We have all partnered with Jeff and his team on cases. The relationship and results have been excellent.”
Jeff’s protégé and co-managing partner of the Virginia Beach office is Kevin Biniazan, an Arizona native who graduated cum laude from W&M Law where he received some of his litigation training from Breit himself. “Kevin is on his way to a very successful and productive career,” says Jeff, “and having a great team of lawyers, either in the next office at the Oceanfront, or at the other end of the phone line in Richmond, to provide advice and co-counsel will benefit him and his growing list of clients.”
Attorneys Mike Imprevento, Allen Beasley and Billie Hobbs Leeth, from Breit Drescher Imprevento, will continue to practice within the new entity. In Richmond, Breit Cantor also includes lawyers Lewis Stoneburner, Aubrey Ford, Scott Bucci, Bellamy Stoneburner, Jeffrey Stedman and Joseph Cantor, son of the founder.
Irvin Cantor, who is a Past President of the Brain Injury Association of Virginia, is also founder and President of Jury Impressions, a jury consulting company, which arranges mock trials and focus groups for attorneys nationwide. Jeffrey Breit has made his mark, not just in the courtroom, but also at the statehouse, leading the fight to raise the “cap” on medical malpractice awards in Virginia, which had been frozen for 17 years. He also was one of 15 attorneys who represented 125,000 businesses, fishermen and other individuals who filed lawsuits against defendants in the April 2010 BP oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico.
The website for the new firm is www.virginiatrialfirm.com. To reach any of the attorneys by phone, the toll free number is 844-904-6910. The Richmond office for Breit Cantor is at 7130 Glen Forest Drive, Suite 400. The Virginia Beach office is at 600 22nd Street, Suite 402.
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