F&P Spotlight on Principal Lynn Fitzpatrick

What is your practice area, and how did you choose it?
Workers’ compensation chose me! I clerked for a trial court judge and learned what areas were not for me. There was an opening in a local firm after my clerkship, and it happened to be for a workers’ comp defense attorney. I was offered the position, and the rest is history.

Please describe a signature case or representation.
Thorpe v. Ted Bowling Construction, 283 Va. 808 (2012) was my first reported Virginia Supreme Court case, dealing with the issue of proper calculation of an individual’s average weekly wage.

What do you find most satisfying about law practice?
I am grateful that I have developed a practice in which I am able to strike a work/life balance that suits both my professional aspirations and my family’s needs. The workers’ compensation bar in Virginia is a relatively small group of attorneys, and I enjoy the camaraderie as well as the high caliber legal minds of the colleagues I engage with on a daily basis.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?
Pay it forward. Take the advice you’ve collected over the years and work on helping the next generation of lawyers.

What developments or changes in workers’ comp law do you expect to see in the coming year?
With remote work becoming more prevalent, I expect to see more litigation involving compensability of injuries occurring at home.

What is your favorite aspect of working at F&P?
The people. I appreciate the fact that the Firm has shown resilience and good judgment in trying circumstances throughout our 22-year history.

What’s your proudest accomplishment?
Raising three sons to adulthood and near adulthood!

Tell us something about you that few of your colleagues and clients would know.
I used to sing in a rock band in law school and beyond.

What is your favorite food?
Hard-shell Maryland crabs. I grew up in Rockville, MD, and these were a regular part of my childhood summers.