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Admitted: 1988, Virginia; 1989, Pennsylvania; 1991, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Virginia; 1992, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Eastern District of Virginia; 1994, U.S. District Court, Western District of Virginia; 1996, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1999, Maryland; 2000, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland and U.S. Bankruptcy Court, District of Maryland; 2002, U.S. Supreme Court Law School: George Mason University School of Law, J.D. College: United States Coast Guard Academy, B.S. Member: Alexandria Bar Association; Virginia State Bar (Member, Sections on: Litigation and Military Law). Biography: Lecturer, "Trying the Automobile Injury Case in Virginia," May 1997. Born: North Carolina MilitaryService: Lieutenant, US Coast Guard, 1977-1989; US Coast Guard Reserve, 1989-1991 Agencies: Department of Veteran's Affairs - Board of Veteran's Appeals Cases: Star Diamond, Inc. v. Underwriters at Lloyd's, London, 965 F.Supp. 763 (E.D.Va. 1997); Commerce Funding Corporation v. Worldwide Security Services Corporation, et al., 249 F.3d 204 (4th Cir. 2001); RZS Holdings v. Commerzbank, AG, 279 F.Supp.2d 716 (E.D. Va. 2003).
Mark was born in Edenton, North Carolina to a military family. He attended the U.S. Coast Guard Academy after graduating from high school in 1973. Graduating in 1977, Mark served as a Commissioned line officer in the Coast Guard and achieved the rank of Lieutenant, resigning his commission in 1989.
Graduating from George Mason University School of Law in 1988, Mark continued his service in the Disability Division in Coast Guard Headquarters representing Coast Guard service-members whose ability to be fit for duty was questioned due to injury or illness. Following his Coast Guard active service, Mark served in the Coast Guard Reserves for 3 years from 1989 to 1991 - the time of the first Gulf war. Mark served as staff counsel in the Board of Veterans Appeals, Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, DC and his section's specialty was Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Complete Disability cases. During his time at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Mark made himself available to those who would otherwise be unable to afford a lawyer and did court appointed criminal defense cases in Fairfax County, Virginia.
Leaving the Department of Veteran's Affairs to pursue litigation work, Mark joined the firm of Joseph F. Cunningham & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia. There he worked in the firm's specialty of insurance defense litigation and was the "go to" person for matters outside that specialty (like criminal defense matters, driving while intoxicated, landlord-tenant matters, collections, etc.). This experience served him well when in 1997 Mark opened his own solo law practice in Alexandria, Virginia.
As a solo practitioner, Mark expanded his expertise in many areas of the law including personal injury plaintiff's work, Social Security Disability claims, Bankruptcy creditors work, federal government employment claims, trusts and estates, and estate planning, and contract claims.
Mark is an amateur musician. He has played guitar since age 10 and since then has added to his instruments mandolin, string bass, banjo, resonator guitar, and ukulele. As this combination of instruments might suggest, Mark is a "Bluegrasser" and also enjoys Gospel music.
Mark has sung in choirs and special groups since grade school and currently sings in the choir at the Fairfax Baptist Temple, Fairfax Station, Virginia (Fairfax Baptist Temple). Mark and Lesa lead, and Mark teaches in, the New Horizons ministry at FBT - a ministry for those who find themselves single, again.
Mark is partial to and plays Gibson and Huber banjos (Gibson Banjos & Huber Banjos), Martin guitars (C.F. Martin & Co.), Gibson mandolins (Gibson Mandolins), Crafters of Tennessee Resophonic Guitars (Crafters of Tennessee Reso Guitars), and Fender Ukuleles (Fender Ukuleles).
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