Hugh Fain has been a litigator and dispute resolver for over forty years. With broad experience as a civil trial attorney, his practice has focused on commercial and business litigation. Hugh is licensed in both Texas and Virginia.
Hugh has tried cases and resolved disputes involving multi-million dollar contract breaches, corporate governance, preservation of intellectual property rights, business tort claims, employment discrimination claims, construction and real estate litigation, trust and estates litigation, and shareholder, membership, or partnership disputes. He understands the mechanics of a business dispute and the disruption that prolonged legal proceedings bring to companies and to the executives who lead them. He also understands the importance of assessing the risks and rewards associated with resolving business disputes, whether inside or outside of the courtroom.
Hugh tries cases in both state and federal trial courts. He has argued cases before the Virginia Supreme Court, the Virginia Court of Appeals, and federal circuit courts of appeal. Hugh also has experience handling matters and trying cases before administrative agencies, including the Virginia State Corporation Commission.
Hugh is Past President of the Virginia Bar Association and Past President of the Bar Association of the City of Richmond. He has been named by his peers in Chambers USA and Best Lawyers in America in four categories; Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Employment Litigation, and Intellectual Property Litigation. Hugh is a Fellow of the Virginia Law Foundation. He currently serves as a Commissioner in Chancery for the Henrico County Circuit Court.
Education
Education
University of Virginia School of Law (J.D., 1983) Raven Society
Virginia Military Institute (B.A., Economics, with distinction, 1980)
Professional Associations and Memberships
Professional Associations and Memberships
Virginia Bar Association
Past President
Richmond Bar Association
Past President
VMI Board of Visitors
Member, July 2017-present
VMI Foundation, Inc.
Past President
VMI Alumni Association, Inc.
Past President
Innsbrook Rotary Club
Past President
Honors and Awards
Honors and Awards
Virginia Lawyers Weekly Hall of Fame, 2024
Virginia Super Lawyers for Business Litigation 2006 - 2024
Top 100 Virginia, 2012-2018; 2021-2024
Top 50 Richmond, 2012-2018; 2021-2024
Top 50 Virginia, 2009
Best Lawyers in America, Lawyer of the Year 2021, 2023, 2025 for Bet-the-Company Litigation in Richmond, Virginia
Best Lawyers in America 2010-2025 for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Richmond, Virginia
Best Lawyers in America 2008-2025 for Commercial Litigation, Richmond, Virginia
Best Lawyers in America 2011-2025 for Litigation - Labor and Employment, Richmond, Virginia
Best Lawyers in America 2011-2025 for Litigation - Intellectual Property, Richmond, Virginia
Virginia Business magazine's Legal Elite 2003 - 2024 for Civil Litigation
Chambers USA 2014-2024 for Litigation (Virginia)
The Virginia Bar Association's 2016 Walker Award of Merit
Virginia Lawyers Weekly's Leaders in the Law 2014
Rated AV Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell
Classes/Seminars Taught
Classes/Seminars Taught
Essentials of Initial Pleadings, 2024
Faculty, Virginia State Bar Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course, 2013-2016
Backpack to Briefcase, 2014
The Ins and Outs of Preparing, Taking and Defending Fact and Expert Depositions, 2013
Ethical and Other Considerations in Business Divorces, 2012
Best Practices in Circuit Court: An Interactive Judges' Forum for Richmond Area Litigators, Moderator, 2012
Difficult Depositions, 2009
Best Practices in Circuit Court: An Interactive Judges' Forum for Richmond-Area Litigators: Pleadings, Practice, Discovery, and Expert Witnesses, 2009
Recovering Attorneys’ Fees in Commercial Litigation, 2000.
Published Works
Published Works
Pooling and Unitization in Virginia: The Law, the Regulations and the Reality, Landman - Official Journal of the American Association of Professional Landmen, May/June, 1993