After graduating from Washington & Lee University, cum laude with Honors, Mr. MacDowell worked in the United States Senate in the office of Sen. Donald Reigle. After observing the legislative process first hand, Mr. MacDowell determined to embark on a career in the law. He graduated law school from the Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.

Mr. MacDowell began his legal career as a prosecuting attorney in the Fairfax County Commonwealth’s Attorneys Office in 1982. In 1984 he joined the firm of Connor & Duff and turned his litigation skills to the civil practice. Over the next 34 years, Mr. MacDowell has handled a myriad of civil litigation involving: will disputes, Wrongful Deaths, Personal Injury, Construction Contracts, Family Law and Custody, Employment Law, and Domestic Violence. In 2006, Mr. MacDowell obtained the largest jury verdict in the Fairfax County Circuit Court for a domestic violence victim for injuries suffered during the marriage. Recently, he was successful in an appeal before the Virginia Court of Appeals in the case of Ross v. Ross (Record No 0748-17-4), which overturned the trial court’s defined duration award limitation for spousal support to the wife.

Mr. MacDowell has dedicated his career and his law firm to providing quality legal services in litigation oriented cases in the courts of Northern Virginia. His broad range of experience has also qualified him to counsel and represent clients on Elder Law, Estate Planning, Business Formation and Transactions, Employment Law, Fair Labor Standards Act, and Contract Litigation to list but a few. Mr. MacDowell is admitted to the Virginia and Maryland bars. He is also admitted to practice before the federal courts in the Eastern District of Virginia, the Western District of Virginia, and the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals.