Hope Rosen has earned a reputation as a capable and effective divorce lawyer in Northern Virginia, a partner now at ShounBach, the region’s largest and most prominent firm dedicated to family law. With a candid, call-’em-as-I-see-’em manner, and a background well suited to divorce law, Rosen brings a determined grit and independence to her role as both advisor and advocate in divorce matters. She has a solid record in litigation in the courthouses in the counties of Northern Virginia, where ShounBach’s lawyers have been well known for years. Growing up in Commack, NY, the middle of Long Island, Rosen describes herself as “strong-willed, someone who worked to be at the top of the class.” An oft-told story in her family: When she was still a sassy toddler, her father confronted her, declaring “Who do you think you are?” To which she replied, “I’m a person, that’s who!” After that, Rosen says, “My father always predicted I’d be a lawyer.” After Commack High School she headed to William & Mary in Virginia, a decision to get away that reflected “wanting to be my own person.”

But it was a big adjustment: “People are a lot more friendly, more outgoing, down South,” she says. “It took a New York kid some getting used to.” She says she struggled at first, but in time grew to love it; with a lifelong affinity for languages she majored at first in Spanish, and later English Literature, which was “more analytical and interpretive.” Assessing post-college options, it ultimately was her father, a Manhattan restaurateur who worked high-profile positions at some of the biggest names in the City (The Rainbow Room, The Helmsley Palace), who helped her land a legal assistant position at the prestigious firm Cravath Swaine & Moore in Manhattan. The experience opened her eyes to her potential; she learned too, at a firm known for huge talents and egos, to never be intimidated. The following year, she joined another white-shoe firm, Willkie Farr & Gallagher in Washington, where she spent a year reading and organizing documents in a sprawling and interminable environmental remediation case. Those early experiences “convinced me to become a lawyer, even if I also learned Big Law wasn’t for me.” One other lesson: “Some people snicker at making use of personal contacts and connections - you never know where the next opportunity will come from.”

At George Mason Law School, Rosen interned with an Arlington firm that focused on immigration law; the following year she clerked in the Commonwealth Attorney’s office. An early mentor: Attorney Lucy Carlson, who encouraged Rosen to tackle difficult domestic-violence prosecutions. That early taste of family-related cases - and courtroom litigation - in large part formed her ambitions: “I knew then I wanted to be a family lawyer.” At the end of law school she joined as a staff attorney the American Prosecutors Research Institute, an Alexandria-based think tank and training firm; much of her work there involved the formation of the “Finding Words” program, which trained prosecutors in effectively and sensitively interviewing young victims in abuse cases. “You were helping children who couldn’t help themselves,” she says. “It was very satisfying.” From there she joined the Child Enforcement division of the Attorney General’s office in Prince William County, where she was in court 4-5 days a week. “I was young and it was trial by fire.” Around the same time she became familiar with ShounBach firm, long known for its litigation prowess in family law in the region. The firm hired her in May 2007. Immediately partners Robert Shoun and Ed Walinsky “took me under their wing”; both “were a great example of professionalism in a specialty that was so personal and emotional.” In 2015 - the year Shoun passed away - she was named a partner at the 12-lawyer firm.

As befits her background Rosen continues to litigate contested cases, but she, like many of her partners, is trained in collaborative law and encourages negotiated settlement. Today she and her husband Scott Rosen, a private tutor for law school applicants and also a Virginia lawyer, live in Fairfax County with their two children. She provides pro bono services in the Civil Protection Order program offered by Legal Services of Northern Virginia. Away from the office she also enjoys cheering on and attending games of the NHL Washington Capitals.