Nicole M. Burns

Nicole M. Burns has been practiced family law for over a decade in Northern Virginia. During that time, she has handled hundreds of family law cases, ranging from complicated divorces to straightforward settlements. Nicole has experience litigating and resolving high conflict custody, visitation, domestic abuse, support and equitable distribution cases, as well as post-divorce issues. She prides herself on taking a client-centered approach to each case and helping parties to craft a plan forward that meets their needs and the needs of their families.

Nicole is passionate about helping families and serving the community. She has served as the vice president of her neighborhood’s homeowners association for over 5 years. She has also been involved in girl scouts with both of her daughters and has been a religious education instructor for 7th graders at her church for more than 7 years. She has a unique understanding of the challenges for families of special needs children.

Nicole is also certified as a collaborative attorney. Collaborative law offers a new avenue of settlement for clients with matters that are best resolved outside of a courtroom, but who may need a more involved process than simple negotiations through counsel. During the initial consultation process, clients can learn more about this process as one of their options for how to move forward.

Nicole is a member of the Fairfax Bar Association, Prince William County Bar Association, Loudoun Bar Association, and the Virginia State Bar and regularly practices in courts throughout Northern Virginia.

Nicole received her law degree from George Mason University and her bachelor’s in psychology from the Catholic University of America, both with honors. While at Catholic University, she completed graduate coursework in cultural psychology and the effects of marital conflict on children, which still inform her work in family law. She has spoken at events for the psychology department at Catholic University since graduation on several occasions on how to integrate training in psychology into non-psychology jobs. Nicole is a member of Phi Beta Kappa.

In her personal life, Nicole and her husband have two daughters who keep them busy with music lessons, horseback riding, pottery, acting classes, and girl scouts.