Provided by Compton & Duling, L.C.
Lauren Lucian
Lauren Lucian is a powerful person. As an associate attorney at Compton & Duling, Lauren powerfully handles litigation matters in General District Court, with a focus on matters for homeowners associations, condo associations, and debt collections for businesses and individuals. But at 5:30 a. m. on Fridays, Lauren is powerful in an altogether different way: she teaches a BodyPump class at a local gym for a group of early-morning go-getters. Lauren enjoys teaching the BodyPump class. “It gets me outside of my comfort zone – doing the moves to music, wearing a microphone and being positive and upbeat that early in the morning…it’s a challenge! BodyPump is even great practice for the courtroom, as I’m constantly learning to effectively coach the workout while simultaneously recalling an hour’s worth of choreography. This builds my ability to multitask, which is an incredibly helpful skill to have while litigating cases in the courtroom.”
In addition to teaching the BodyPump class, Lauren also teaches as a guest lecturer at her alma mater, George Mason University School of Law, now known as the Antonin Scalia Law School. Lauren has maintained a friendship with her professors over the years, and has been repeatedly invited back to the school to teach courses known as Virginia Practice and Virginia Remedies.
“Much of this teaching is explaining what I do every day. The class is focused on creditor’s rights and often the procedural forms and filings that I use day-in-and-day-out, so for me, it’s a very straightforward subject to talk about.” Lauren has taught classes about garnishments, filing writs, foreclosures, and other various procedures involved in the practice of law in Virginia courts.
Lauren began at Compton & Duling in 2014. Prior to that, she worked for a law firm focusing primarily on homeowners association and condo law. “My background prepared me to handle many types of matters that HOAs face regularly.” Lauren’s practice is not limited to HOA and condo law, however. She also handles civil litigation matters, both in Circuit and General District Courts, with most of her experience being in the quick-paced world of the General District Court.
“We like to call General District Court the Wild West – it is a court of no record, which means that the appeals from General District Court are heard de novo, or all over again from the beginning. Practicing in GDC is a fantastic way to obtain an incredible amount of trial experience.” Cases in General District Court are typically for damages of $25,000 or less, with the exception being Landlord-Tenant cases.
“Landlord-tenant cases are on an expedited docket because possession is at issue.” Lauren often sees a case go from start to finish in around four to six weeks, whereas a case in Circuit Court could take a year or more to get to trial. Lauren enjoys the swift pace, and she is working to continue to grow her practice. “GDC is fast – you have to know what you are doing because things move very quickly there! But I find that my clients are usually pleased with how speedily matters can be resolved there.”
Lauren is available for consultations on litigation and HOA/Condo matters, and she can be reached at (703) 565-5122 or at lel@comptonduling.com.
