VADA Member Spotlight

This month's spotlighted VADA member is Michael Sharp of Sharp Litigation PLC in Harrisonburg. Michael is a 2010 graduate of the University of Virginia and a 2015 graduate of the Penn State-Dickinson School of Law.  Michael presented at VADA’s 2025 Annual Meeting on Expert Witness Disclosures.

1. Where were you born?

I was born in Warrenton, Virginia, and grew up in Front Royal, Virginia.

2. Tell us a little about yourself. Spouse? Children? Pets?

I'm married to my wife, Marlee, who works at James Madison University. Her landing a job at JMU is what brought us to Harrisonburg, and we've been happy to call it home ever since. We have two young children, and between raising them and building a business, life is full in the best way. Marlee is my most trusted sounding board; when I was deciding whether to start Sharp Litigation, she was the first person I had to convince, and she remains a true partner in everything I take on.

3. What type of law do you practice?

Civil litigation. While our firm embraces the challenges of all sorts of complex litigation, the majority of our work is in fiduciary litigation. This includes contested wills, breach of fiduciary duty, and trust and estate administration disputes. We deliberately keep our scope focused which helps us bring genuine expertise to the clients we do serve.

4. How long have you been a member of VADA?

One year.

5. What motivates you in your practice?

Empowering our clients through some of the hardest moments of their lives. Fiduciary disputes are rarely just about money; they involve family, grief, and trust that has been broken. The work matters deeply to the people we represent. I love the intellectual challenge of litigation and find the work endlessly stimulating, but the real motivator is guiding clients through difficult situations so they can make informed decisions and come out the other side.

6. What have you enjoyed most about your time in VADA?

Meeting other members and trading stories and ideas. There’s enormous value in comparing notes with people who face the same challenges. Some of the most useful conversations I’ve had have come from simply swapping experiences with colleagues who’ve seen the same problems from a different angle.

7. What was your favorite subject in school?

It was math. Then I took calculus and became a political philosophy major.

8. If you had to eat one meal every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Braised short ribs, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.

9. What is your favorite way to unwind after a long week?

A cocktail (a negroni would be my choice right now) and a nice meal with my wife, Marlee.

10. What is your favorite type of music?

I grew up on Bruce Springsteen, but I also go to see LCD Soundsystem once a year.

11. What is your favorite travel spot?

Can I have more than one? I recently went to Italy with my wife and had a fantastic time. We also go to Chebeague Island, Maine, every year, where I play golf, eat lobster, and enjoy sitting on the deck overlooking the water with a drink while my kids play.

12. What is at the top of your bucket list?

Play the Old Course at St. Andrews.

13. If you were to walk into my office, one of the first things you would notice would be …

My bookshelf. It is full of photos of my family, my favorite scotch, a few mementos from childhood, books that are important to me, and plants that I’m doing better at keeping alive.

14. What is the first live concert you ever attended?

John Mayer and the Counting Crows.

15. What movie or TV show can you watch over and over, no matter how many times you have seen it?

The West Wing.

16. What was your first job?

I was a tennis instructor at a kids’ tennis camp.

17. When I am not in the office, I like to …

Cook and watch the game.

18. If I wasn't practicing law, I would be …

A financial advisor. I’ve always been drawn to the numbers side of things; I spent a year studying business financials and strategy before starting my own practice, and I genuinely enjoy helping people understand the math behind their decisions.

19. Who is the most interesting person you have ever met?

My wife, Marlee. She is my closest collaborator and the person who keeps me honest about the vision I set for our family and our business.

20. What's the best piece of career advice you've ever received?

Understand your essentials. As Greg McKeown puts it, if you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will. So much of what we do pulls us in a hundred directions, and the discipline of deciding what truly matters, and having the courage to say no to everything else, is what lets you do your best work on the things that count.