J. Brian Slaughter

Brian Slaughter is an associate attorney in the firm’s Virginia Beach office. Brian has practiced at a number of law firms, accumulating over 25 years of workers’ compensation experience for both claimants and defendants.

Brian served as a staff attorney and mediator for the Virginia Workers’ Compensation Commission for five years. During his tenure at the Commission, Brian prepared over 600 proposed review opinions (most of which were approved without modification) and mediated over 100 workers’ compensation matters to full and final resolution. Also while at the Commission, Brian authored Rule 2.3 of the Rules of the Virginia Workers’ Compensation, and coordinated promulgation of the rule pursuant to the Virginia Administrative Procedures Act. He served as commission editor of the 2002 and 2003 editions of The Virginia Workers’ Compensation Act Annotated (LexisNexis).

Beyond his workers’ compensation practice, Brian gleaned experience in nationwide asbestos litigation and defective products litigation, primarily Chinese drywall. As drywall counsel for Nationwide Insurance, Brian was assigned the defense of over a dozen Nationwide insureds, ultimately being responsible for over 240 circuit court matters in Virginia and 13 class-actions in multi-district litigation. In his capacity for another firm, Brian handled the defense of claims for multiple insurance carriers, handling hearings in central Virginia, northern Virginia, and Hampton Roads.

Early in his career, Brian was responsible for a large subrogation/collection practice for State Farm Insurance. His first appellate decision, from the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals, was a successful defense of a claimants’ decision he obtained for an injured welder. Brian also handled state and federal workers’ compensation matters during that time, including representing injured workers with claims against the Tennessee Valley Authority and U.S. Postal Service, among others. Further, Brian was employed by a major carrier as a subrogation intern while in law school.

Brian was a cheerleader and lifeguard while in college, and continues to enjoy physical fitness today. He and his wife Kelly Ann have five children and a St. Bernard.