SKIP TO
CONTENT
- Juris Doctor, Georgetown University Law School, 1975
- Penn State University, Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 1972
About Michael
Mike Vanderpool is a business and real estate attorney and the founder of VF&N. He started the firm in 1986 with the mission of providing sophisticated legal services to Prince William County, Manassas, and the surrounding areas. After guiding the firm to become the largest law firm based in Prince William County and one of the largest in Virginia, he became Of Counsel to the firm in 2020. He continues to actively practice law with an emphasis on helping business clients, particularly in the sale of their businesses and in land use matters, including rezonings. He is a highly respected AV-rated attorney and community leader. He has handled the sale of a regional airline and a number of other significant businesses. In land use matters, he has handled numerous rezonings. For example, he successfully rezoned one of the first and largest data center projects in Prince William County and is currently representing clients in several mixed-use projects. In addition to founding VF&N, he has started three other businesses. Having grown up in a business family, he often says that he is a businessman that happens to practice law. This gives him a unique perspective that helps him be a true counselor to his clients in real estate and business matters.
As a community leader, he has served on more than 20 boards including an advisory board to the College of Business at Mary Washington University and as an adjunct professor at George Mason School of Business teaching a graduate law course in the Masters of Real Estate Development program. He was the first of the firm’s four chairs of the Prince William Chamber of Commerce, was the founding chairman of the Manassas Education Foundation, and the initial chair of the Hylton Performing Arts Center. He also served as a trustee of the George Mason University Foundation and on the boards of the United Way of the National Capital Area and the Prince William Health System. He currently serves as chairman of the Manassas CEO Forum and is a member of the George Mason University National Leadership Council. In 2019, he was awarded the Visionary Award by Leadership Prince William.
Education
Practice Areas
Bar Admissions
- Virginia State Bar
Professional Activities
- George Mason University Foundation, Board of Trustees
- Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce, Past President
- City of Manassas Industrial Development Authority, Past Member
- City of Manassas Republican Party, Past Chairman
- Prince William Health System, Past Board of Trustees
- Manassas Rotary Club, Past President
- Northern Virginia Transportation Alliance, Past Board Member
- Prince William/66 Partnership, Inc.
- Manassas Business Council, Appointment
- Fredericksburg Regional Alliance, Past Counsel
- Past member of the Board of Directors of the Prince William County Bar Foundation.
Awards
- Recognized by Virginia Business Magazine as “Legal Elite” for business law.
- Named one of Virginia’s Go-To Lawyers in Business Law in 2020 by Virginia Lawyers Weekly
- Recognized by Virginia Business Magazine and SmartCEO Magazine as a “Legal Elite” business attorney
- AV Preeminent rating, Martindale-Hubbell’s highest professional achievement.
- Recipient of Loy E. Harris Award from the City of Manassas for service to the community
- Recipient of Arthur Sinclair Award from the Prince William County Bar Association for outstanding professionalism
- City of Manassas Volunteer of the Year
- Two Presidential Awards of Honor from the Prince William County-Greater Manassas Chamber of Commerce
- Honorary Chairman of the Year of the Child in Prince William County
- Three-time Outstanding Professor of the Year, George Mason University School of Business, Masters of Real Estate Development
- Good Scout Award for service to the community – Boy Scouts of America
Cases
- Sale of Colgan Air, the Manassas airline founded by the late Virginia State Sen. Charles J. Colgan. The purchase included contracts with Continental, United, and US Airways that broaden the buyer’s domestic reach
- Represented a growing hospital, in numerous areas of the law, as it transformed from a local hospital into a significant regional health system.
- M&A for a regional construction supplier. These complex transactions are often a once in a lifetime event for these business owners and critical to get done correctly.
- Represented a local government contractor with a variety of legal issues as they grew into a significant enterprise over the years.