Our Attorneys

Sam Garbia, Partner

Sam Garbia, founder of Garbia, MacGregor & Plocki, LLP is an attorney and licensed title agent whose practice focuses on real estate, business, intellectual property and corporate law. Mr. Garbia's experience in conducting residential and commercial real estate closings gives him both vocabulary and substantive knowledge to effectively communicate with both sellers and purchasers and legal professionals ensuring that important nuances are properly conveyed in both directions.

Mr. Garbia's clientele range from Fortune 500 companies to small and mid sized companies. Mr. Garbia concentrates his work in commercial real estate development, acquisition, sales, leasing and finance. His representation of developers and investors includes drafting and negotiating acquisition and sale contracts for raw land, shopping centers, office buildings, and other improved property; advising clients with regard to and interaction with local governmental authorities on development issues; negotiating and preparing leases for real estate; negotiating with lenders regarding acquisition, development, construction and permanent loans secured by real estate.

Mr. Garbia's representation of investors includes negotiating and preparing loan documents for construction, acquisition, development and permanent loans secured primarily by real estate; advice with workout situations; and representation with respect to enforcement of remedies.

Mr. Garbia also has a wide range of intellectual property law experience. He has been involved in litigation related to trademark/trade dress, copyright, trade secret, patent, and licensing and non-compete agreements.

In addition to his work with Garbia, MacGregor & Plocki, LLP, Mr. Garbia is also the co-founder and president of S&T Title, LLC a full service real estate settlement services company and agent of Chicago Title Insurance Corporation. S&T Title, LLC owns and operates several affiliated entities. Mr. Garbia participates in the oversight and financing of these entities and their affiliates in mortgage banking and real estate brokerage markets.

Mr. Garbia is a frequent speaker at mortgage and real estate companies regarding title issues and real estate contracts.

Mr. Garbia is a member of the Virginia State Bar and is admitted to practice in the Virginia Supreme Court, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Education:

George Mason University School of Law (J.D., 2002);
George Mason University (B.A., Communications, 1999).

Association Involvement:

American Intellectual Property Law Association; American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA); the American Bar Association; the Fairfax Bar Association; and Delta Theta Phi International Law Fraternity.

Place of Birth: Arlington, Virginia

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Todd MacGregor, Partner

Mr. MacGregor practices immigration law and participates in the operation of the firm's affiliated real estate settlement entity, S&T Title, LLC. He received his J.D., cum laude, from the George Mason University School of Law, where he was a member of the Moot Court Board, American Inn of Court and the Law School Mentoring Program. Prior to founding Garbia, MacGregor & Plocki, LLP he worked with Arthur Lander, CPA, PC at Business Legal Services, LLC in Arlington , Virginia and with the alternative dispute resolution firm ADR Associates, LLC in Washington , D.C. Before attending law school, Mr. MacGregor worked in restaurant management for ten years.

Education: George Mason University School of Law, Arlington , Virginia , J.D., 2002 Richmond College , University of Richmond , Virginia , B.A. 1989

Previous Experience: Law Clerk Business Legal Services, LLC in Arlington , Virginia

Class Action Claimant Interviewer, ADR Associates, LLC in Washington , D.C.

Admitted: District of Columbia 2003, Virginia 2008

Place of Birth: Frankfort am Main, Germany

 

Douglas E. Plocki, Partner

Mr. Plocki specializes in representing corporate clients and litigating commercial disputes before judges and juries in Virginia state and federal courts. He has represented clients in a wide range of business interests, including Fortune 100 telecommunications companies, audit and consulting firms, and international banks, as well as large transportation and logistics management companies and technology companies.

Representative Matters: Mr. Plocki served as trial counsel in defending a large telecommunications company against tort and contract claims worth over $2 million in the Fairfax County Circuit Court in connection with the provision of international long-distance services. That representation resulted in a complete defense verdict after a four-day jury trial.

Mr. Plocki served as trial counsel in successfully defending a logistics management company against multi-million dollar tort and contract claims in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in connection with a split between former business partners. Those claims included tortious interference with contract, fraud, misappropriation of trade secrets, and breach of contract. The parties settled after a four-day bench trial and while plaintiff's appeal was pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Mr. Plocki also served as lead trial counsel representing a local municipal authority in a takings action. That representation resulted in summary judgment being issued to the municipal defendant.

He also served as lead trial counsel in several state court actions involving small-to-midsized technology companies, manufacturers, and various small business owners. He works with companies to successfully avoid and resolve disputes, but will actively litigate cases to ensure a level playing field. He has successfully resolved many matters without the need for protracted, expensive litigation.

In addition, he has performed pro bono work for Northern Virginia Legal Services and a Richmond-based charitable organization that acts as a public clearinghouse for grief-therapy counseling information.

Background: Mr. Plocki joined Garbia, MacGregor, & Plocki after four years litigating for McGuireWoods, LLP. Prior to joining McGuireWoods, he clerked for the Honorable Robert W. Wooldridge, Jr. in the Circuit Court for Fairfax County. He received his law degree from George Mason University School of Law, with honors, in 2003. He was a member of the George Mason Moot Court Board, Inn of Court, and Editor-in-Chief of the Civil Rights Law Journal. He published a student-essay analyzing the debate between free speech and speech that advocates criminal harm in 2001. He currently serves on the George Mason School of Law Alumni Association Board of Governors.

Mr. Plocki earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice from the Pennsylvania State University in 1996. While an undergrad, he completed a semester-long internship in the Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney's Office where he assisted in the prosecution of violent felonies.

Mr. Plocki is a member of the Virginia Bar Association, and Fairfax Bar Association. He was admitted to the Virginia Bar, the Eastern District of Virginia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 2002.

 

James Martin, Esq.

James H. Martin is a graduate of the George Mason University School of Law (cum laude), where he was a member of the George Mason Law Review, and served on its editorial board. Following graduation and completion of a judicial clerkship at the Arlington Circuit Court, in Arlington, Virginia, Mr. Martin entered private practice. Mr. Martin's practice focuses on resolving complex domestic relations matters through negotiating and drafting divorce, property, custody and support settlement agreements, as well as domestic relations and general civil litigation. Mr. Martin is admitted to practice in Virginia and Washington, D.C. Prior to associating with Garbia, MacGregor & Plocki, LLP, Mr. Martin was an attorney at Ain & Bank, P.C., in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Martin holds an undergraduate degree in Government & Politics from the University of Maryland. In addition, prior to entering law school, Mr. Martin served for six years in the United States Navy.

Languages: Russian

 

Jon E. Sheilds, Of Counsel

Admitted: 1989, Virginia; 1990, Maryland; 1992, District of Columbia

Law School: George Washington University, J.D., 1989

Member: Law Offices of Jon Shields; Fairfax County, Prince William County and Maryland State Bar Associations; The District of Columbia Bar; Virginia State Bar; Virginia Trial Lawyers Association.

Born: Cheyenne, Wyoming, August 14, 1960

 

Mark A. Urbanski, Of Counsel

Mark Urbanski has devoted his practice to immigration and nationality law since 1996. He has represented numerous clients in business immigration matters, including technology companies, manufacturers, major academic institutions, hospitals, accounting firms and others. He also represents individuals in the sponsorship of family members, fiances, and relatives and in deportation and asylum matters.

Urbanski has served as Adjunct Professor of Science and Technology Policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology and has taught International Law and Policy at the University of Rochester's Public Policy Analysis Program. He currently teaches Business Law at the University of Northern Virginia. Education:

  • 1992 B.S. Cornell University
  • 1995 J.D. State University of New York at Buffalo

Bar Admissions:

  • 1996 New York State, Fourth Department
  • 1997 American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA)
  • 2005 Bar Association of the District of Columbia
  • 2006 District of Columbia, Court of Appeals

Court Admissions:

  • 1997 United States District Court for the Western District of New York
  • 1997 United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of New York
  • 1997 United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
  • 2002 United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
  • 2002 United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit
  • 2005 United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • 2005 United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit
  • 2005 United States Court of International Trade

Languages:

  • Spanish
  • Italian
  • French

Publications:

  • H, L and E Visas: Solutions in Small Business Context, 2005 Immigration & Nationality Law Handbook, June 2005

 

Mark S. Tremblay, Patent agent

Mr. Tremblay graduated from University of Massachusetts with a B.S. in Physics.

Mr. Tremblay is registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

Mr. Tremblay is a former Patent Examiner with the USPTO. During Mr. Tremblay’s ten year tenure at the USPTO, he examined patent applications in the electrical arts, business methods, and semiconductors. In this capacity, he gained extensive experience in patent prosecution and patent law and regulations. Moreover he is well versed in USPTO policies and procedures.

Prior to his employment with the USPTO, Mr. Tremblay was a patent searcher conducting novelty, patentability, and infringement searches in the mechanical and electrical arts.

 

Anthony H. Nourse Esq., Of Counsel

Mr. Nourse graduated from Boston University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and graduated with distinction from George Mason University School of Law with a Juris Doctor, where he was Notes Editor of the Civil Rights Law Journal.

Mr. Nourse is a member of the Virginia State Bar, and is admitted to practice in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia and the Virginia Supreme Court. Mr. Nourse is also registered to practice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office. He is also a member the American Bar Association (Intellectual Property Law Section), and American Intellectual Property Law Association, and the George Mason American Inn of Court.

Mr. Nourse has a wide range of corporate and patent law experience, including U.S. patent prosecution, patent licensing, corporate formation and organization, corporate financing (including stock purchase agreements and private placement offerings), client counseling on IP and corporate issues, and contract drafting and negotiating (including employment, consulting, and development contracts). He has worked in many technological fields, and has a primary technological focus in wireless communications, network communications and protocols, and video compression.

Mr. Nourse clerked for two years for the Honorable Judges of the 31st Judicial Circuit Court in Virginia, and was selected to serve as the Senior Law Clerk during his second year with the Court. He also clerked for a summer for the Honorable Edwin Neill of the General Services Board of Contract Appeals. Additionally, Mr. Nourse's experience includes 5 years service as an Electrical Engineering Officer in the United States Army Signal Corps. During that time he worked in a variety of high technology fields, including wireless communication systems, signal detection and direction finding systems, antenna technology, analog recording technology, electrical circuits and system integration, and quality assurance for circuits and systems.

 

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