Staff
-
Maggie Rawls
Maggie (the yellow Lab) is our “Chief Morale Officer” – it’s even on her collar. She spends many of her days at our Richmond office and is oftentimes playing with her stuffed animal “duck”. Every morning, Maggie makes her rounds with all of our employees, stealing their kisses and treats! Her human dad (Brewster Rawls)…
-
Brandon Hill
Brandon is a full-time student in his second year at William & Mary Law School, where he ispursuing his Juris Doctorate. Before beginning his legal education, Brandon accumulated threeyears of experience in various legal areas including Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury,Criminal Law, Family Law, and Estate Planning. Outside of work and school, Brandon enjoys spending quality…
-
Katherine Phelan
Since 2016, Katherine worked as a paralegal in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury,legal malpractice, traffic and criminal defense law. Katherine graduated from VCU with a BS inCriminal Justice. Prior to her career in the legal field Katherine was a Deputy Sheriff, butultimately decided to pursue her passion for helping others through the legal…
-
Amanda R. Ritenour
As referral coordinator, Amanda is responsible for managing the referral process, and ensuring smooth communication and coordination between attorneys, clients, and referral partners. She fosters and maintains relationships within a network of law firms to facilitate an easy and efficient referral process. She graduated magna cum laude with a BS in Sociology from VCU. In…
-
Cari R. Mikalson
Carlyn (Cari) Mikalson has been an integral part of Rawls Law Group since its founding and hasworked alongside Brewster Rawls since 1991. Throughout her 35-year legal career, she hasfocused primarily on medical malpractice litigation, developing extensive experience in both thedefense and plaintiff aspects of the practice. After several years assisting in the defense of medical…
-
Hunter Barsness
Hunter Barsness has been a part of Rawls Law Group since 2024, starting as an intake specialistwhile finishing his final year at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). In 2025, hegraduated from VCU, majoring in political science with a concentration in public administrationand public policy. During college, much of his studies pertained to administrative andconstitutional law research,…
-
Justine Kesel
Justine Kesel joined Rawls Law Group in 2014 as a file clerk and quickly advanced into theFTCA Intake team, where she developed a strong foundation in federal tort claims andveteran-focused casework. Within her first year, she transitioned into legal assistantresponsibilities, supporting attorneys with case management, client communication, andhigh-volume administrative operations. Coming from a large military…
-
Sydney McFarlane
Sydney joined Rawls Law Group in 2025 as an intake specialist. She serves as the first point ofcontact for clients, guiding them through the intake process with care and professionalism. Priorto joining Rawls Law Group, Sydney graduated from the University of Richmond with abachelor’s degree in economics, and a minor in Latin American studies. Outside…