PARK SENSENIG & BURNS - Key Persons
Andrew focuses his practice on alternative forms of dispute resolution in the securities industry, and he has done so for more than 25 years across more than 600 such matters. Most of the disputes he handles proceed in FINRA (formerly NASD and NYSE) or AAA arbitration. He represents clients nationwide in disputes and transactions in wealth management (registered investment advisors and broker-dealers) involving the following:
Recruiting & transitions from one firm to another;
Investment and advisory misconduct and operational issues;
Employment claims;
Regulatory inquiries and enforcement proceedings; and
Central Registration Depository system/U4 and U5 reporting and expungement.
Andrew is an independent advocate - he represents individuals and entities, claimants and respondents. He worked for years as an in-house arbitration attorney for a major financial services firm. While in- house, he worked on matters all over the country in all three of the firm's channels - traditional wirehouse, independent, and bank distribution - as well as the firm's own clearing firm. While he now often defends clients against claims, on a selective basis he represents individuals pursuing claims for securities fraud, sales practice violations, and other misconduct.
He is careful to listen to, and seek to achieve, what matters most to his clients. Through arbitration trials/hearings and negotiated settlements, he works closely with his clients to deliberately and strategically seek to identify and achieve the client's own objective, including at times the recovery of life-changing sums.
Andrew graduated with high honors from the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1995. After law school, he served as a judicial law clerk for Judge Joseph M. Hood of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. Andrew and his spouse Kate, who is a physical therapist, have two now-grown children and have lived in an old Richmond streetcar neighborhood since 1997.
Andrew Park re-entered private practice in 2008. He renovated a 1900s brick row house in Richmond, Virginia's Fan District to serve as the firm's offices. David Sensenig added an office in downtown, historic Bedford, Virginia. Andrew and David have known each other since the late 1990s, and they sat for the Virginia Bar at the same time. Steve Burns joined them in 2016. Their law firm operates on the bedrock principle of mutual trust and respect.
Though Andrew and his colleagues have fine-tuned the firm's offerings over the years to meet client needs, they have been consistent from the beginning in offering professional and highly experienced, independent, ethical and client-centered services.
Brandy has extensive experience and possesses a breadth of knowledge in the legal field, having worked as a paralegal for almost 20 years. Throughout her career she has assisted numerous attorneys in a wide variety of practice areas, for both large corporate clients and individuals. She has been actively involved in all phases of a case, from the initial intake, research and strategy, through discovery and motions, trial, and appeal. She has trained and managed paralegals and staff. Prior to her career in legal services, Brandy honed her client relations and communication skills serving as a Customer Service Manager and solving a myriad of client problems.
Brandy graduated from Averett University in 2005 with a bachelor's degree in business administration. Using this education and her first-hand knowledge of how law firms operate, Brandy also serves as the firm's Office Administrator in addition to her paralegal duties. She handles the firm's day-to-day operations, accounting, finances, and personnel functions. Brandy takes pride in ensuring the firm runs smoothly so that the attorneys are able to focus their attention where it matters most - on their clients.
From an early age, Brandy's mom by example instilled in her an exceptionally strong work ethic and a high level of self-sufficiency. To this day, this remains a through line in her life and work. Brandy's experience, attention to detail, efficiency, and passion for assisting the firm's clients make her an invaluable resource for the firm's clients and the firm. Brandy joined the firm in 2020.
Education
Averett University BA Business Administration (2005)
Dave has a broad practice with emphasis on securities arbitration and regulatory matters, financial services disputes, employment litigation, intellectual property litigation, and other general civil litigation matters. He regularly advises and represents individuals in general litigation, restrictive covenants and other employment transition disputes, business contracting and counseling, contract law, the preparation of wills and trusts, and personal injury cases.
Dave has been representing and assisting individuals and businesses on legal matters since 1997. His practice builds on the skills, knowledge, and contacts he gained throughout his career, including his tenure at well-regarded national law firms. He now applies large firm sophistication in a small firm setting. He distinguishes himself by delivering practical, no-nonsense solutions that match his clients' specific objectives. Whether representing an individual, sole proprietor, mid-size business, or Fortune 500 company, he works hard to quickly identify and efficiently achieve his client's goals.
Dave has extensive experience in numerous Virginia State Courts as well as in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia ("Rocket Docket") and the Western District of Virginia. He has represented clients in numerous other federal courts across the country. He has successfully handled disputes involving internet and trademark law, including disputes with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) and World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). He has represented registered investment advisors, broker dealers, and individual representatives in numerous FINRA and AAA arbitrations around the country.
Originally from central Pennsylvania and the son of public-school teachers, Dave has lived in Virginia since the 1980s. He is active in the Bedford community, where he has lived since 2006. While he handles matters across the country and throughout Virginia, he practices from the firm's historic offices (built in 1920) in downtown Bedford and is honored to represent clients from the area.
Practice Areas
Securities Arbitration, Regulatory & Transition Advice & Counsel
While attending Virginia Tech, Jennifer interned with the police department, which took her into law enforcement. She began her career as a patrol officer in Lynchburg. She was one of three women in her Academy's graduating class and one of five women who worked for the department. Jennifer worked in a patrol car, conducted investigations, interviewed suspects, witnesses and victims, and regularly appeared in court to testify. She devoted herself first and foremost to the community she served. After working as an officer, Jennifer continued her service as victim services coordinator for survivors of sexual assault. She advocated for individuals who had been subject to sexual assault. She partnered with law enforcement to ensure that wrongdoers were brought to justice. She worked a crisis hotline, conducted training, and was a companion and advocate in emergency rooms and courtrooms for those who survived assault. Jennifer regularly engaged in community outreach - creating a curriculum on sexual assault, relationship violence and sexual harassment and presenting the programs to students.
After returning to Richmond, Jennifer handled all logistics, including domestic and global travel, for a sports management group. During this exciting but hectic time, Jennifer travelled with teams to Europe, Canada and the Caribbean and was energized by watching the FIFA Women's World Cup live in Canada in 2015 and in France in 2019.
Jennifer returned to her roots in law, advocacy and justice and joined the firm as a paralegal in 2019. Every day for the benefit of the firm's clients, she now puts to work the skills and knowledge that she built going back to her days in law enforcement. She is currently working on completing her paralegal studies degree at J. Sergeant Reynolds Community College.
Education
Virginia Tech BA Sociology (1999)
Reynolds Community College, currently pursuing Paralegal Studies Associate of Applied Science
Steve focuses his law practice on guardianship and conservatorship, estate planning and administration, special needs planning, and fiduciary and contested estate disputes. He is qualified to serve as guardian ad litem and frequently serves in that capacity throughout central Virginia.
Throughout the last decade, Steve has guided hundreds of individuals and families through the guardianship and conservatorship process, prepared comprehensive estate planning documents, advised families on asset management for their special needs child, and prepared special needs trusts to protect assets and to insure adults with disabilities retain their eligibility for benefits. He regularly serves as a fiduciary for the firm's clients - administering estates as executor or administrator, serving as conservator, and serving as trustee. As issues arise, Steve analyzes instances of fiduciary misconduct and contested estate matters.
Steve identified his passion for his practice area through the Special Olympics. His work with individuals and families in the special needs community led him, in 2012, to join a well-established law firm in Arlington that concentrated in elder law and related practice areas. The partners at this firm generously served as mentors.
Steve relocated to Richmond in 2016 so that his spouse could start her own successful business. They have three children. Even with a busy life at home and at work, Steve remains committed to the community. He has been a board member of the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (VAELA) since 2016 and is co-chair of the VAELA Public Policy Committee. He tracks legislation, confers with legislators, and testifies before the General Assembly. The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys (NAELA) recognized Steve as the 2020 Virginia Chapter Member of the Year. Steve also sits on the board for Commonwealth Community Trust, a pooled special needs trust.
Practice Areas
Elder Law & Special Needs Planning
Job Titles:
- Elder Law Attorneys, Board Member and Co - Chair of Public Policy Committee