Area of Practice: Corporate, Transactional, Real Estate Law

Mr. Hedrick has been representing Employers, Carriers and Municipal Employees for over thirty years. He specializes in complex personal injury claims. He has tried over 350 civil jury trials and well over 500 cases under the Longshore Act and Defense Base Act. Mr. Hedrick has developed a national practice assisting clients in evaluating how to defend these cases and is recognized as one of the premier trial lawyers in Virginia. Mr. Hedrick is a member of the Newport News, Virginia, North Carolina, and American Bar Associations, the Virginia and North Carolina State Bars, the Defense Research Institute, and the Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys. He is past board member, treasurer and president of the Newport News Bar Association. He is the past president of the Virginia Chapter of the American Board of Trial Attorneys, an invitation only national organization for trial lawyers who have served as lead counsel for civil jury trials. He is AV rated by Martindale Hubbell, the highest certification. He is also a retired Colonel from the United States Army reserve after having served thirty years on active duty and in the Army Reserve. He served in a variety of position with increasing responsibility culminating as the Staff Judge Advocate of the 80th Training Command in Richmond, Virginia. As a reservist he specialized in conducting and supervising administrative investigations of EEOC complaints, ADA discrimination charges, ethics violations, and complex accidents and injuries. In final assignment he directly supervised a total of 14 legal professionals, and provided technical guidance to a total of 50 legal professionals spread throughout the continental United States, while also actively practicing law with MMWH. He also served as Legal Advisor and Ethics Counselor to the Commander, a two star general.

As a co-founder for his own real estate development company, Jim understands firsthand how to start and manage a company, including partnership negotiations, management of service providers and other external relationships, employment and compliance matters, general contracting and corporate compliance, and day-to-day operations. Jim has also managed multi-million dollar real estate development projects, working with municipal governments, architects, general contractors, environmental consultants, brokers, and other crucial members of a real estate development project’s ecosystem. He appreciates the time pressures and value that goes into running a business and the costs that are associated with it. In addition to starting and running a business, Jim has extensive experience representing local, national and international clients in all facets of real estate, including purchase and sale of property, condominiums, obtaining state and local zoning/permitting approvals, leasing, joint venture development agreements, construction contracts, and commercial and private financing. Jim has negotiated and managed relationships with high-net worth individuals, family offices, and co-development companies for his company and clients in the real estate development business.

Matthew Hefflefinger is a partner in Chartwell Law’s Peoria office. He is an accomplished trial lawyer who focuses on the transportation and construction industries. He represents businesses, large self-insured organizations, insurance carriers, and employers in state and federal courts throughout the midwestern United States. Matt’s effectiveness in dealing with catastrophic losses is well-known throughout the trucking industry, as he is frequently contacted immediately after catastrophic losses to visit accident scenes and develop strategies with an eye toward successful resolutions in potential litigations. Matt ha been named to the Illinois Super Lawyers list and is an AV rated lawyer by Martindale-Hubbell AV. He is a frequent speaker on cutting edge trucking-related litigation topics around the country. In 2000, InterBusiness Issues, a leading publication in Central Illinois, named Matt one of its "40 Leaders Under 40." Before joining Chartwell Law, Matt was a partner in the Peoria office of a regional law firm.