Valerie Cook

ABOUT Valerie Cook

Helping Virginia families navigate divorce, custody, and other family law matters with thoughtful strategy, compassionate advocacy, and practical guidance.

Family law cases are about more than legal issues—they’re about protecting your family, your future, and the life you’re working to build. Valerie Cook understands that clients need an attorney who not only knows the law, but who also listens carefully, communicates clearly, and develops a strategy tailored to their unique goals.

Valerie represents clients in Northern Virginia in a wide range of family law matters, including divorce, child custody and visitation, child support, spousal support, equitable distribution, protective orders, and post-decree modifications. She approaches every case with careful preparation, strong advocacy, and a commitment to helping clients make informed decisions during some of life’s most challenging moments.

Before joining Virginia Family Law Center, Valerie practiced immigration, criminal defense, and family law litigation, representing clients in both state and federal matters. Her experience includes litigating custody disputes, protective order cases, criminal matters ranging from misdemeanors to serious felony charges, and complex immigration proceedings. Working across these practice areas strengthened her ability to advocate effectively for clients facing high-stakes legal challenges while developing a thoughtful, trauma-informed approach to representation.

Valerie’s path to practicing law is uniquely diverse. Prior to becoming an attorney, she worked as an executive with Amazon Studios, managing international television productions and collaborating with teams across the globe. She later earned her Juris Doctor from American University Washington College of Law, where she served as Executive Editor of the American University International Law Review. During law school, she represented clients through the Immigrant Justice Clinic, conducted human rights research for the War Crimes Research Office, and worked with the United Nations International Law Commission in Geneva. She has also published scholarship examining international human rights and the prosecution of wartime sexual violence.

These experiences continue to shape Valerie’s practice today. Whether she is preparing for trial, negotiating a settlement, or guiding a client through difficult decisions, she believes every client deserves honest advice, clear communication, and an attorney who is fully invested in helping them move forward with confidence.

Valerie is licensed to practice law in the Commonwealth of Virginia and before the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. She is fluent in English and has a working proficiency in Spanish