Very rarely does any judge sustain a demurrer. A demurrer says a complaint is not grounded in law and should be dismissed outright. In this case, unable to handle getting dumped by his ex, Plaintiff - Mr. Atchuthan Sriskandarajah (an attorney himself) - filed a defamation complaint against his ex & two other parties. The complaint was rather stupid and had very little substance. Mr. Lee Berlik represented the Defendants and absolutely crushed the Plaintiff. In fact, during discovery, when the Plaintiff realized that the case was backfiring on him, it was hilarious to see the Plaintiff cave in so quickly from his original request of $2.5 million down to 10,000 dollars. In the end, Plaintiff did not get even a penny & his case didn't make it past the demurrer. Plaintiff even tried going to the supreme court but the supreme court did not even want to listen to such a stupid complaint. I know enough about defamation law to tell a good attorney from a bad one. Lee is the best defamation attorney & knows the law inside out. I would highly recommend Lee! read more

I had a consultation with Lee Berlik to discuss a threat I received for a completely frivolous lawsuit. I wanted to explain the situation, bring all documentation, and get an honest assessment as to whether or not I should be concerned about this meritless suit -- could this potentially become a serious headache and attempt to just get me to spend a lot of money for a case that would, no doubt, be dismissed? Lee listened to me; he asked the right questions; and confirmed my assumptions that the other attorney threatening a lawsuit had no legal bearing to do so. I felt so much better after our consultation, at least knowing that 1) What I assumed was validated; and 2) If I receive further threats against this attorney, I know who to call and who will be able to help me put a stop to the nonsense and abuse to our legal system. The consultation with Lee was worth every penny! read more

Lee Berlik is an amazing lawyer. He helped me go through my case and calm my nerves about a lot of it. He walked me through the legal actions and gave his professional opinion. He was respectful and understanding and was well worth the consultation fee. Absolutely recommend! read more

An individual with a history of physiological issues; well-beknown to us; suddenly decided without cause to take to online websites and commit several acts of harassment, libel, slander, and defamation of several of our family members and their businesses. This individual shamelessly created countless fake online personas and launched a smear-campaign to hurt us with no provocation from us whatsoever. We approached Lee Berlik and his partner John Flood to assist us with this complicated case spanning multiple states clear across the country and ultimately requiring filing of a lawsuit in US Federal court. Lee and John thwarted this individual's several failed attempts to evade process servers and brought the individual to justice. They managed to do so by working with a wide network of private detectives and process servers across the country, and after having done so successfully, subpoenaed web-hosting companies to bring the individual's nefarious online activity into light. Through their continued counsel and strong understanding of the complicated federal/local legal systems, we were able to get the resolution we sought to include removal of the perpetrator's fake online posts about us and our businesses, and furthermore obtain protections above and beyond what we the courts alone were willing to grant. We strongly recommend Lee Berlik and his partner John Flood to assist in all matters of civil litigations, specially those concerning online and digital offenses. Together, they were able to help us piece our lives together again after a painful emotional experience. read more

If you are looking for a one hour general overview and standard lecture on defamation and libel, then by all means, pay Lee Berlik $350.00 for his one hour initial legal consultation. However, if you are looking for an attorney to review your specific case and to provide a legal opinion based on your case, I would save the $350.00 and look elsewhere for an attorney. There are PLENTY of great attorneys that do not charge the initial legal consultation fee and who happen to actually review the evidence that you provide them, and provide an opinion specific to your case. In short, we thought we were paying $350.00 for Lee Berlik to review the evidence that we provided, and we would receive a legal opinion specific to our case. Lee Berlik did not review the evidence we provided, and we spent $350.00 for a general overview and standard lecture on defamation and libel, that had absolutely nothing to do with our specific case. read more

Surprising to me, a person I did not know --though she knew my partner -- anonymously pursued a three month online campaign to get me fired posting thousands of heinous libelous false statements about me professionally and personally. Professional colleagues, my boss, and board members all read the lies and character defamation. When my boss brought the posts to my attention, I researched and called 'experts' in cyber law including a Harvard Law professor I know who had successfully prosecuted a cyber case in front of the Supreme Court. They all said the same thing, 'The law is unclear in these cases, and web sites hide behind the freedom of information law to avoid accountability for taking down false, hateful posts'. I then came upon a lawyer who was the victim of a similar character attack posted on one of the same bottom-feeder, lowest-common-denominator websites where some of the posts about me were. This bright young woman stood up and got the law changed in Virginia to help victims, mostly girls and women, from this type of online sociopatholgy. While she could not take me on as a client, she referred me to Lee Berlik, a very experienced competent libel and cyber lawyer and litigator in Northern Virginia. Lee turned out to be amazing. I provided him with the evidence, and he immediately gave me excellent legal counsel and we pursued a case. The disturbed perpetrator, an online bully, in what amounted to, in pejorative terms, a 'slut shaming' case, admitted to all counts of culpability including willingness to be named in the court order/injunction enabling us to effectively make the case to websites to remove the hate crime from the Internet. Each step of the way, Lee's competency, skills, compassion and responsiveness provided relief from and victory over being a victim of cyber crime. I unequivocally recommend him as a lawyer, particularly for those victimized by cyber libel. There is a solution, and Lee helps you get to it with your dignity in tact. While I won the case under Lee's counsel, the story does not have a happy ending. A month after the cease and desist letter was filed, I was let go from my organization, the reasoning given 'half the board does not want to work with you' -- even though I didn't work with the board and they were not relevant to my job performance, which, by the way, I was told by the VP of HR had been stellar. The Internet provides wonderful access to opportunity, but unfortunately, it also provides the tools necessary for a sociopath to damage lives often without impunity. Lee was a Godsend during this difficult, painful chapter in my life which, as was intended by the perp, caused me serious emotional and financial damage. I give him an A+ and am so grateful to him for his expertise and help. When no one else would, Lee took my case on and won the case, securing both a legal victory and some financial relief for the legal and court costs. Signed Sharon, a grateful former client of Lee Berlik, in Herndon, Virginia read more

Lee Berlik is one of the single most competent, capable and compassionate people I've met in this or any other industry. In our initial consultation, he immediately put me at my ease with his calm professionalism and thorough knowledge of the law, coupled with kindness and empathy for my very difficult situation. He may not always tell you what you want to hear, but he'll always tell you the truth with transparency and kindness -- and his advice is grounded in solid legal expertise. A consult with Lee -- for his cool head and clear, logical perspective alone -- is worth every penny, and was a solid value; he even graciously offered to recommend other attorneys to me if I needed to go in a different direction. He responds nearly immediately to communication and is patient and thorough when explaining legal language and proceedings. If you're on the fence, hire him -- I can't recommend him highly enough. read more

My experience with BerlikLaw was excellent, in particular, Mary Baker. From the first consultation I felt like this law firm really cared about the outcome of my case. Mary was tactical, aggressive, knowledgeable, and responsive to my questions. From the beginning she knew how best to resolve a dispute with my former partner and if you are looking for a law firm that will give you the effective representation you deserve, look no further. read more

Mr. Berlik, Please note our appreciation for the efficient and effective counsel you provided in the matter of my rights as a contract employee. You quickly analyzed the information I outlined regarding my employment situation. My husband and I left feeling so much better and we are pursuing your excellent advice! We would recommend your services to anyone with a legal issue in the State of Virginia! Feel free to provide us as a reference! Carmen Fuller read more

I simply wanted to express my thanks to your and your staff for maintaining the Virginia Defamation blog. I am currently involved in a defamation matter in Pulaski County with an out of state defendant. My complaint was for Defamation. His counter suit was for Defamation, Tortious Business Interference and Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. Thanks to the insights and case citations available on your blog, I was able to adequately and easily research applicable rulings. It isn't easy to go forward pro se and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Your blogs have been a fabulous resource, saving me hundreds of hours in law library time and journal reviews. I credit the information I was able to quickly and simply access there to my progress so far- including winning two challenges to jurisdiction (it's an internet case), a temporary injunction to prevent further damage to my reputation, two motions to compel, defeating a motion to withhold discovery and the latest win, the successful motion to strike nearly the entire amended counterclaim. I was also able to locate the right resources for out of state service -also successful- to a social networking giant known for refusing to identify anonymous users. I couldn't have pursued this, nor done so well to date, without the incredible advantage your blog has been. You helped level the playing field for an average everyday nobody and restored my confidence in your profession. Bravo! I would be happy to recommend your services to anyone in a similar situation. read more

Business partnership is just like marriage. Breaking it up is just like a divorce! We went through a rough time to get enough data and evidence to pursue legal actions. Mr Berlik and Ms Baker were extremely professional, knowledgeable, and ethical about how to proceed from a cost-saving approach to litigation. We completely trust Berlik's judgement. Mr Berlik and Ms Baker were firm when needed yet very professional when dealing with the other party. They hired professionals to give enough support at a separate costs and to help us to a successful settlement. We couldn't be happier to close a chapter of our lives and at the same time to achieve a win. We feel that Mr Berlik and Ms Baker are not only working very well with us, connecting with us to clearly understand our needs and wants as a client, but also great personal advocates to lead us through this emotional roller coaster successfully. I will be happy to talk to anyone who have questions about our experience with Mr Berlik and Ms Baker. read more

I am so glad that I hired Mr. Lee Berlik to handle my legal issues. He has been nothing but professional, knowledgeable, and totally awesome. Mr. Berlik has been extremely informative about my legal issues, he follows up with me on a regular basis, and replies to my emails within minutes. I hope I will not need any legal services in the future but if I do Mr. Berlik will be the first person I call. I highly recommend this firm. read more

I was the target of a malicious, defamatory Google Review perpetrated by the son of an envious business competitor. The person alleged that they were a patient in my practice and experienced a very bad medical outcome as the result of an office visit. In fact the poster had never been a patient in my office and the review was clearly calculated to destroy my reputation and prejudice me in the eyes of my profession. After studying the websites of many law firms it became obvious that Lee Berlik was uniquely qualified to deal with this type of cybercrime. A very gracious, articulate, compassionate and well written man, his Virginia Defamation Blog is an outstanding resource for the latest rulings and case decisions in this high tech area of the law. He explained in detail the intricacies both pro and con of litigation and presented a comprehensive plan to counter the threat. Following my decision to proceed with legal action against the wrongdoer and his father, I felt complete peace of mind and confidence that Lee would resolve the matter quickly, decisively, affordably and in my favor. Lee's quick cease and desist response by Overnight Delivery to the two respondents and Google, Inc., Legal Investigation Support produced immediate results. Within two days the malicious Google Review came down. By nature I am an altruistic person who genuinely loves his profession, his practice, his staff and his patients. I hope that the profoundly disturbed doctor has learned from this experience that libel, defamation, envy, hate and greed are like drinking poison and expecting someone else to die. read more