Our Attorneys

Cooper, Spong & Davis

DAVID R. TYNCH

Managing Director
DAVID R. TYNCH

Areas of Practice

  • Corporate Law
  • Tax Law
  • Employment Law
  • Commercial Transactions
  • Commercial Real Estate

Education

  • Old Dominion University (B.S. 1971)
  • Mary’s University of San Antonio (J.D. 1981)
  • Southern Methodist University (LL.M. Taxation 1983)

Associations

  • Phi Alpha Delta Member (Portsmouth, Texas, Virginia, and American Member Sections on Taxation and Business)
  • Bar Associations and the Hampton Roads Tax Forum, U.S.A.F.R. (Retired)

Civic Involvement

  • Director, TowneBank
  • Past President, Portsmouth Sports Club

GREGORY M. POMIJE

Shareholder

Mr. Pomije attended the University of Virginia (B.A. 1971) and College of William and Mary (J.D. 1974). He joined Cooper, Spong & Davis in 1987 and is a shareholder. Mr. Pomije practices elder law and civil litigation, including guardianship / conservatorship issues, wills, estate litigation, collections against decedents’ estates, estate planning, and estate administration. In addition, his civil litigation practice also includes a broad spectrum of chancery matters. He serves as Portsmouth’s Commissioner of Accounts and has earned recognition in recent editions of The Best Lawyers for his expertise in estates.

GREGORY M. POMIJE

Educational Credentials

  • B.A. (1971) – University of Virginia

  • J.D. (1974) – College of William and Mary

Associations

  • Virginia State Bar
  • Portsmouth Bar Association (Past President)
  • Virginia Bar Association

Practice Areas:

  • Elder Law
  • Civil Litigation –
    • Guardianship / Conservatorships
  •  Estate Planning and Estate Administration
  • Wills, Estates and Trusts

He serves as Portsmouth’s Commissioner of Accounts, a quasi-judicial position to which he was appointed by the Portsmouth Circuit Court. As Commissioner of Accounts, he oversees the financial transactions of court-appointed fiduciaries in Portsmouth, such as executors of decedents’ estates.

Mr. Pomije is licensed to practice in Virginia. He is a former prosecutor (1974-1982) and served as the Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Portsmouth (1982) and as a substitute judge at Portsmouth General District Court (1990-1997). He was President of the Portsmouth Bar Association (1988-1989), President of the Portsmouth Rotary Club (1991-1992), and Chairman of the Portsmouth Museum and Fine Arts Commission (1986-1987). He has served and continues to serve on the boards of many other civic organizations. In 2002, he brought The Dictionary Project to Portsmouth. Through that project, he oversaw the Portsmouth Rotary Club’s distribution of thousands of dictionaries to third graders in Portsmouth public and private schools for twelve years. That project continues through the efforts of the Portsmouth Rotary Club.

For several years, Mr. Pomije was an officer and member of the Board of Directors of the former Virginia Guardianship Association, a state advocacy organization for the incapacitated elderly and disabled. He currently chairs the Community Advisory Committee for Jewish Family Service of Tidewater, Inc.’s Personal Affairs Management Program, a program serving the legal, financial, and personal needs of the elderly and disabled in the Hampton Roads region and beyond. He has been instrumental in changes to Virginia’s adult guardianship and conservatorship statutes to enable non-profit agencies to serve better as court-appointed guardians and conservators for incapacitated adults. Mr. Pomije also served for several years on the Board of Directors for the Virginia Conference of Commissioners of Accounts and is a member of the Virginia Bar Association and the Portsmouth Bar Association. He was the co-recipient of the Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association’s Pro Bono Award in 1998.  In 2020, he was selected by Virginia Business Magazine for inclusion on its list of “Super Lawyers” in Virginia.  Jewish Family Service awarded Mr. Pomije its “Distinguished Service Award” in 2021.

Mr. Pomije is recognized as Best Lawyer by The Best Lawyers in America and selects 5% of America’s lawyers who are found to have a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.

STEPHEN A. LEON

Shareholder
Admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1989, Mr. Leon has frequently written and lectured on Virginia Creditors’ Rights for continuing legal credit.
STEPHEN A. LEON

Educational Credentials

  • B.A.(1983) and M.A. (1985) in History – University of Virginia
  • Cambridge University Studies Program (1981)
  • Law (J.D. 1989) – Cumberland School of Law of Samford University

Associations

  • Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association
  • Portsmouth Bar Association–Executive Committee (2000-2001 as Secretary, 2002-2003 as President-Elect, and 2003-2004 as President)
  • Virginia Creditors’ Rights Bar Association

Practice Areas:

  • Commercial Litigation
  • Creditors’ Rights

  • Collection Law

PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES:
Contributing Author and/or Faculty Member for Continuing Education Credit for the following seminars: “Collecting Judgments in Virginia,” National Business Institute, 1992; “Legal Issues of Problem Collections,” National Business Institute, 1992; “Successful Judgment Collections in Virginia,” National Business Institute, 1993; “Residential and Commercial Evictions in Virginia,” National Business Institute, 1994; “Fundamentals Course-Enforcement of Liens and Judgments in Virginia,” Virginia State Bar Association and Virginia Continuing Legal Education (Virginia CLE), 1994; “Residential and Commercial Evictions in Virginia,” National Business Institute, 1995; “Creditors’ Rights, Virginia C.L.E. Bridge-The-Gap Seminar,” Virginia State Bar, 1995; “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 1996; “Creditors’ Rights, Virginia C.L.E. Bridge-The-Gap Seminar,” Virginia State Bar, 1996; “Collection Law for the Health Care Industry,” Lorman Education Services, 1996; “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 1997; “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 1997; “Creditors’ Rights, Virginia C.L.E. Bridge-The-Gap Seminar,” Virginia State Bar, 1997; “Collection Law for the Health Care Industry,” Lorman Education Services, 1997; “Virginia Collection Law for the Commercial Real Estate Industry,” Lorman Education Services, 1998, “Creditors’ Rights, Virginia C.L.E. Bridge-The-Gap Seminar,” Virginia State Bar, 1998; “Fundamentals Course, Enforcement of Liens and Judgments in Virginia,” 2000, Virginia CLE;“Debtors’ and Creditors’ Rights, Virginia C.L.E. Bridge-The-Gap Seminar,” Virginia State Bar, 2001; “Collection of Accounts Receivable in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 2001. “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 2003. “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 2004. “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 2005. Panelist for Minnesota Lawyer’s Mutual “2005 Update: Preventing Legal Malpractice Claims & Ethics Complaints.” “Collection Law in Virginia,” Lorman Education Services, 2006.

ASSOCIATIONS:
Norfolk-Portsmouth Bar Association; Portsmouth Bar Association–Executive Committee, 2000, 2001 (Secretary) 2002-2003 (President Elect);2003-2004 (President); Virginia State Bar.

APPOINTMENTS:
Special Counsel to the Attorney General of Virginia for Collection matters.

PRACTICE AREAS:
Creditors’ Rights, Collection Law, and Commercial Litigation.

EDWARD "TED" H. MILLER

Shareholder

Mr. Miller represents individuals, families, and corporations on a variety of sensitive and complex matters. He focuses his practice on estate planning, estate and trust administration, residential and commercial real estate, closely-held corporations, taxation, and any related litigation.

 

While attending the University of Virginia, Mr. Miller received the True Wahoo Award for his community commitment. As a graduate of the Duke University Financial Planning Program, he can navigate the multifaceted challenges of retirement, insurance, asset protection, and financial planning. Mr. Miller has passed the Series 65 Registered Investment Advisor exam and can bring a holistic approach to the needs of families as they transfer wealth between generations. Mr. Miller is a nationally syndicated author on estate planning matters.

EDWARD TED H. MILLER

Educational Credentials

  • B.A. (2007) – University of Virginia

  • J.D. (2013) – University of Richmond School of Law

Associations

  • Virginia State Bar
  • Portsmouth Bar Association
  • Member, Board of Portsmouth Museums Foundation
  • Portsmouth Chamber of Commerce

Practice Areas:

  • Elder Law

  • Guardianship / Conservatorships

  • Estate Planning and Estate Administration

  • Wills, Estates and Trusts

  • Residential and Commercial Real Estate

Mr. Miller is also an alumnus of the Portsmouth Partnership Lefcoe Leadership Program and an active citizen in many charitable endeavors. Mr. Miller received his law degree from the University of Richmond. Prior to joining Cooper, Spong & Davis, Mr. Miller worked for the Energy, Finance, and Info-Structure Team at White & Case in Washington, DC, and apprenticed at an estate planning firm based in Hampton Roads. Mr. Miller is a shareholder at Cooper, Spong & Davis, P.C.


For the fifth year in a row, Mr. Miller is included in the 2023 “Top Lawyers” list of Coastal Virginia Magazine and CoVaBiz, having been nominated and voted by his peers. He is being recognized for his expertise in Estate Planning.


Mr. Miller has experience  in numerous estate planning situations, including, but not limited to, the following:


  • Wills
  • Trusts
  • Powers of Attorney
  • Medical Directives
  • The use of multi-generational trusts to protect an inheritance from divorce and creditors
  • The estate administration process
  • The guardianship and conservatorship process
  • The trust administration process under the Virginia Uniform Trust Code
  • The use of trusts to protect children who face challenges in managing money, alcoholism, drug addiction, or other challenges
  • Business succession planning
  • Transfer on death deeds and their use
  • The transfer of real estate and real estate rights
  • The use of corporate entities in estate planning
  • The use of life insurance in estate planning
  • The avoidance of probate
  • The probate process
  • The sale of real estate out of trusts and estates
  • The debts and demands process

Mr. Miller does not practice government benefits law such as Medicaid or Veterans’ Benefits.


Mr. Miller has been practicing real estate law since he joined the firm over a decade ago.  His practice is as diverse as the real estate asset class itself.  He has overseen numerous residential and commercial transactions.  Mr. Miller has experience in numerous real estate situations, including but not limited to the following:


  • residential transactions and residential mortgage underwriting compliance
  • commercial transactions and commercial mortgage underwriting compliance
  • deeds, mortgages, leases, contracts, and other instruments of which transfer real estate interests
  • rural property such as farms and timber rights
  • transactions involving LLCs and Corporations, and the use of entities to protect realty
  • special warranty fiduciary transactions, such as the sale of real estate by trustees, conservators, and agents under power of attorney
  • brokerage, listing, and property manager agreements
  • owner financing, refinancing, home equity lines of credit, and other financing arrangements
  • for sale by owner situations

 

 Speeches and Lectures

  • “Estate Planning For The Modern Family,” Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants, Tidewater Chapter (October 2015)
  • “Communicating Across The Generational Divide In A Family,” University of Richmond School of Law, Counseling Class
  • “Estate Planning: Common Challenges and Solutions,” National Academy of Legal Assistants “NALA” (July 2016)
  • “Negotiating With Opposing Counsel,” University of Richmond School of Law, Negotiations Class (October 2016)
  • “Trusts: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” Virginia Society of Certified Public Accountants (October 2016)
  • “Trap Doors: Creative Solutions To Common Real Estate Issues,” National Academy Of Legal Assistants, National Convention 2017, Orlando, Florida
  • “Drafting & Implementing Revocable Trusts,” National Academy of Legal Assistants, National Convention 2017, Orlando, Florida
  • “Family Mediation and Dispute Management,” National Academy of Legal Assistants, National Convention 2019, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • “Advanced Real Estate Contracts,” National Academy of Legal Assistants, National Convention 2019, Scottsdale, Arizona
  • “Advanced Estate Administration: A Virginia Guide,” The National Business Institute (October, 2022)
  • “Trusts: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” National Academy of Legal Assistants (October, 2022)
  • “Estate
    Planning Client Intake and Drafting The Overall Plan,” The National
    Business Institute (September, 2023)

Jurisdictions

  • Supreme Court of Virginia
  • District of Columbia Court of Appeals
 

 

JEFFREY B. SODOMA

Associate Attorney

Mr. Sodoma was the founder and owner of Sodoma Law, PLLC, a boutique estate planning and elder law firm based in Hampton Roads. After 4 years of operating a solo law practice in the Virginia Beach area, Mr. Sodoma has joined Cooper, Spong & Davis as an associate attorney. His practice is focused on a few basic things: providing excellent legal representation, candid advice, and real value to his clients. He advises individuals and their families on the best way to handle complicated succession issues while minimizing probate, estate, and income taxes where appropriate.

Jeffrey Sodoma

Educational Credentials

  • BSBA (1998) – Northeastern University

  • MPA (2005) – University of North Texas

  • JD (2018) – Regent University

Associations

  • VSB (Virginia State Bar)
  • VBA (Virginia Bar Association)
  • NAELA (National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys)
  • VAELA (Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys)
  • AREMA (American Railway Engineering and Maintenance of Way Association)

Practice Areas:

  • Elder Law
  • Guardianship / Conservatorships
  • Estate Planning and Estate Administration
  • Wills, Estates and Trusts
  • Residential Real Estate
  • Transportation Law

Mr. Sodoma does more than merely draft wills, trusts, advance medical directives, and powers of attorney.  He wants to help you plan for your future, and that of your family.  That may be providing advice on business startups, understanding the consequences of your actions in the financial arena, helping you plan for the unexpected life events that may happen to you, or what you would like to have happen to your property.  Mr. Sodoma also assists with “elder law” needs ranging from counseling clients on how to preserve wealth for their retirement needs to helping families figure out what to do after an elderly family member passes away.  Mr. Sodoma focuses his practice on this way to best serve the needs of his clients.

 

Prior to founding Sodoma Law, PLLC, in November 2018, Mr. Sodoma worked in the transportation field. His past work experience gave him a unique perspective as a multi-modal, multi-sector transportation professional, with a unique understanding of both micro level customer service, marketing, operations & maintenance disciplines, and macro-level integrated intermodal transportation system needs and features. He is a self-starter who utilized a multi-faceted set of educational and practical experiences to help clients finance, design, plan, build, operate, market, and maintain the transportation systems of the future.  Mr. Sodoma was, and still is, most passionate about railroads–and remembers that although machinery may be awesome in many ways, it is the people who run the machines who are the most important in the transportation process. 

 

Mr. Sodoma’s wife, Melanie, is a Registered Nurse and they have three children: Kathryn, Charlotte, and Maverick.

DIAMOND M. HUMPHREY

Associate Attorney

Diamond Humphrey joined Cooper Spong & Davis, P.C.  in 2023. Her practice primarily focuses on Creditors Rights, Collection Law, Estate Planning, and Real Estate Law. She is a dedicated and open-minded professional who is enthusiastic about meeting the needs of her clients.

Education

  • B.A. (2020)- NC Central University

  • J.D. (2023)- NC Central University

Associations

  • Virginia State Bar
  • South Hampton Roads Bar Association
  • Norfolk Portsmouth Bar Association
  • Old Dominion Bar Association
  • Virginia Creditors Bar Association

Practice Areas:

  • Creditors’ Rights
  • Collection Law
  • Commercial Real Estate
  • Estate Planning

Diamond is a North Carolina native, originally from New Bern, NC.  In 2020, she received her B.A. in Political Science from North Carolina Central University. She then obtained her Juris Doctor from North Carolina Central University School of Law in 2023.


While in law school, Diamond served as an executive board member for the Phi Delta Alpha Law Fraternity, a member of the Black Law Student Association, and obtained her 3rd-year practice certificate for the Criminal Law Clinic, where she represented several clients as a student attorney. In addition to her work on campus, she has a wide range of internship experience in several practice areas, such as in-house counsel, criminal law, collection law, and non-profit legal services. She looks forward to using all the skills she has learned to represent her clients.


In her free time, Diamond enjoys spending time with family and friends and traveling.

John D. Eure, Jr.

JOHN D. EURE, JR.

After practicing law in Suffolk, VA, for over 40 years, Mr. Eure joins Cooper, Spong & Davis in a counsel capacity. He focuses his practice on estate planning, business planning, and the other challenges associated with transferring wealth between generations. He is uniquely qualified to assist those facing issues relating to the development, management, and transfer of real property, such as family farms.

He has served in the leadership of the Suffolk Ruritans and has been integral to many residential developments in Suffolk. He also served in the United States Marine Corps and graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law.