Stacey Rose Harris

“Every case is a game of chess. There’s planning, study, strategy, and execution. I try to anticipate my opponent, think two steps past my next move, and avoid wasted ones. Each chess piece must be deployed with its own purpose and vision.” 

Commercial litigation requires a strategic mind and attention to detail. It also requires a command of the rules, the law, and how to use both to a client’s advantage. Stacey brings these skills to her clients, who have ranged from meditation gurus to YouTube stars. She has represented doctors, dentists, accountants, attorneys, credit unions, government contractors, entrepreneurs, and other diverse businesses and industries.

Stacey’s commercial litigation and appellate practice focuses on contract disputes and business torts, including matters related to negligence, defamation, business conspiracy, tortious interference, misappropriation of trade secrets, Lanham Act and unfair competition. She is frequently involved in “business divorce” cases involving corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships. Stacey regularly appears in state and federal courts and she has a wealth of experience in the Eastern District of Virginia’s “Rocket Docket.”

Whether representing a prominent local celebrity in a partnership break-up, or defending a high-end sports car manufacturer against fraud and consumer protection act claims, Stacey takes time to get to know her clients. Stacey strives to understand her client’s businesses, which enables her to bring the best tools, strategy, and solutions to the dispute. 

In her nearly twenty years of practice, Stacey has obtained winning verdicts in jury trials, favorable awards in arbitration, prevailed in appeals, and negotiated creative settlements often representing her clients against formidable odds. Her colleagues describe her as tenacious, energetic, creative and kind. 

Although Stacey’s most frequent role is as an advocate, she has recently started presiding over cases in arbitration. In 2021, she was invited to join the American Arbitration Association’s Commercial Litigation panel as an arbitrator and panel member. Her experience as an arbitrator gives her a unique perspective from the other side of the bench, a perspective that now informs her practice as a lawyer.

Stacey volunteers her time both to bar associations and the community. She recently completed two terms of service as an elected member of Bar Council, the prestigious governance arm of the Virginia State Bar. Bar Council regularly meets to vote on rule changes, approve ethics opinions, and preside over the functioning of the bar. She uses her proficiency in Spanish to serve pro bono clients, through the Fairfax Bar Association’s Neighborhood Outreach Program, in various civil matters. Stacey deeply values the opportunity to provide access to legal services to underserved members of the community.

Selected to Virginia Lawyers Weekly’s 2020 Class of “Leaders in the Law”

Selected for inclusion in Best Lawyers in America, 2018-2023

Selected for inclusion as a “Rising Star,” Virginia Super Lawyers, 2009, 2011-2017

Selected for inclusion as a “Rising Star,” Washington, DC Super Lawyers, 2013-2016

E. Randolph Williams Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service, Hunton & Williams, 2007-2008

Professional Affiliations

Virginia State Bar, Bar Council, July 1, 2017-2022

American Arbitration Association, Commercial Litigation Panel, 2021-present

Fairfax Bar Association, present

Neighborhood Outreach Program, Pro Bono Volunteer, present

The Federal Bar Association, Northern Virginia Chapter, Board of Directors, July 2017-2020

Stacey threw 250,000 pitches to her father, who caught every single one of them in practice as she prepared for her role as fastpitch softball pitcher in Division I at Furman University. With both speed and precision, Stacey excelled as a competitor and was even invited to try out for the Israeli Olympic team! Though she no longer pitches, she parlays that determination not only into the courtroom, but also in cross-training, swimming, and tennis. And even when she’s on the sidelines, she’s passionate about fandom, especially when it comes to her 11-year old daughter/dancer/singer and her 9-year-old son/soccer/baseball player. 

A Northern Virginia native and proud graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, Stacey returned to the area after law school. She’s now an avid adventurer, traveling the world with her physician husband—to Portugal, France, the Galapagos, Costa Rica, French Polynesia and other exotic locations. Maybe that’s why Stacey equally enjoys adventures not quite as far from home, especially her family’s near-annual trip to Disney World, where she can usually be found figuring out the latest hacks to skip the lines and watching her kids’ eyes light up with joy on their favorite rides.