1333 Laskin Rd. Virginia Beach, VA 23451
757.390.3331-phone 757.390.3333-fax
OUR TEAM
Cynthia L. Chaing, Esq.
Cynthia graduated summa cum laude from the University of Rio Grande, where she received her Bachelor’s of Arts degree in English, graduating with additional full honors. In 2003, Cynthia received her Juris Doctor from Regent University School of Law. She furthered her legal education by studying under Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, of the Supreme Court of the United States, including studying with him at the University of Oxford and four international courts.
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Cynthia has spent her whole career practicing family law. In 2007, she opened her first law firm The Law Office of Cynthia L. Chaing, P.C. In 2017, she merged this firm into Shupert Chaing, then transitioned in 2022 into Chaing Anders. Cynthia is a member of the Virginia Beach Bar Association, Virginia Bar Association, and the Virginia State Bar. She currently chairs the CLASS Program for the Virginia Beach Bar Association, which coordinates local attorneys each week to provide free legal services in protective order matters.
Cynthia was recently inducted into the prestigious Fellowship, Academy of Adoption and Assisted Reproduction Attorneys (AAAA). It is a credentialed, non-profit organization of attorneys, judges, and legal professionals dedicated to the competent and ethical practice of adoptions and assisted reproduction technology. AAAA was founded to enhance the adoption field by sharing knowledge, establishing ethical guidelines, creating a collaborative platform of experienced adoption attorneys, and advocating for regulatory, legislative, and judicial improvements. Recognizing the growing involvement of its attorneys in assisted reproductive technology (ART) law, AAAA later expanded its mission to include ART. This led to the creation of the American Academy of Assisted Reproductive Technology Attorneys (AAARTA) as a specialty division of AAAA. There are only approximately 470 Fellows with AAAA throughout the United States and the world. Cynthia exemplifies the mission of AAAA – to advocate for laws and policies to protect the best interests of children, the legal status of families formed through adoption and assisted technology, and the rights of all interested parties.
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In 2023, Virginia Lawyers Weekly honored Cynthia for her outstanding reputation amongst her peers and her many accomplishments by naming her a member of the Most Influential Women of Law. She has been recognized by The Best Lawyers In America; by Phi Delta Phi, International Legal Fraternity, founded in 1869; by Virginia Business Legal Elite and Superlawyers.com; from Top Lawyer by Coastal Virginia Magazine in the areas of Family Law and Adoption Law; and is Platinum rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She also has presented courses regarding recent changes in the adoption statutes and complex custody matters. Being a highly respected divorce attorney for the past 20 years, Cynthia seeks to provide very candid yet compassionate advice to her clients. Her friendly, yet systematic and analytical approach, enables her to help clients achieve favorable results in both collaborative agreements and in very complex litigation. Because family law matters often are complicated and evoke many emotions, Cynthia provides very detailed guidance to her clients throughout the entire process.
Since 2019, Cynthia has served as a CHKD Board Member and Ambassador of the Future Generations Board, with a special emphasis on supporting the new CHKD Mental Health Hospital. Despite her busy profession, she enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and son. Cynthia’s favorite hobby is hiking, where she brings one of her children happily to hike with her and the other requires a little bribing. She also takes every free opportunity to go running amidst the tallest trees she can find.
Allison W. Anders, Esq.
Allison received her Juris Doctor in 2001 from Loyola University School of Law at New Orleans. After law school, Allison returned to Virginia and clerked for an Administrative Law Judge with the Department of Labor in Washington, DC for one year. Thereafter, she worked as an associate at McKenry, Dancingers, Dawson & Lake from 2003 to 2006, as an associate and partner at Kaufman and Canoles from 2006 to 2015, and as a partner at Parks Zeigler from 2015 to 2022. Allison’s has exclusively practiced family law since 2006.
Allison is a Fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) and is currently serving as the Treasurer of the Virginia chapter of the AAML. Allison is also a member of the Virginia Beach Bar Association (VBBA), Virginia State Bar (VSB), Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (VTLA), and Virginia Bar Association (VBA). She has been very active with the VBBA, serving on various committees since 2003 and is currently the president. She has also been a member of the VBA Family Law Coalition since November 2015.
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Allison has been honored and recognized by numerous organizations: she has been recognized by Best Lawyers®, rated a Rising Star by Superlawyers.com, rated "Top 50 Women Super Lawyers in Virginia" and "Top 100 Super Lawyers in Virginia" by Superlawyers.com, named Legal Elite by Virginia Business magazine, as well as Top Lawyer by Coastal Virginia Magazine; AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell; and she’s achieved a 10.0 rating by AVVO. She has also served as moderator, presenter and panelists for Virginia CLE, VTLA and National Business Institute.
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Outside of the law, Allison has served on the Board of Directors for REACH (Reading Enriches All Children), Inc., a local non-profit. She also spends as much time as possible with her husband, son and two pups. They thoroughly enjoy being outdoors. When they are not at the beach or swimming, they enjoy fishing, paddle boarding, camping and hiking. Allison is also an avid reader and loves a good suspense novel.
Alexandra D. Wood, Esq.
In 2010, Alexandra earned her Bachelor of Philosophy from the University of Massachusetts. She received her Juris Doctor in 2014 from the University of Richmond School of Law where she earned a Certificate of Concentration in family law.
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Alexandra has been practicing family law in Virginia Beach since 2014. She became certified as a Guardian ad litem for children that same year and gained valuable experience advocating for their best interests in family law matters.
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Alexandra is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Beach Bar Association, and the Virginia Bar Association.
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Outside of work Alexandra enjoys spending time with her husband (a Virginia Beach native and fellow attorney) and their three young sons. Hobbies are not yet a luxury when you have three young boys, but she is looking forward those days.
