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Biography
Virginia Beach, VA — Parks Zeigler, PLLC is excited to announce the addition of Emily E. McLaughlin, Esq. to the firm. Emily brings nearly a decade as an experienced litigator to her new role at Parks Zeigler. Her expertise and passion for serving clients will further enhance the firm’s commitment to providing exceptional legal services across Virginia and North Carolina. Emily will be joining the firm practicing out of its Elizabeth City, North Carolina office, focusing primarily on family law cases.
Emily is a Virginia native, originally from Warrenton. She attended the College of William and Mary, where she earned a B.A. in Government with a pre-law focus and was an NCAA cheerleader. During her time at William and Mary, Emily gained valuable legislative experience through her volunteer work as a legislative intern with the Virginia State Senate Majority Leader’s Office.
She went on to earn her law degree from Pennsylvania State University Law School, graduating magna cum laude. While at Penn State Law, Emily distinguished herself through her involvement on the moot court board, her leadership as president of the Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity, and her service on the Graduate Student Association Judicial Committee. She also gained hands-on experience through internships with multiple district attorneys’ offices and her work as a certified legal intern at the Penn State Law Family Law Clinic, where she represented low-income clients in contested divorce and custody cases. In recognition of her trial advocacy skills, Emily received the George F. Douglas Memorial Award for Excellence in Trial Advocacy and was inducted into the prestigious Order of the Barristers.
Emily began her legal career as a prosecutor for Prince William County, where she focused on narcotics offenses and violent crimes as part of the Narcotics Task Force and Northern Virginia Regional Gang Task Force. Her work on Operation Worthy Cause earned her and her team the Public Safety Government Partner of the Year Award from the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce. Following her tenure in Prince William County, Emily continued her prosecutorial career with the Suffolk and Chesapeake Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Offices, focusing on serious criminal cases. Her extensive courtroom experience and dedication to justice have made her a respected figure in the legal community.
Over the years, Emily has prosecuted hundreds of cases, including many jury trials, and has taught numerous courses on topics such as DUI investigations, 4th amendment law, search warrant writing, and arson investigations.