John O. Goss

The Law Offices of Goss and Fentress was founded by attorney John O. Goss in 1982 in Norfolk, Virginia. Mr. Goss began his private practice in the general practice of law with an emphasis in the field of SSI claims. Attorney J. Russell Fentress, IV joined the firm in 1994, at that time practicing primarily in the field of personal injury litigation. Since that time, the law firm has represented thousands of clients with cases in both of these areas of practice in Virginia and in northeastern North Carolina. Mr. Fentress opened the law firm’s first offices in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. After graduating from both Virginia Tech and William and Mary’s School of Law, John Goss jumpstarted his legal career in 1977 with the Tidewater Legal Aid Society in Norfolk, Virginia. For four years, he represented disability claimants living in the Tidewater region of Virginia in Social Security Administrative courts, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, and in the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. He continued to represent disability claimants when he entered private practice in 1982 and has successfully represented thousands of claimants over the years of his legal career. When Mr. Goss entered private practice in 1982, he also began representing victims of accidental injuries caused by the negligence of others. He established the law firm of Goss & Fentress that same year of 1982 and has welcomed additional attorneys to the firm over the years. Within his 45 years of practice, Goss has received the American Bar Association’s 2016 Pro Bono Award for his advocacy work in the Appalachia hills of Kentucky. Whether he is presenting his case to an administrative law judge or to a jury, John Goss takes great dignity in being the most prepared and the most determined advocate he can be in advancing the cause of justice for his client. Supreme Court of VirginiaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of VirginiaUnited States Fourth Circuit Court of AppealsYears in Active Practice:36 Areas of Legal Practice:Social Security Disability LawPersonal Injury Law