Monica J. Chernin is a New Yorker by birth and a Virginian by choice. In 1974, she graduated Cum Laude from Ithaca College with a Bachelor of Arts in Literature and Composition, and a teaching certification.
She received a Master of Science degree from Cornell University in 1977. After a career as an English teacher in New York and Nelson County, Virginia, and a brief foray into retail business, she took time off from work to start a family. When the youngest of her three children was 13 months old, she entered law school in Lexington, Virginia, at Washington and Lee University, and received her JD degree in 1988.
Contact us at The Law Offices of Monica J. Chernin, P.C. in Culpeper, Virginia, to learn more about our local legal practice.
Associations
- Virginia Trial Lawyer's Association
- The American Trial Lawyer's Association
- The American Bar Association
- The Virginia Bar Association
- The Virginia Women's Bar Association
- The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
- The Culpeper Bar Association
Ms. Chernin was a staff member of Rappahannock Legal Services before founding The Law Offices of Monica J. Chernin in 1991. The legal practice, from its inception, has been dedicated to providing compassionate and comprehensive legal counsel focusing on family related matters.
Ms. Chernin has been active in the Culpeper community, serving as a past or present member of the following boards since 1989:
- Safe
- Rappahannock Legal Services
- Culpeper Literacy Council
- Culpeper County Criminal Justice Board
In addition, she has served on the Germanna Community College Advisory Board for Paralegal Studies, the interview committee for hiring the Culpeper Middle School Principal, and the Parent Advisory Committee for the Gifted and Talented elementary school program. Together with her children, she actively participated in bringing a skateboard park to Culpeper.
A member of the Virginia State Bar since 1988, Ms. Chernin practices in all Virginia State and Appellate Courts, and serves as a Commissioner in Chancery in Culpeper Country. She is also certified as a Guardian ad litem by the Supreme Court of Virginia. Ms. Chernin has been an adjunct professor at Germanna Community College where she developed and taught a street law program for at risk juvenile offenders.
Ms. Chernin focuses her practice on all aspects of family and juvenile law. She is the managing attorney for the practice.
Dorthe G. Tannehill
Dorthe G. Tannehill was born and raised in Virginia, splitting her time between Northern Virginia, Fredericksburg and Rappahannock County. In 2004, she graduated cum laude from Christopher Newport University earning a Bachelor of Science in Government Administration with a Minor in Forensic Science. After briefly working in the Fairfax County General District Court, she decided to pursue a career in law earning her JD in 2008, cum laude, from Thomas Cooley Law School. Preferring the scenic drive and country environment, Dorthe chose to work in a more rural locale and has enjoyed employment with the firm since 2010.
Karen Leuppert Smith
Karen has been with the firm since 2016, providing daily administrative support to attorneys, Monica Chernin and Dorthe Tannehill. She possesses strong multi-tasking skills, with the ability to simultaneously manage various projects and schedules. A former IT employee with Culpeper County and Rappahannock County Public Schools has prepared Karen to provide tech support, as needed. Karen has lived in Culpeper for 31 years and has 3 children, 5 grandchildren, 3 dogs and 2 cats. In 2016, she became a full-time caregiver to her Mother, who lives with Karen and her partner, John Long, in their home in Reva, VA. In her spare time, Karen makes every effort to spend time with her family and is an avid gardener.