Jonathan grew up in Lexington, Virginia. After finishing his law degree at Washington & Lee University School of Law, Jonathan worked as a Contract Negotiations Specialist and as a Financial Planner for a Fortune 500 company before starting Tarris Law in 2016. Since starting Tarris Law, Jonathan has litigated thousands of matters throughout Virginia from fatal trucking accidents to farm partitions among dozens of heirs. and has successfully appealed trial court rulings, even garnishing published opinions in the Virginia Court of Appeals. Many times Jonathan is able to avoid litigation altogether with proper planning and negotiations. He has formed dozens of trusts, LLCs and other business entities, providing them with the proper legal paperwork to avoid disputes among all stakeholders. His testimonials below demonstrate his exceptional care for his clients. For clients who did not have the proper paperwork and planning in place before contacting Tarris Law he has achieved successful settlements to avoid unnecessary and costly litigation in cases ranging from complex estates and divorces to personal injuries and contract disputes. Read about some of our cases under the respective practice area. In his spare time Jonathan enjoys spending time outdoors on family outings, doing home improvement projects and volunteering on a variety of community boards and commissions.

James has more than 40 years of experience in the area of estate planning and administration, estate disputes, and real estate. He has been with the firm since he began practicing law in 1983. Mr. Cox received a B.A. summa cum laude from Duke University in 1980 and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1983. He is a Virginia Law Foundation Fellow and a committee member of Virginia CLE and the Virginia Law Foundation. He is a past Chairman and member of the Council and Legislative Committee of the Wills, Trusts, and Estates Section of the Virginia Bar Association. He was the President of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association for 2009-2010 and is the current Chairman of the Real Estate Committee of the Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association. He is a frequent lecturer in continuing legal education programs and since 1993 has been the author of the annual supplements to the four-volume treatise, Harrison on Wills and Administration in Virginia and West Virginia, published by the Michie Company, now Lexis Nexis. He is also the editor and contributing author to the Virginia CLE publication, Estate and Trust Administration in Virginia, first published in 1997. He is named in the current edition of the Best Lawyers in America, in both Trusts and Estates and Real Estate Law, and as Lawyer of the Year in Trusts and Estates for 2020.