Alan B. Croft, longtime Middleburg resident and nationally recognized litigator and trial attorney, recently joined the Northern Virginia law firm of McCandlish & Lillard, P.C., which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2008.

Croft will work primarily from the firm's office in downtown Leesburg making it possible for him to be more deeply involved in community activities.

With an office in Fairfax as well as in Leesburg, McCandlish & Lillard provides a broad and diverse array of legal services throughout Northern Virginia and the Washington metropolitan area for local, regional and national clients.

Over the last 13 years, as a partner in the Washington, D.C. law firm of Baach, Robinson and Lewis, Croft's practice has focused on complex commercial matters, insurance coverage disputes and other insurance cases for U.S. and international clients. He also handles complex construction and tort litigation.

Croft has been involved in a number of community activities, including as a member of the board at Middleburg's Hill School and working with the Windy Hill Foundation to help provide low cost housing for Middleburg and other Loudoun County residents. He is currently on the Advisory Council of the Piedmont Community Foundation that assists many local philanthropic organizations.

Over the years, Croft has served as lead counsel in more than 100 trials in state and federal courts. With his new firm, he will continue handling a wide variety of cases, both civil and criminal.

A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Croft earned an electrical engineering degree in 1966 before deciding to pursue a career as an attorney. He is a 1970 graduate of the American University law school, and early in his career worked as a patent attorney.

A native of Chicago, he moved to Middleburg in 1973. He and his family now live on a 38-acre farm that includes a restored 1790 home that was originally located in Preston, Conn. before being taken apart, transported south and reassembled on his property, with Croft serving as general contractor on the project. He also helped move and restore an 1830 log house from Winchester and an 1880 post and beam barn from Leesburg, both also now on the farm..

Croft was married to the former Ilona Sipars in 1971 and they have two daughters, Katherine and Aleksandra, both graduates of the University of Virginia.