About R. Peyton
R. Peyton Mahaffey studied at the University of Virginia, earning a B.A. in 1977 before returning to the same school for his J.D. His educational path remained anchored in Charlottesville, where he built the foundation for a long legal career.
He has spent much of that career at McCandlish & Lillard P.C., where he holds the titles of president and principal. Over the years he has taken on leadership roles inside and outside the firm. Those positions reflect a steady involvement in the professional organizations that shape practice standards and courtroom procedures in Virginia.
Mahaffey’s court admissions are broad. He is admitted in state and federal forums, including the Virginia Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. District Court and the U.S. Bankruptcy Court. He is also admitted in the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia. That range of admissions allows him to appear in trial, appellate and federal specialty courts.
He has been active in bar and local lawyer associations throughout his career. He maintains membership in the American Bar Associations and served on the Virginia State Bar’s Fifth District Grievance Committee from 1990 to 1993. Earlier, he was on the Board of Governors of the Young Lawyers Section from 1986 to 1990 and served as president of the Northern Virginia Young Lawyers Association in 1984. He was also a member of the Fairfax Virginia Civil Litigation Council in 2002.
Colleagues describe a lawyer comfortable in both courtroom settings and in the administrative work that supports litigation. His admissions and association work suggest a practice that navigates state procedure, federal rules and appellate standards. He has balanced case work and institutional participation for decades, moving between client files and committee meetings as his calendar requires.
Today he presides over McCandlish & Lillard P.C.’s office operations while continuing to accept matters in the courts where he is admitted. He handles litigation and federal-court matters and remains active in the organizations that connect local and state bar practice. He currently practices as president and principal of McCandlish & Lillard P.C., concentrating on civil litigation and federal court matters.
