Douglas Bywater

Douglas Bywater is the founding partner of Tate Bywater in Vienna, Virginia, and has more than 50 years of legal experience. His civil litigation practice includes personal injury, medical malpractice, legal malpractice, business litigation, and domestic relations. He has substantial appellate experience and has obtained favorable opinions in federal and state courts of appeals. His work spans trial-level disputes and appellate matters requiring close attention to procedure, legal issues, and the record.

Douglas earned his Juris Doctor from George Washington University and his Bachelor of Science in Economics from the University of Utah. His education provided a foundation for a long litigation career involving individuals, professionals, businesses, and complex civil disputes. Over decades in practice, he has worked across multiple areas of civil law while developing experience in trial strategy, appellate briefing, legal analysis, and the resolution of contested claims.

Douglas’s notable appellate matters include United States v. Lansdown, involving interlocutory appeals and manifest necessity in a federal criminal case, McCargo v. Hedrick, concerning federal pretrial proceedings and the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, and Winn v. Aleda Construction Co., Inc., addressing the governing force of contractual terms. These matters reflect a practice that has included significant questions of procedure, contracts, and appellate review.

Douglas Bywater brings long-standing trial and appellate experience to civil matters involving injury claims, professional malpractice, business disputes, and domestic relations. His practice has required work in state and federal courts and careful evaluation of factual records and legal arguments. By combining litigation experience with appellate knowledge, he assists clients through disputes that demand organized case development, persuasive advocacy, and a clear understanding of how trial decisions can shape later review.

Law Office Affiliations

• Founding Partner, Tate, Bywater, Fuller, Mickelsen & Tull, PLC
• Member, Virginia State Bar
• Member, District of Columbia Bar
• Active Member, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
• Instructor, Boy Scout Program

Licensed State

• Virginia
• District of Columbia

Education

• George Washington University
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• University of Utah
  Bachelor of Science (BS)

Awards & Badges