Education and Background
Caryn was born and raised outside Buffalo, New York. Caryn’s first love and passions are reading and writing, which naturally led to a career in law. She attended the State University of New York at Geneseo, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree with Honors in Philosophy and English. From Geneseo, she moved South for warmer weather and attended Washington and Lee School of Law in Lexington, Virginia, graduating cum laude in 2002. During law school, Caryn was a member of the Editorial Board of the Washington and Lee Law Review.
Experience
Having visited her aunt and uncle in Virginia Beach during her childhood, Hampton Roads was a natural choice after law school. Caryn obtained a clerkship with the Norfolk Circuit Court and spent her first year of practice learning the ropes of the courthouse. Caryn then worked for a small firm in Suffolk practicing residential real estate law, before spending over 10 years handling trusts & estate, business, and real estate transactions in Norfolk and Virginia Beach. Caryn also gained hands-on experience in trust administration as a trust officer for a local investment bank.
Joining Parks Zeigler
Caryn is now a Wills, Trusts & Estates attorney at Parks Zeigler, assisting our clients with Wills, Trusts, Powers of Attorneys, Estate Administration, Probate Matters, and Guardianships. She also represents business owners and businesses, helping entrepreneurs form new businesses, assisting existing businesses with contracts and real estate transactions, leases, and general guidance, as well as helping business owners with succession planning.
Caryn is a 2022 Virginia Super Lawyers honoree and was selected by Virginia Business Magazine as part of the publication’s Legal Elite list in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. She has been recognized by Best Lawyers® for her work in Trusts and Estates since 2021 and by Virginia Coastal Magazine as a Top Lawyer since 2020. Caryn also has a 10.0 rating on AVVO and is AV® Preeminent™ Peer Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. She received the Walter E. Hoffman Community Service Award from the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association and is a 2011 graduate of LEAD Hampton Roads, a signature program of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce to focus leaders on the key issues that face Hampton Roads and its position in the state, the nation, and the global economy.
Honors and Recognition
- Accredited Estate Planner of the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC)
- Rated AV® Preeminent™ by Martindale-Hubbell
- 10.0 Rating by AVVO
- Top Lawyer by Coastal Virginia Magazine
- Best Lawyers 2023 by Bestlawyers.com
- Legal Elite by Virginia Business Magazine
- Super Lawyers Top Rated Estate Planning & Probate Attorney
- Recipient of the Walter E. Hoffman Community Service Award from the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association
- 2011 graduate of LEAD Hampton Roads
Professional and Community Involvement
Caryn is the 2022-2023 President of the Hampton Roads Estate Planning Council, President of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association Foundation, a past president of the Norfolk & Portsmouth Bar Association, and a member of the Virginia Beach Bar Association.
She also serves on the Board of Directors of Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia, on the Professional Advisors Committee of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race.
Practice Areas
More About Caryn
Outside of her practice of law, Caryn enjoys spending time with her husband, Marc, on long walks on the beach with their yellow lab and boating when time and weather allows.
