About Stephen M.
Stephen M. Terpak built a steady legal career over more than two decades. He moved from a first job as an associate to recurring partnership roles, and now practices from the firm that bears his name. His path is formation, practice and an ongoing presence in litigation and appellate work.
Terpak completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Mary Washington, earning a B.S. in 1997. He went on to George Mason University School of Law and received his J.D. in 2000. The combination of a liberal arts foundation and three years of law study set the stage for courtroom and appellate practice.
He began his legal career as an associate at Lewis and Associates in 2000. That early role exposed him to day-to-day litigation tasks and client representation in trial settings. In 2003 he became a partner at Terpak & Shakil, PLLC, marking his first return to a firm where he shared leadership responsibilities. He moved again in 2013, joining Dennis, Stewart, Krischer & Terpak, PLLC as a partner, and four years later helped establish the partnership at Sutter & Terpak, PLLC.
Those moves trace a steady climb through litigation firms where partnership meant taking on case strategy, client development and supervision of associates. He has handled matters at trial level and taken appeals, reflecting a practice that spans more than one courtroom setting.
On the appellate side, Terpak is admitted to practice in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He is licensed in Virginia and is also admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court. Those admissions allow him to represent clients in federal appellate courts as well as in the highest court in the nation.
Colleagues describe him as pragmatic and detail-oriented; clients have relied on him for work that blends trial preparation with appellate planning. He has spent much of his career in firms that emphasize litigation, and that background shows in the types of matters he brings to argument and brief writing.
Outside the office he has maintained professional memberships. Those connections have informed his practice and kept him engaged with developments in case law and procedure.
Today he is a partner at Sutter & Terpak, PLLC. He continues to handle litigation and appellate matters, representing clients in state and federal courts, including appellate work in the Fourth Circuit and the U.S. Supreme Court.
