About Us

 

Founded in 1972 by James R. Tate and Douglas E. Bywater, Tate, Bywater & Fuller, PLC., has its principal office in Vienna, Virginia and serves the entire Washington D. C. area. In Qui Tam and in major cases, our attorneys stand ready to assist you throughout the United States and its territories.

Our Promise to You

While it is impossible to make predictions or offer you legal advice about a given situation without knowledge of the specific facts of your case, if you hire our firm we can promise you the same level of service we have been offering to clients throughout the D.C. metropolitan area for the last 40 years; that is, we can promise you that we will do our very best on your behalf.

Biography of James R. Tate

Although it may appear that James Tate's focus in the law is on his practice areas: white collar crime, civil litigation and personal injury, it is actually on public service.

Jim has been a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division, an Assistant United States Attorney and a member of the Virginia House of Delegates. He has been active for many years in the community and his church. Jim has served on the Fairfax Red Cross Board, the 4-H Board, the Symphony Advisory Board, and is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Jim currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Calvert Marine Museum and on the Board of the Washington D.C. Interfaith Conference.

He is married to the former Sharon Spieks of Avondale, Georgia. They have two daughters, Virginia and Devon, and five grandchildren.
Mr. Tate went to Georgia Tech and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering. He went directly to law school at George Washington University where he served on the George Washington Law Review. Mr. Tate is a member of the Virginia and Maryland State Bars. Mr. Tate has a peer review rating of "AV" from Martindale-Hubbell, and is admitted to practice before the United States Supreme Court, the Supreme Court of Virginia, the Maryland Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.

In July 2007, Mr. Tate and his wife were called to serve a three year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Mr. Tate was called as President of the Alabama Birmingham Mission. Jim and Sharon returned from their mission in August 2010.

Biography of Douglas Bywater

Douglas Bywater is an experienced attorney. He has a peer review rating of "AV" from Martindale-Hubbell, the highest peer rating an attorney can obtain. In nearly forty years of practice, he has developed a concentration in civil litigation in both State and Federal Courts, including personal injury, medical and legal malpractice, business litigation and domestic relations.

In his private life, Doug has developed a keen focus as well, and is an avid blue water sailor and downhill skier. In his opinion there is no better place to ski than Utah.

Doug is involved with his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He went on a two-year mission for his church. Additionally, Doug is also active with youth groups, coaching baseball and basketball for ages thirteen through eighteen. Doug also instructs young men from the Boy Scouts up through the Explorers.

Doug received his B.S. in Economics from the University of Utah and earned his J.D. degree from the George Washington University School of Law. He is admitted to practice before the state and federal courts of Virginia and the District of Columbia, including the United States Supreme Court. He married Virginia Lundgren in 1967 and they have four children and twelve grandchildren.