Carina Lyn Roselli, Esq.
CPT (Army Ret.)

As an Army Officer, my mission was to take care of soldiers—it was that simple. Now my mission is to take care of clients—it's still that simple.

I work with a limited number of clients so I can offer each one of you white-glove treatment.

CORE VALUES

As a Concierge Attorney, I come to you to deliver truly personalized legal services and an easy, enjoyable client experience. I offer my clients direct access to me, high-touch responsiveness, flexible availability, and full transparency.
Clients seeking Equine Legal & Business Services can expect a streamlined, highly responsive, sometimes entirely virtual experience to draft your custom contracts, build your businesses, or address contentious matters. I strive to provide my equine clients with access, availability, and efficient services to fit into your busy lives.
Clients seeking Life, Legacy & Estate Planning services can expect a completely customized experience designed around your needs. I offer my legacy clients access and flexibility to talk and meet when and where it’s convenient (including online), and as often as necessary to counsel and guide you through the planning process. I strive to build a lasting relationship with you and your family—to serve and support you all as your legacy lawyer for life.
The “practice” of law requires constant study to remain competent, as required by the Virginia State Bar Rules of Professional Conduct. I believe all attorneys should be forever students as the law is always changing and we can never know it all. I remain competent and current on the law through regular legal education and training offered by top member organizations like the American Bar Association and WealthCounsel®.
Open and regular communication is the keystone of a strong and effective attorney-client relationship. I believe trust is built through transparency, on both sides.
As a Concierge Attorney, my clients get direct access to me and I make myself available to you. I’ll be the one answering your calls and emails, even at odd hours. You’ll be  communicating exclusively with me, and as often as you like.
(If you’re a quiet client, I’ll follow your lead and reach out only as necessary to progress your matter and keep you updated and informed.)

I want to get to know YOU.

I want you to get to know ME.

Before offering my services in Life, Legacy & Estate Planning and Equine Legal & Business Services, I dabbled in some other things…
I deployed to Iraq in 2009 as an Army helicopter pilot. While I was flying over the barren, cracked earth of the country’s southern region, I was saddened to learn that the land below me was once the largest marshland in the world—the literal Garden of Eden.
Decades of war had destroyed the environment, intentionally and unintentionally, and the native people that once lived there in the hundreds of thousands were now merely hundreds. I originally became a lawyer because I wanted to protect those people, their heritage, and the environment from the scourge of war.
In 2010, I transitioned to the Army National Guard to pursue law and master’s degrees at Vermont Law School and Yale School of the Environment, respectively. I focused my studies on environmental human rights in conflict zones (see media and publications below).
During this time, I also attended the Army’s Instructor Course where I became adept at explaining complex principles in understandable ways. I then served as Lead Instructor of the Vermont Army National Guard’s Officer Candidate School where I taught, advised, and developed students in military leadership and ethical decision making.
During my summers, I worked on the Iraq desk at the US Department of State and was a Yale Scholar at Nature Iraq, a non-government organization in Sulaymaniyah, Kurdistan, Iraq. Later, the United Nations recruited me to help develop international laws that protect the environment pre-, during, and post-war. I presented Iraq as a case study and served as the working group’s military advisor.
When that work concluded, I went back on active duty. Shortly thereafter, I got sick. It meant I could never fly for the Army again. If I wanted to continue serving, I had to find a desk job—fortunately, I was already a lawyer. I transitioned to the Army JAG Corps’ new Special Victims Counsel advocating for victims of military sexual assault.
Unfortunately, my condition progressed to the point where I was no longer a deployable soldier, so I had to medically retire after 17 years of service. This also meant that my ultimate goal of traveling to war-torn countries for environmental human rights work was inadvisable. Suddenly, I wasn’t in the Army anymore and I wasn’t to become the lawyer I’d imagined I’d be.
Through all of this, I’ve been a lifelong equestrian. I’m a 3rd generation horsewoman who started working in barns at age 11 for $2.50/hour and ring time. Fast forward a decade or two and I brought two horses to college in 2001, another to flight school in 2006, leased horses around going to war in 2009, rescued my draft horse in 2016, and published the national equestrian magazine EQuine AMerica from 2018 to 2021 (now owned by StreamHorseTV).
Being an attorney who has worked in several barns; bought, sold, leased, and rescued horses; and created, developed, and sold an equestrian business; my personal and professional experiences make me particularly aware of the legal issues that amateur and professional horse owners—and equine businesses—face on a daily basis. In keeping with my lifelong passion, it seemed only natural to shift my focus to Equine Legal & Business Services.
Soon, I fell in love with what I call Life, Legacy & Estate Planning—the business of helping you protect yourself and everything that matters to you, during your lifetime and after. I enjoy getting to know my clients as we work together to design a custom, comprehensive legacy plan that provides them peace of mind. To best serve my clients, I’ve traveled throughout the country learning from leaders in the field, overdosed on virtual education, and joined an exclusive network of our nation’s top-tier attorneys who employ WealthCounsel (state-of-the-art legal drafting software) to ensure your plan works the way you want it to.
With my soldier’s sense of duty and trained attention to detail, it’s my objective to provide competent, client-centered care that precisely meets your needs, now and in the future. The pilot in me wants to help you navigate what lies ahead; whether you’re building a barn or a legacy, there are so many moving parts that need to be synchronized, it’s like flying a helicopteralmost.
EDUCATION:
  • JAG, US Army Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School

  • Juris Doctor (with honors), Vermont Law School

  • Master of Environmental Management (with honors), Yale School of the Environment

  • Bachelor of Science (with honors), University of New Haven

BAR ADMISSION:
  •  Virginia

PRACTICE AREAS:
  • Life, Legacy & Estates

  • Equine Legal & Business Services

PAST PRACTICE AREAS:
  • International Environmental Human Rights

  • International Water Diplomacy

PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS:
  • Virginia State Bar

  • WealthCounsel®

  • American Bar Association

    • Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Section

    • Equine Law Subcommittee

    • GP Solo Division

  • Association of Yale Alumni

  • Yale Veterans Association 

LEGAL PUBLICATIONS:
EQUESTRIAN PUBLICATIONS:
MEDIA:
NPR (CLICK ON PHOTO TO LISTEN)
From the Military Base to the Marshlands:
A Soldier Returns to Iraq
BBC Radio (CLICK ON PHOTO TO LISTEN)
This Iraq War Veteran Goes Back to Iraq on a Different Mission:
to Save the Wetlands