Mario J. Stellute specializes in Personal Injury and Criminal Defense throughout the entire Hampton Roads area, and has successfully recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for his injured clients and exonerated countless criminal defendants.

Mr. Stellute was born and raised in Hampton, Virginia. He is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College, and earned his Juris Doctor from Loyola University New Orleans School of Law. Following law school, Mr. Stellute immediately went into private practice.

Mr. Stellute practices in both state and federal courts, and is a member of the Virginia State Bar, the Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, the Southern Trial Lawyers Association, the American Association for Justice, the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Hampton Bar Association.

As the son of one of the most prominent trial lawyers in the Hampton Roads area, Mr. Stellute learned early in life how self-rewarding it is to help those injured as a result of someone else’s negligence and to relentlessly defend those falsely accused of criminal misconduct.

Mr. Stellute represents clients in a wide variety of cases such as auto accidents, death claims, seamen’s claims, medical malpractice, slip and fall, driving while intoxicated and other criminal law and traffic offenses.

Mr. Stellute is available to his clients 24 hours a day 7 days a week, and encourages his clients to contact him at their convenience. Contact him today and find out firsthand why The Stellute Law Firm is The One to Know.

Joseph J. Stellute founded The Stellute Law Firm and spent more than four decades representing injured people and individuals accused of crimes throughout Hampton Roads. A determined trial lawyer with deep roots in Hampton, he built the firm on preparation, persistence, and an unwavering willingness to stand up for his clients—even when the opposition was powerful or the position was unpopular.

A native of Hampton, Virginia, Mr. Stellute, earned his Bachelor of Arts from the College of William & Mary in 1968 and his Juris Doctor from the University of Memphis in 1972. He was admitted to the Virginia State Bar in 1973 and began his legal career as an Assistant City Attorney for the City of Hampton, serving from 1973 to 1975. He then entered private practice, concentrating on personal injury and criminal defense. In 1996, he served as President of the Hampton Bar Association.

Over the course of his career, Mr. Stellute represented clients in automobile collision, wrongful death, maritime and seamen’s, medical malpractice, and premises liability claims, as well as DUI, traffic, and criminal matters. He was known as a tenacious advocate who did not shy away from difficult cases or formidable defendants.

Among his notable results was a 2006 Hampton Circuit Court jury verdict of $2.2 million against Hampton City Schools in a defamation action involving legendary Hampton High School football coach Mike Smith. In 2009, he represented two families in a federal civil action arising from sexual assaults at the Newport News Juvenile Detention Center; the City of Newport News resolved the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount.

His courtroom style was direct, persistent, and unmistakably his own. Colleagues described him as a “bulldog” and a “scrappy lawyer”—a strong advocate who kept pushing for the result he believed his client deserved.

The practice of law became a family calling. His eldest daughter, Selena Stellute Glenn, practiced alongside him for years and now serves as a judge of the Hampton General District Court. When his son, Mario J. Stellute, was admitted to the bar in 2008, Joe immediately entrusted him with a stack of criminal, traffic, and DUI cases. From that point forward, Joe focused primarily on personal injury matters while Mario carried the firm’s trial tradition into the next generation.

Beyond the courtroom, Joe was devoted to his faith, family, and friends. A lifelong Catholic, he rarely missed Sunday Mass. He was remembered not only for the clients he represented and the cases he won, but also for the loyalty, strength, and personality he brought to every part of his life.

Joseph J. Stellute passed away on October 2, 2022. His influence remains present throughout The Stellute Law Firm and across the Hampton legal community. His standards of hard work, personal service, and fearless advocacy continue to guide the firm founded by the famed Hampton lawyer known as “The One to Know.”