Our Team

Ms. Bredehoft, a native of Northern Minnesota, has been successfully trying cases in state and federal courts in Virginia and the District of Columbia since 1984. Ms. Bredehoft has been consistently recognized in publications as one of the Best Lawyers in Virginia, Washington, D.C. & Baltimore, frequently ranked as one of the top ten in the Metropolitan area, as selected by her peers, has been repeatedly recognized by Virginia Business magazine as one of Virginia’s Legal Elite (as published in Virginia Business Magazine), and has been selected for inclusion in Washington, D.C. Super Lawyers and Virginia Super Lawyers for many years. In April 2009, Ms. Bredehoft received the honor of being selected as one of Virginia’s Most Influential Women by Virginia Lawyers Weekly. Ms. Bredehoft has been honored to be included in The Best Lawyers in America every year since 1997.

Peter Cohen, of Brooklyn, New York, joined the firm in 2003 and became partner in September of 2004. He graduated with top honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a B.A. in Political Science. In 1984, he received his J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Mr. Cohen is admitted to practice in Virginia, Washington, D.C., the state and federal courts in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Ms. Brown has litigated cases in state and federal courts throughout Virginia, as well as in the District of Columbia and Maryland. Ms. Brown handles contractual matters, including the negotiation and review of severance agreements, covenants not to compete, and employment agreements. Ms. Brown also counsels employees who are subjected to workplace harassment, discrimination, and retaliation. In 2014, the Metropolitan Washington Employment Lawyers Association recognized Ms. Brown as “Lawyer of the Year – In recognition of outstanding dedication to Civil Rights, Equality, and Justice.” In 2015, 2017 and 2018, the Washingtonian rated Ms. Brown a “Top Lawyer” in the area of Plaintiff’s Employment Law. In 2018, LawDragon selected Ms. Brown as a top 500 Plaintiff Employment Lawyer. In 2018, Ms. Brown was selected as a member of Virginia’s Legal Elite.

Adam S. Nadelhaft, of Silver Spring, Maryland, joined the Firm in August 2018. Mr. Nadelhaft handles a variety of employment and labor matters involving business tort and contract claims, as well as employment discrimination, retaliation, and trade secret claims. Mr. Nadelhaft is also an expert in e-discovery and social media. Prior to joining Charlson Bredehoft Cohen & Brown, Mr. Nadelhaft practiced litigation at Winston & Strawn LLP, where he handled complex litigation issues, including antitrust litigation, false advertising litigation, products liability claims, trade secret and unfair competition litigation, and white-collar criminal proceedings.

Ms. Sartorius, of Vienna, Virginia, has over 25 years of business experience, including almost 20 years of experience as an attorney. During her career, Ms. Sartorius has handled a variety of litigation matters while working for both large, national law firms, as well as smaller, local law firms, representing clients in both federal and state...

Daphne Shih Gebauer, of Vancouver, Canada, joined the Firm in April 2010. Ms. Gebauer earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2007, where she held executive positions with the NYU Moot Court Board and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. While in law school, Ms. Gebauer interned with the World Health Organization’s Department of Ethics, Trade, Human Rights and Health Law in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Law & Justice Unit of ABC News in New York City.

Briana P. Adams is an Honors graduate of Penn State University and excelled as Editor-in-Chief of the Law Journal and received the Dean’s Leadership Award while at Howard Law School. While in law school, Ms. Adams interned at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. After...

Curtis L. Charlson, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft's father, was the founding partner of the Minnesota law firm of Charlson & Marben, P.A. Prior to retirement, Mr. Charlson was admitted to practice in Minnesota. While in active practice in Minnesota, Mr. Charlson enjoyed a long and successful career as a trial attorney, in all areas of civil and criminal law, on the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Charlson consulted with the firm on selected civil litigation matters from April 1991 until his death on October 30, 2010.