About Me
Leonard C. Tengco
Leonard C. Tengco is the owner and founder of Tengco Law PLLC. Mr. Tengco dedicates his practice to civil litigation with an emphasis in real estate disputes.
Mr. Tengco’s litigation practice includes real estate fraud, quiet title actions, curing title defects, release of judgment liens, easement disputes, partitions, closing and settlement issues, evictions and ejectments, nuisance and trespass claims, fiduciary and trustee removals, and property damage, among several others.
Leonard has a strong command of case law and Virginia civil procedure and demonstrates an ability to find creative solutions to complex problems while zealously advocating for his clients.
- C.P.
Mr. Tengco has delivered several presentations for Continuing Legal Education (CLE) credits on a myriad of topics for Virginia CLE®, Virginia State Bar’s Young Lawyers Conference, Virginia Land Title Association, and real estate trade groups. Additionally, Mr. Tengco currently serves as a Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Instructor after having been approved by the Virginia Insurance Continuing Education Board. Mr. Tengco is also recognized as a Virginia Certified Title Examiner (VCTE) and Virginia Certified Title Settlement Agent (VCTSA) by the Virginia Land Title Association and as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Accredited Professional (LEED AP) by the U.S. Green Building Council.
Mr. Tengco has significant appellate experience, handling appeals and presenting arguments before the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court of Virginia.
Before entering private practice, Mr. Tengco served as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Portsmouth. In this capacity, Mr. Tengco prosecuted violent felonies and white-collar crimes and was the designated appellate brief writer and drafted conflicts of interest opinions. Mr. Tengco also served as the sole law clerk for all five judges of the Third Judicial Circuit Court of Virginia in Portsmouth and served as an Assistant Appellate Defender at the Appellate Defender’s Office in Richmond.
Mr. Tengco leads an active civic life outside of the office. In 2012, Mr. Tengco was elected to the Virginia Beach School Board, representing District 1-Centerville, with 54.66% (73,795 votes) and served a four-year term before moving to Northern Virginia in 2017. In 2016, Governor Terry McAuliffe appointed Mr. Tengco to serve on the Virginia Asian Advisory Board and was reappointed by Governor Ralph Northam to serve a two-year. In 2020, Governor Northam appointed Mr. Tengco to the Library Board of Virginia where he is currently a board member.
Education
& Training
- James Madison University (B.S., Economics; B.A., Political Science 2004)
- Michigan State University College of Law (J.D. 2007)
- University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership (Political Leaders Program 2011, Candidate Training Program 2012)
- Appellate Advocacy Academy (2022)
Bar
Admissions
- Commonwealth of Virginia
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia
- United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Virginia
Awards
& Recognitions
- Best Lawyers in America (Virginia)
- Real Estate Law (2021, 2022)
- Real Estate Litigation & Real Estate Law (2023)
- Super Lawyers Magazine
- Virginia Rising Stars, Real Estate Law (2019, 2020, 2021, 2022)
- Virginia Business Magazine’s Legal Elite
- Civil Litigation (2019)
- Real Estate (2020, 2021, 2022)
Speaking
Engagements
- Residential Foreclosure Litigation, Virginia Young Lawyers Conference
- Ethics of Local Government
- Ills of Social Media
- Interpleader Actions: What to Do with Money that Doesn’t Belong to You, VLTA (2021)
- Quiet Title Action in Virginia, VLTA (2023)
Professional Organizations & Affiliations
Board Member, Library of Virginia (2020 – Present)
Member (2009 – Present), Board of Directors (2019 – Present), Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia
Leadership Fairfax Institute (LFI) Program, Leadership Fairfax , Inc. (2020)
Virginia Asian Advisory Board (2016 – 2020)
Virginia Trial Lawyers Association (2014 – Present)
Presenter and Member, Virginia Land Title Association (2016 – Present)
Real Estate Section, Fairfax Bar Association (2018 – Present)
School Board Member, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Centerville-District 1 (January 2012 – December 2016)