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Southern Progress

He was only 13, but he already was less interested in baseball than in questions of justice. So one day in 1962, 13-year-old Edward Blackmon Jr. from the tiny town of Canton, Miss., joined some friends to march for voting rights, and got thrown into jail. He'd expected that.

But then something happened he didn't expect. An NAACP lawyer named Carsie Hall showed up. Hall could talk to the white officers without being harassed. He got Blackmon released. And Carsie Hall was black.

“That caught my attention,” Blackmon says.

And so was set into motion the ambition that would send Edward Blackmon Jr., JD '73, first to Tougaloo College, then to GW Law School and into a unique and controversial career that has seen him acclaimed as a civil rights pioneer, trial lawyer, influential politician“and loyal GW alum.

Blackmon came to GW in 1971 knowing no one there. But two people befriended him: Professor James Brown, who taught property, and Evelyn Porter, director of the records office.

Still, he was eager to return to Mississippi. After two and a half years Porter helped him petition GW so he could go home early. “And,” Blackmon says, “the battle was on.”

Black policemen? Unheard of. Blackmon sued to get them hired. Bank tellers? Firemen? They were all white. Blackmon sued and forced them to integrate. Highway patrol? Lily-white. Not after he brought suit. Unequal fire protection? He sued and won. One person, one vote? He helped bring about single-member districts.

Blackmon does not disguise the bitterness or danger of that time. And in 1977, he paid a heavy price. On New Year's Eve, white police officers converged on a party in Jackson largely patronized by blacks. Two officers grabbed him and beat him up, knocking out his front teeth. “Later they acknowledged they knew who I was,” he says. “They intentionally went after me.”

They didn't stop him. In 1979, Blackmon, taking advantage of the voting changes he had helped push through, ran for the Mississippi legislature. He won by 50 votes. And then, in 1985, his life underwent a dramatic change.

“I got married,” he says, laughing. His wife, Barbara Martin Blackmon, was a tax lawyer. But firms then were not ready to hire a black associate. The two of them decided to form a practice together. In the second phase of this unique career, the firm of Blackmon and Blackmon would take corporations as clients“and sometimes, take them on.

Last year, in an article profiling 10 lawyers with “impressive winning streaks,” The National Law Journal included Blackmon, pointing out that while almost all the attorneys on the list “represent only one side in litigation, Blackmon's firm represents plaintiffs and defendants.” In one of the largest jury awards of 2001, Baker v. Washington Mutual, Blackmon's firm won a $71.27-million award.

Today, Blackmon and his wife juggle lives as lawyers and legislators. Barbara is in her 11th year in the Mississippi State Senate. Meanwhile, Blackmon is still in the Mississippi legislature with three other GW alums: Dennis Sweet, JD '80, Willie Bailey, JD '72, and Hillman Frazier, JD '74“more alums, he points out, than there are from Ole Miss.

He takes satisfaction in looking back. “I walk into a bank and see blacks working there. I know what a struggle it was. I'm driving down a highway and see a black patrolman and know how unlikely that was when I came out of law school. I see the things I dreamed about.”

He is happy about having gone to GW. “It was large,” he says. “But it was also like being in a one-room schoolhouse. There was a sense of family.”

Blackmon likes to look ahead, too. He is now also a parent“with children who can carry on his work. His oldest daughter, Vanessa, is now in law school. His middle son, Madison is in pre-law at Tougaloo.

And there's Bradford, 14 years old. “He wants to be a lawyer, too,” Blackmon says of a son now just about the same age as he was, sitting in that jail cell in Canton. There are no voting rights struggles these days. No marches. But Brandon has grown up watching his parents.

“There are still things to shoot for,” Blackmon says.

Robert Lehrman

In Chattanooga, Tenn., Frank M. Thompson, LLB '39, is of counsel with Shumacker Witt Gaither & Whitaker, one of the largest law firms in the state. The new firm was formed by the merger of two of Chattanooga's oldest firms, Thompson's Shumacker & Thompson, and Witt, Gaither & Whitaker.

After practicing law for more than 30 years in Milwaukee and 10 years in Israel, Joseph J. Shutkin, JD '51, is serving as of counsel with Hall, Charne, Burce & Olson, in Milwaukee.

With experience in estate planning, trust administration, and probate matters, Samuel S. D. Marsh, JD '53, joined Furey Doolan & Abell in Chevy Chase, Md., as of counsel.

Career Foreign Service officer Kenneth N. Rogers, JD '58, received an Honor Award from the Department of State Oct. 31, in recognition of his "excellent performance in the defense of American interests during civil unrest in Morocco." The award particularly cited Rogers' valiant rescue, at the risk of his own safety, of two American citizens-employees of the U.S. Information Service-during riots in Tetouan Jan. 24, 1984, while he was serving as counsel general in Tangier.

U.S. District Judge James C. Cacheris, JD '60, received the Virginia Trial Lawyers' Distinguished Service Award March 29.

After serving as president of Protein Design Labs Inc., which develops humanized antibodies, Jon S. Saxe, JD '60, was appointed chairman of the board of Entelos Inc., a silico drug discovery and development company.

In Irvine, Calif., Sam Stone, JD '60, became of counsel at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Stone, who practices intellectual property law, had been with the firm Lyon & Lyon since 1965.

Jack Olender, LLM '61, hosted the 17th annual Olender Foundation Awards at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center Dec. 4. Among the awards was a grant given to the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law Foundation, named for the late David A. Clarke, BA '65.

GW Chairman of the Board of Trustees Charles Manatt, JD '62, and Thomas Phelps, JD '63, launched the first annual Phelps-Manatt Lectureship in Political Science in October at Iowa State University. The lectureship is associated with the Manatt-Phelps Endowed Chair in International Political Economy. Both received their undergraduate degrees from Iowa State.

Veteran trial attorney Paul B. Ebert, LLB '63, is one of two Virginia prosecutors trying the first cases against the men accused of the sniper shootings that shook the D.C. metropolitan area this past fall. During his prosecutorial career, Ebert has tried thousands of cases, including more than 400 murder cases and cases that were popular in the media, such as that of John and Lorena Bobbitt.

With expertise and leadership in technology and banking, John A. Wing, LLB '63, was elected to the board of trustees of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago.

Saul Ewing litigation partner Albert Figinski, LLM '65, was chosen by the Daily Record as one of 24 Marylanders to receive the 2002 Leadership in the Law Award.

Asheville, N.C., is now home to David G. Stevenson, JD '65, following his retirement from the Amerada Hess Corp. in Houston. Stevenson spent 33 years with the company, where he served as general counsel of exploration and production for the Americas.

President George W. Bush designated W. Scott Railton, JD '65, chairman of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Railton previously served as a partner with Reed Smith and as chief counsel of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Brian Brunsvold, JD '67, is counsel for the Licensing Executives Society (USA and Canada) Inc. He provides legal advice to the officers and board of trustees of the 5,000-member society.

The North Carolina Dispute Resolution Commission of the Administrative Office of the Courts certified James T. Lambie, LLB '67, as a superior court mediator. Lambie is also active in a number of community affairs and serves on multiple boards in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Urban policy expert David F. Garrison, JD '68, LLM '70, has joined the Brookings Institution as deputy director of the Greater Washington Research Program. Garrison previously served as vice president of the National Academy of Public Administration.

Porter Wright Morris & Arthur announced the arrival of Alan Malasky, JD '68, as a partner in the firm's antitrust office. Malasky previously was an antitrust partner in the D.C. office of Seyfarth Shaw.

In recognition of his outstanding character and lasting commitment to the community, Jerome Kline, LLM '69, received the Multiple Sclerosis Leadership Award.

Principal and resident director of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone's Detroit office, Thomas G. Parachini, JD '69, was listed in the business litigation category of the 2003-04 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. In addition to his active trial practice, he has written in the area of litigation and has been a lecturer at the University of Michigan Institute for Continuing Legal Education.

After heading the antitrust group at Seyfarth Shaw in Washington, D.C., Donald Barnes, JD '70, joined Porter Wright Morris & Arthur as a partner in the firm's antitrust practice. He concentrates on antitrust and trade regulation, trade association representation, complex antitrust, and commercial litigation.

Marc L. Fleischaker, JD '70, was re-elected as the chairman of Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn in Washington, D.C. He has served as the company's chairman for the past six years, and he has been with the firm for more than 30 years.

Allen "Mike" Frischkorn, JD '70, is The European Institute's new executive director. Frischkorn brings more than 12 years of experience in the nonprofit sector to the Washington-based public policy organization. He previ-ously served as president of the Telecommunications Industry Association and president of the American Film Marketing Association.

Charles B. Lyon, JD '70, was included in the 2003-04 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He has been featured in the list of top lawyers in at least five of the past 10 editions.

After serving as the assistant general counsel and director for the American Petroleum Institute, David T. Deal,JD '72, joined Fulbright & Jaworski as senior counsel in its Washington, D.C., office.

With three decades of biotechnology experience in intellectual property, licensing and general corporate law, William Respess, JD '72, is a valued addition to Applied Molecular Evolution Inc. in San Diego as the company's new vice president and general counsel.

Named one of Oregon's top 10 trial lawyers by the National Law Journal in 2000, Dan Skerritt, LLM '72, joined the litigation group of Tonkon Torp as a partner. Skerritt has practiced law in Portland, Ore., for more than 30 years and was previously a partner at Atere Wynne.

Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn in Washington, D.C., announced that William R. Charyk, JD '73, is the firm's new managing partner. He was previously the firm's general business department manager.

Focusing his practice on assisting technology and emerging growth companies with corporate securities and mergers, acquisitions, and matters of corporate governance, Edward L. Hahn, JD '73, joined Murtha Cullina as a partner in its corporate department in Boston.

James P. King, LLM '73, was named the first government lawyer in residence at Albany Law School's Government Law Center in New York.

Now in the 29th year of his law practice, Joel S. Schecter, JD '73, has moved his office from Pompano Beach to Boca Raton, Fla. Schecter specializes in the area of trial practice-personal injury and wrongful death.

The Texas Lawyer selected Locke Liddell & Sapp partner Michael O. Sutton, JD '73, as one of the top five intellectual property lawyers in Texas. His peers also recently selected him for the third time to be included in the 2003-04 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.

Pillsbury Winthrop welcomed William Lange, JD '74, to its Washington, D.C., office as of counsel. Lange focuses on energy law.

Kansas City, Mo., construction lawyer Susan Linden McGreevy, JD '74, was selected by her peers for inclusion in the 2003-04 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. McGreevy is chair of the construction practice group and a member of the business transactions practice group at Husch & Eppenberger. She also serves on the firm's management committee.

Delaware Superior Court President Judge Henry duPont Ridgely, LLM '74, was elected vice chairman of the National Conference of State Trial Judges.

After retiring from General Motors, where he served for the past eight years as international tax director, David C. Roth, JD '74, is now an independent tax consultant in Detroit.

Chicago attorney Philip C. Stahl, JD '74, was elected managing partner of his law firm, Grippo & Elden, and was also re-elected to its executive committee.

Miami international tax attorney Steven L. Cantor, JD '75, was re-elected a member of the Council of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. Cantor is the council's sole representative from the United States. He also chairs the council's Miami chapter.

Employment law specialist George MacDonald, JD '75, has joined Drinker, Biddle as counsel.

Jerry Selinger, JD '75, a shareholder at Jenkens & Gilchrist in Dallas, was elected to the board of directors of the American Intellectual Property Law Association.

Joe Tasker, JD '75, was named senior vice president for government relations and general counsel of the Information Technology Association of America in Washington, D.C.

In San Diego, Brobeck Phleger & Harrison elected Franklin D. Ubell, JD '75, a partner. Ubell specializes in litigating intellectual property cases and counseling emerging companies in industries ranging from the Internet to optics, semiconductors, and computers.

The Rouse Co. in Columbia, Md., promoted Gordon H. Glenn, JD '76, to senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary.

Congratulations go to Valerie K. Schurman, JD '76, on receiving the Corporate Counsel of the Year award from the Southern California chapter of the American Corporate Counsel Association. Schurman is vice president and assistant general counsel of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

Stephen Sorett, JD '76, was elected a partner at Reed Smith in Washington.

The new senior vice president and chief financial officer of Read-Rite Corp. in Fremont, Calif., is Andrew C. Holcomb, JD '77.

After 12 years at National Geographic Society, most recently as senior vice president and deputy general counsel, Suzanne R. McDowell, JD '77, has returned to private practice as a partner at Steptoe & Johnson in Washington, D.C. McDowell's practice focuses on the legal needs of tax-exempt organizations.

Ira G. Megdal, LLM '77, was honored by the Southern New Jersey Council of the Boy Scouts of America in March with the "Silver Beaver Award," which recognizes participants who provide service to local youth. He is currently practicing commercial litigation with Cozen O'Connor's New Jersey offices.

Robert C. Moilanen, JD '77, joined Zimmerman Reed's Minneapolis office and is practicing in the area of class action securities litigation.

The Ohio State Bar Association has appointed Bradd N. Siegel, JD '77, chair of its Labor and Employment Law section. An attorney with Porter Wright Morris & Arthur in Columbus, Ohio, Siegel has appeared in almost every edition of The Best Lawyers In America since the publication's inception.

Because of his distinguished reputation in the area of construction law, Joseph C. Kovars, JD '78, was selected to author the chapter on "Maryland Construction Law" in the State Public Construction Law Source Book—a guidebook that enables out-of-state contractors to compete for contracts in multiple states and jurisdictions.

Environmental lawyer Rufus C. Young Jr., LLM '78, a partner in Burke, Williams & Sorenson, has relocated to the firm's San Diego office. Young concentrates his practice on storm water, solid waste, and endangered species issues.

David H. Baker, JD '79, was elected to the national executive committee at Thompson Hine & Flory in Washington, D.C.

Donald Bandler, JD '79, has joined Monsanto Co. as senior vice president for government affairs, headquartered in St. Louis. Bandler most recently served as U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Cyprus. During his distinguished career in international relations, he received the State Department's Superior Honor Award on four occasions, as well as the French Legion of Honor in 1998.

Capehart Scatchard Managing Shareholder Peter S. Bejsiuk, JD '79, was recently named president of the board of trustees for the Moorestown, N.J.-based Perkins Center for the Arts.

Ralph V. De Martino, JD '79, is a managing partner at Dilworth Paxson in Washington, D.C., where he focuses on corporate finance.

Homestore Inc., a leading supplier of online media and technology tools to real estate professionals, announced that Michael R. Douglas, JD '79, has joined the company as executive vice president and general counsel.

California Gov. Gray Davis has appointed civil litigator Steven J. Kleifield, JD '79, to the Los Angeles Superior Court in Santa Monica.

A Passion for Good Work

Growing up in rural Virginia, in a town that even today does without traffic lights, Janet Jackson, JD '78, had no reason to imagine that she might one day study law; become, in turn, a judge, a city attorney, and the CEO of Ohio's largest charity; and be elected to a statewide women's hall of fame. When she entered GW Law School in 1975, she had never even met anyone like her, a woman and an African-American, who was also a lawyer.

Jackson planned a career as a librarian, but she applied to law school after a friend bet her that she would be accepted with a scholarship. The friend won the bet and Jackson enrolled. Only when she began going to classes, Jackson says, did she begin to see how “law could really have an impact on people like me.”

From law school forward, Jackson's career reveals what she modestly does not detail: intelligence, dedication, and hard work. After her second year at GW, she was recruited for a summer position in the office of Ohio's attorney general; after graduation she returned and began tackling cases involving a range of civil rights issues. During the next decade, she assumed more and more responsibility, once taking a year off to try private practice, which she found didn't have the same appeal for her as public service. She returned to the attorney general's office to head up first the civil rights and later the workers compensation divisions. In January 1987, she was appointed to a judgeship on the Franklin County Municipal Court, the first African-American woman to fill that role.

Although becoming a judge was not a personal goal for Jackson, she decided to serve because she felt it was important for the court to become more diverse: “In the past, I've been motivated to do things because they've needed to be done.” She heard cases and wrote decisions for 10 years, then was appointed and later elected city attorney for Columbus, Ohio, motivated again by a desire to bring diversity to a position that had been held only once by an African American and never by a woman. As city attorney for the nation's 15th largest city, Jackson oversaw a staff of 170, including 65 lawyers. She is grateful for the fabulous people who worked there, she says. “I took a personal interest in my staff and in helping them realize their dreams.”

For many years, Jackson has extended her commitment to public service through nearly three dozen board memberships, planning committees, and task forces. Many of these focus on the needs of family and children“Jackson has a 13-year-old son who is “the foremost presence in my life”“as well as on diversity, gender equity, mental health, and AIDS. She has received many awards recognizing her dedication to public service, culminating with her election to the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 2001.

What does a bright woman in the prime of life who has achieved so much do next? Last year, while contemplating this question, Jackson was invited to serve as president and CEO of United Way of Central Ohio. “I did not hesitate,” she says. She had served on the board and feels a passion for the organization's mission. As a judge, Jackson found that changing the course of individual lives was her most rewarding experience. Her work at the United Way has a similar goal, she says. Homelessness is one example. “We will probably never get rid of the problem. So we do need to provide shelter. But we also need to work toward preventing homelessness. What is creating the problem? Lack of skills. One way we address these issues is through our Rebuilding Lives Program, which provides both shelter and skill training.”

Jackson brought only a few tokens from her 24-year legal career to her new office at the United Way, among them her gavel and a photo of her female colleagues on the bench. She left her law degree and license to practice before the Supreme Court at home to symbolize the new direction in her career. Perhaps the most important mementos are intangible: a passion for good work, confidence in her instincts, and a certainty that the most important thing in life is moving toward a goal. She learned this in law school, she says, but it seems to have roots much deeper in her past, perhaps in her childhood in a small town with no traffic lights.

Amy Aldrich

Gordon B. Finley Jr., LLM '80, is senior labor counsel for the Air Force at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois. In this position he serves numerous commanders and supports nearly 5,000 civilian employees. Before retiring from Air Force active duty, he served in the Air Force Judge Advocate General department.

Congratulations go to Joseph Alex Valdez, JD '80, on receiving the 2002 National Public Service Award. Valdez was one of five people honored nationwide with the prestigious award.

Due to his experience managing and strategically directing a major textile company, as well as his expertise in a broad range of international business activities, Ralph C. Wollner, M Comp Law '80, was appointed to the board of directors of Justwin Technologies Inc. in New York.

Genevieve Morelli, JD '81, was elected a partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm Kelley Drye & Warren.

Former district administrator of the Florida Department of Children and Families in Miami Charles Auslander, JD '82, rejoined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in the firm's appellate department.

The Oct. 28 issue of BusinessWeek featured a story on the research of Ross Fuerman, JD '82, an accounting professor at Suffolk University in Boston who has developed a new method to evaluate auditors.

Robert J. Gallop, JD '82, is president of the Arthur Vanderbilt Inn of Court in New Jersey, which teaches trial practice, ethics, and civility to young trial lawyers. Gallop is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a civil trial attorney.

Rockville, Md., attorney Evan Krame, JD '82, LLM '85, was elected president of the board of directors of GW's Hillel program for a two-year term.

In New York City, Allan N. Krinsman, JD '82, has joined Stroock & Stroock & Lavan as a partner in the firm's structured finance practice. Krinsman specializes in mortgage-backed securities.

After serving as a partner in the D.C. office of Reed Smith, Dorn McGrath III, JD '82, has joined Greenberg Traurig as a partner in the firm's government contracts practice in McLean, Va.

GEICO Corp. in Washington, D.C., named Dana K. Proulx, JD '82, assistant vice president and assistant general counsel.

Evelyn Wrin, JD '82, was elected secretary of the D.C. Preservation League's executive committee.

In Tampa, Fla., Dennis J. LeVine, JD '83, was honored with the "My Boss is a Patriot Award." The award recognized LeVine's steadfast support of his firm's legal assistant, Deborah Clanton, an armed forces reservist who fulfilled her military obligations in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

In McLean, Va., Morgan Lewis & Bockius named Douglas P. Lobel, JD '83, a partner.

Martin Tracy, JD '83, is president of Professional Risk Management Services Inc., a medical malpractice insurance brokerage in Arlington, Va.

Andrew S. Bogen, JD '84, has joined the New York City offices of Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn as a partner in the health care transaction and business practice groups.

GenCorp Inc. of Sacramento, Calif., announced that William E. Hvidsten, JD '84, has assumed the position of environmental senior counsel.

Don Koenig, BA '80, JD '84, was promoted to vice president of corporate responsibility for Catholic Healthcare Partners, headquartered in Cincinnati. He also was appointed to the audit and compliance committee of the board of trustees of Catholic Healthcare West, based in San Francisco.

Richard M. Kuntz, JD '84, joined the partnership of the Chicago law firm of Bollinger, Ruberry and Garvey.

Elected to the board of the environment and natural resources section of the Idaho State Bar, Raymond Takashi Swenson, LLM '84, organized a special issue of the bar's March 2003 Advocate magazine with seven articles on environmental law topics. He wrote two articles for the Advocate. He is senior counsel for the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, a research center operated by Bechtel and a consortium of universities for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Former partner at Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer, and Feld, Janet Boyd, JD '85, has been named director of governmental relations for tax and benefits at Dow Chemical Co. Boyd also serves as president of Charities Aid Foundation America.

Sixteen-year veteran of the commercial real estate industry Robert A. Klausner, JD '85, was appointed vice president/general counsel of The Schultz Org./TCN Worldwide, a real estate corporation headquartered in Woodbridge, N.J.

Palo Alto, Calif., attorney Ian Ballon, JD '86, of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, was appointed adviser to the International Intellectual Property Project of the American Law Institute.

Former Colorado U.S. Sen. Hank Brown, LLM '86, is the president and chief executive officer for The Daniels Fund-a charitable fund that makes grants and college prep and scholarship programs available in Colorado, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Utah. Brown served in the Senate from 1990 to 1997 and served in Congress from 1980 to 1990.

Senior vice president and general counsel of Washington-based Intelsat Global Service Corp. is David B. Meltzer, JD '86, who led the company to privatization during the past several years. Intelsat was the world's first commercial satellite operator.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society honored Michele A. Pincus, JD '86, with its 2002 Leadership Recognition Award. Pincus is a lead partner at the Melville, N.Y., law firm Lazer, Aptheker, Feldman, Rosella & Yedid.

Jennifer Tucker, JD '86, was named co-chair of the employment law practice group at the Boston firm Hill & Barlow. She is also co-chair of the Boston Bar Association's Labor & Employment Legislative Committee for 2002-03.

William M. Weisberg, JD '86, has joined the Washington, D.C., office of Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman as a partner. Weisberg heads the firm's new government contracts and grants practice.

W. Mark Wigmore, JD '86, is the new president and chief executive officer of St. Paul Reinsurance Co. with offices in New York and London. Wigmore previously served as vice president and associate general counsel of Travelers Property Casualty Corp.

Fox Rothschild O'Brien & Frankel recently named M. Joel Bolstein, JD '87, a partner in its environmental law group in Doylestown, Pa.

Responsible for managing day-to-day operations of the legal services division and for representing and advising Private HealthCare Systems on all legal matters, LeeAnn Solomon Christ, JD '87, was promoted to vice president and general counsel for PHCS in Massachusetts.

Michelle A. Mendez, JD '87, joined the law firm of Larson King as a partner in its Dallas office. She established the firm's bankruptcy and reorganization section, and she focuses on the representation of distressed companies, debtors, creditors, committees, equity holders, trustees, and financial advisers, among others.

With an expertise in providing legal services in the areas of treasury, finance, and records management matters, Jami K. Suver, JD '88, was promoted to senior counsel at Ashland Inc. in Covington, Ky.

Lillian J. Garcia, JD '89, and husband Bruce A. Mandell welcomed their second child, Isabella Nicole, to the world Oct. 12. The family lives in Woodbridge, Conn., and New York City.

The New Jersey Law Journal named trial lawyer David S. Osterman, JD '88, to its "40 under 40" list of outstanding young attorneys. A partner with McCarter & English in Newark, N.J., Osterman recently completed a term as chair of the firm's product liability and toxic tort litigation practice group. Osterman also is an editor of the Trial Handbook of New Jersey, 4th Edition, and lectures widely on state and federal litigation issues.

David Hertz, JD '88, and Diane (Hull) Hertz, JD '89, proudly announce the birth of their son, Braden Davis Hertz, on Aug. 6, 2002, in New York City.

The pitter-patter of two sets of tiny footsteps now fill the home of Todd J. Shoudy, JD '88, the proud father of twins, Trevis and Tiernan, born March 15, 2002.

In Hollywood, Fla., Carlton Bober, JD '89, has joined Vernis & Bowling as partner and managing attorney of the firm's liability department.

Philadelphia attorney David Fryman, JD '89, with Ballard, Spahr, Andres & Ingersoll, was recognized by American Lawyer Media as one of the top 50 young attorneys in Pennsylvania.

Vice president and general counsel of Marste & Co. Steve Kahaner, JD '89, was named to the board of directors of The Association of Language Companies. Kahaner is also executive director of Juriscribe, a division of Marste & Co. that provides translation and related language services to the legal community.

Jonathan L. Katz, JD '89, is a criminal defense and First Amendment law partner at Marks & Katz in Silver Spring, Md. He was reappointed president of the Free Speech Coalition of the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia. The coalition promotes the Constitutional rights and general welfare of the adult entertainment industry. Katz also handled a recent case for the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

The director of the newly established District of Columbia Office of Veterans Affairs is Kerwin E. Miller, LLM '89.

In Atlanta, Michael Bishop, JD '90, was named chief intellectual property counsel for BellSouth Corp. and vice president and general counsel of the BellSouth Intellectual Property Corp.

Tenley A. Carp, JD '90, has joined McGuire Woods' Washing-ton office as a partner in the corporate services department.

Jay M. Eisenberg, JD '90, was elected to a one-year term on the board of the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Environmental attorney Peter J. Fontaine, JD '90, has joined the Cherry Hill, N.J., office of Cozen O'Connor as a member.

Previously the chief of the authorities unit for the New Jersey governor, Paul P. Josephson, JD '90, is now the chief counsel to the governor. He is responsible for the governor's relationships with more than 40 independent authorities, boards, and commissions.

James A. McGovern, JD '90, was elected shareholder in the defense litigation firm Marshall, Dennehey, Warner, Coleman & Goggin. He practices in the firm's Pittsburgh office and concentrates on the defense of professional liability matters.

Ralf Mehnert-Meland, JD '90, has joined SAP America Inc. as senior manager of business development in SAP's new business one division in Minnesota.

Because of his extensive experience in government contracts law, legal, and technology matters, as well as his leadership and management skills, David M. Pronchick, LLM '90, was named executive director of the Boston Bar Association and the Boston Bar Foundation. He also produced a practical contract reference guide, which expedited the contract review process that is now being used by U.S. Air Force lawyers stationed throughout the world.

After specializing in antitrust law for six years at the Federal Trade Commission, William "Billy" Vigdor, JD '90, joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner in its Washington, D.C., office.

In Los Angeles, Wayne R. Brosman, JD '91, was named a partner at Ryan Brosman & Hammers, where he practices real estate litigation and transactions.

The D.C. Office of Covington & Burling made Eric Greenberg, JD '91, a partner in the firm's corporate, tax, and benefits practice.

The New Jersey Law Journal named Marc Gross, BA '88, JD '91, to its distinguished "40 under 40" list, honoring the state's top young attorneys. Gross is a senior business litigation partner with Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith, Ravin, Davis & Himmel in Woodbridge, N.J.

Representing more than 100 hospitals in federal court and administrative actions seeking Medicare payments for the cost of treating low-income patients, Chris Keough, JD '91, joined Vinson & Elkins as a health lawyer in its Washington, D.C., office.

Covington & Burling announced that Michael Francese, JD '92, made partner in its corporate, tax, and benefits practice in Washington, D.C.

Exide Technologies, a global leader in stored electrical energy solutions, recently appointed Stuart H. Kupinsky, JD '92, senior vice president, general counsel, and secretary. The company is based in Princeton, N.J.

Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs shareholder Andrew W. Owen, JD '92, was selected by Business First magazine as one of the "40 Under 40" rising young leaders shaping the future of Columbus, Ohio. A member of his firm's litigation practice group, Owen serves on the board of trustees of Children's Hunger Alliance and recently completed a term as chair of the Young Lawyers Section of the Ohio State Bar Association.

The new president-elect of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association is John C. Yang, JD '92. Yang is a partner in Wiley Rein & Fielding's litigation, appellate, and insurance practices in Washington, D.C.

Currently the managing partner of Abramson, Bailinson & O'Leary in Manchester, N.H., Ron Abramson, JD '93, was selected by the Fulbright Commission to be a U.S. Scholar. He will teach criminal trial advocacy at the Universidad Diego Portales law school in Santiago, Chile, next year. He also is an adjunct professor at Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, N.H.

Evan Chuck, JD '93, has joined Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman as a partner in the firm's Palo Alto, Calif., and Los Angeles offices.

Robert Hahl, JD '93, is a registered patent attorney and has joined Katten Muchin Zavis Rosenman as special counsel in Washington, D.C.

New York's Kenyon & Kenyon elected Robert Hails, JD '93, a partner. Hails, who works in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, specializes in patent matters.

The Newark, N.J., firm McCarter & English elected Gregory H. Horowitz, BBA '90, JD '93, a partner. Horowitz has extensive experience litigating and counseling corporate policyholders on insurance coverage disputes.

Gwendolyn R. Majette, JD '93, is a legal writing professor at Howard University School of Law. Her recent article, "Access to Health Care: What a Difference Shades of Color Make," was published by Loyola University Chicago School of Law. She also was one of three faculty members who filed an amicus brief with the Supreme Court on behalf of Howard Law students in support of the University of Michigan. Majette lives in Silver Spring, Md., with her husband, Mario L. Majette.

Erin M. Egan, JD '94, is a partner with Covington & Burling's technology, media and communications group in Washington, D.C.

In Asheville, N.C., Anna R. Hamrick, JD '94, and Leah Broker formed Broker & Hamrick, specializing in plaintiff's worker's compensation and Social Security disability.

Danne Johnson, JD '94, recently accepted a teaching job at Oklahoma City University. She will be teaching classes in civil procedure, civil procedure 2, and agency.

The new president and CEO of Stanley Associates Inc. in Alexandria, Va., is Phil Nolan, JD '94.

Focusing on the documentation, regulation, and financial aspects of timeshare, resort, and community development law, Bernie Smith, JD '94, joined the Washington, D.C., offices of Holland & Knight in 1997 to practice real property law.

The New York City firm Bragar Wexler Eagel & Morgenstern elected Gregory A. Blue, BA '90, JD '95, a partner. Bradley P. Hartman, BBA '90, JD '95, joined Stinson Morrison & Heckler as a partner in the firm's trademark and copyright practice in Phoenix. Hartman also serves as vice chairman of the intellectual property section of the Arizona state Bar.

In Hackensack, N.J., Randi W. Kochman, JD '95, was elected a partner of Cole, Schotz, Meisel, Forman & Leonard.

Kiyo D. Oden, JD/MPH '95, has started The Oden Firm, in Washington, D.C., Oden specializes in corporate transactional, and sports and entertainment industry representation.

Brian C. Park, JD '95, and the former Jacqueline Wickersham recently celebrated their first wedding anniversary. Park also made litigation partner in the Seattle office of Dorsey & Whitney's intellectual property group.

Daniel Donovan, JD '96, was named a partner at Kirkland & Ellis in Washington.

Following the merger between Dyer Ellis & Joseph and Blank Rome in Washington, D.C., Alan M. Freeman, JD '96, will continue his practice in commercial and maritime litigation and police practices with the combined firm at Blank Rome.

Litigator Michael Greco, JD '96, recently moved to Saul Ewing, where he started an employee defection and recruitment practice group.

Robin H. Villanueva, JD '96, has joined Davis & Harman as a senior associate in the firm's benefits group in Washington, D.C.

Congratulations go to Gina M. (Boscarino) Bouloy, JD/MPH '97, on her November marriage to Drew Bouloy, a systems analyst for the Marine Corps Systems Command. Bouloy recently became a share-holder with Feder Semo & Bard in Washington, D.C.

Michael S. Gardner, JD '97, made partner at Bickel & Brewer's Dallas office.

Returning to Washington as press secretary for Rep. Anthony Weiner (D.-N.Y.) is Anson E. Kaye, JD '97.

The justices of the Second District of the Illinois Appellate Court appointed Jeffrey H. Kaplan, JD '97, their director of research.

After more than four years practicing commercial litigation at Howard Rice in San Francisco, Ed Mullen, JD '97, returned to Washington, D.C., to continue practicing commercial litigation at Ross, Dixon & Bell. He is eager to catch up with law school colleagues in D.C. with whom he has lost touch over the years. He can be reached at edmullen@earthlink.net.

Mark L. Rohrbaugh, JD '97, was appointed director of the National Institutes of Health's Office of Technology Transfer. In that capacity, he directs NIH's technol-ogy licensing program. After law school, Rohrbaugh earned a doctorate in biochemistry.

Cooley Godward LLP announced that Allan M. Soobert, LLM '97, was elected a partner. Soobert is a litigation attorney in the firm's Reston, Va., office. He specializes in intellectual property matters.

W. Andrew Sorrell, JD '97, rejoined Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed in the firm's litigation practice in Orlando, Fla. Previ-ously he worked as an assistant county attorney in Osceola County, Fla.

Congratulations go to Alexander Vogel, JD '97, and Jill Holtzman, who were married June 1 in New Market, Va. Vogel serves as general counsel of the National Republican Senatorial Committee in Washington, D.C.

Newly elected Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle named Stan Davis, JD '98, his deputy chief of staff and legal counsel. Davis served as an assistant attorney general under then-Attorney General Doyle from 1998 to 2002. On the home front, he, wife Jessica, and 2-year-old daughter Jenna welcomed baby Jada to the family Dec. 13.

Michael Garson, JD '98, has joined the D.C. office of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds as an associate in the firm's national litigation practice.

Brian Greenberg, BA '94, JD '98, was promoted to managing director at Kaulkin Ginsberg Co., a service business advisory company in Bethesda, Md.

On Oct. 26, Jay Kooper, JD '98, married Jessica Schneider. Kooper is an associate at the New Jersey firm Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, where he specializes in public utilities law.

Rachel A. Stein, JD '98, was married Oct. 20 to Jason D. Fernbach. She is an associate at Stein and Schonfeld in Garden City, N.Y.

The Rockville, Md., law firm Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker has named Alexander Nemiroff, JD '98, an associate in the commercial litigation department. Nemiroff primarily represents homebuilders and land developers.

The California firm Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory announced the appointment of Mary D. Walsh, JD '98, as an associate in its labor and employment.

Harvey Gee, LLM '99, is currently serving as a law clerk to Judge Roger T. Benitez at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California.

Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski has named Joel Gilbertson, JD '99, the state's commissioner of health and social services. A native of Woodbridge, Va., Gilbertson is the youngest state commissioner in Alaska history. Gilbertson was Murkowski's legislative director and legislative counsel on Capitol Hill. Murkowski resigned his Senate seat in December when he was sworn in as governor of Alaska.

David R. Hale, JD '99, and Cheryl M. Demma, JD '00, who were married in October 2000, proudly announce the birth of their daughters, Hannah Kathryn and Sophia Richmond, on July 31. He recently joined Ameritrade as associate general counsel, while she continues her practice at the Baltimore firm Pierson & Pierson.

Michelle S. Lyon, JD '99, completed her LLM in taxation at New York University Law School in 2002 and is an attorney with the Office of the Associate Chief Counsel (International) at the Internal Revenue Service in Washington.

Daniel J. Oginsky, JD '99, has joined Dykema Gossett as an associate in Lansing, Mich. Oginsky focuses on regulatory and administrative law matters.

Kerri Ruttenberg, JD '99, founded a domestic violence program at King and Spaulding in Washington, D.C.

Walter B. Gonzalez Jr., JD '00, has joined Holtzman Equels & Furia as an associate in the firm's litigation and corporate and international business groups in Miami.

Christopher Johnson, JD '00, is learning how to work on four hours of sleep after his wife gave birth to their son, Cameron Christopher, Dec. 28. He is currently practicing labor and employment law as an associate at Thompson Hine in Cleveland.

Akalemwa Ngenda, LLM '00, was elected to the Law Association of Zambia Council, the highest policy-making organization of the bar society in Zambia. Ngenda also is a member of the association's committees on intellectual property law and information technology, and is on the civil society litigation team.

David Salkeld, BA '96, MA '00, JD '00, recently left the U.S. Department of commerce to become an attorney/adviser with the U.S. Customs Service, where he handles international trade.

Tamarindo, Costa Rica, was the site of the recent wedding of Karen Smith, LLM '00, and Felix LoStracco. Smith works at the National Association of Home Builders in Washington.

Naomi A. Bass, JD '01, has joined the Boston firm Choate Hall & Stewart as an associate in the litigation and land use/environmental (real estate) practice groups.

Ryan M. Colker, JD '01, authored a special report of the Renewable Natural Resources Foundation. The report features the findings and recommendations of delegates to the RNRF Congress on Control of Nonpoint Source Water Pollution: Options and Opportunities, held in September 2002.

Concentrating on commercial litigation, insurance, and products liability matters, Shari J. Polonetsky, JD '01, joined the Morristown, N.J., law firm Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti as an associate in its New York office.

Leon R. Sequeira, JD '01, recently moved from the Senate Rules Committee to become personal legal counsel to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R.-Ky.).

Michael E. Zolandz Jr., BA '98, JD '01, joined Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal as an associate in the firm's public law and policy strategies group in Washington, D.C.

Patent attorney Trevor D. Arnold, LLM '02, is an associate in Burns & Levinson's intellectual property group in Washington.

Hernan L. Bentolila, LLM '02, has won the 2002 Robert C. Watson Award, a national law student writing competition sponsored by the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Bentolila won the award for his paper, “Lessons from the United States Trade Policies to Convert a Pirate: The Case of Pharmaceutical Patents in Argentina,” which also won an honorable mention in the 2002 Finnegan Prize competition. The paper appears in the March 2003 issue of the Yale Journal of Law & Technology.

Congratulations go to Ray E. Donahue, JD '02, and Lisa Lefant, JD '02, who became husband and wife Sept. 7. They live in Virginia and work in Washington, where Donahue is an associate at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, and Lefant is an associate at Wiley Rein & Fielding.

Stuart Y. Itani, JD '02, has joined Arter & Hadden's Cleveland office as an associate in the firm's litigation/trial practice group.

Alix Lormand, JD '02, joined Andrews & Kurth as an associate in the firm's litigation practice in Dallas.

The Washington firm Sterne Kessler Goldstein & Fox announced the arrival of Jessica Parezo, JD '02, as an associate in the biotechnology/chemical group.

William S. Pufko, LLM '02, is now an associate with the Morristown, N.J., firm Riker, Danzig, Scherer, Hyland & Perretti, where he practices in the environmental group.

Kathy A. Sherrill, JD '02, joined Reed Smith in Leesburg, Va. Sherrill works in the firm's K-12 practice, which represents more than 80 public school systems.

Commander of the Courtroom

Instead of going to college classes one week 37 years ago, Robert Katzberg, JD '71, headed for Freehold, N.J., to watch the murder trial of anesthesiologist Carl Coppolino. F. Lee Bailey was Copollino's attorney, and Katzberg watched raptly as the famous man plied his trade.

Katzberg's interest in law had been piqued by television's “The Defenders.” Observing the real-life courtroom drama, he was hooked.

Today a noted criminal defense attorney, Katzberg won a landmark wrongful prosecution suit against a government informer in April 2002. It was a victory over a sentencing system that too often encourages government witnesses to lie, he says.

When he wasn't skipping school to watch trials, Katzberg attended Brooklyn College for $32 a semester. After graduating cum laude, he landed a scholarship from GW Law. That first year Katzberg donned a jacket and tie each day. After class, he worked for the presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy and also served on Law Review. Later, JD in hand, he cut his legal teeth clerking for Judge Oliver Gasch, LLB' 32, of the federal district court in Washington. From Gasch, he received his first lessons in the nuanced legal system. “In law school, you think things are going to be clear-cut,” Katzberg says. They rarely are.

When his clerkship ended, Katzberg returned to New York and worked for five years as an assistant U.S. attorney, receiving the Justice Department's Special Achievement Award for prosecuting white-collar cases. Then, like many former prosecutors, he switched sides, making a name in defense. Alexander H. Shapiro, a former federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York, once prosecuted a case against Katzberg; Katzberg's client was acquitted. Shapiro calls Katzberg “the best cross-examiner I've ever seen, a formidable adversary. He commands the courtroom.”

Katzberg has defended a wide range of personalities and firms, “some wonderful, some unsavory” and relishes the challenge of defending clients against the government, with its vast resources. “You are always the underdog,” he says. “Beating the odds, getting an acquittal, or convincing a prosecutor not to indict—it's enormously satisfying.”

He also is inspired by his love of language and the drama of the courtroom. A man who speaks with gusto and sprinkles his stories with apt metaphors, Katzberg views each case from the “artistic and technical point of view.” Colleagues describe his courtroom manner as dignified, strong, and aggressive. “He's the go-to guy in New York,” says Reid Weingarten, a Washington attorney who sometimes teams up with Katzberg.

The problems of Katzberg's client, Teddy Rothstein, had all the elements of drama. By his own admission, Rothstein made a living selling adult material, generally staying inside the law. Now, however, another entrepreneur had falsely accused him as a central figure in an adult video ring. Later the charges against Rothstein were dropped. Rothstein credited Katzberg—who successfully defended another individual in the case—for the surprise dismissal, and approached him to sue his wrongful accuser for defamation of character. Instead, Katzberg came up with an idea that had never been tried in this context—suing for malicious prosecution.

For Katzberg, the lawsuit was nearly a crusade. Mandatory federal sentencing guidelines encourage convicted criminals to provide prosecutors with incriminating information in return for leniency. In theory, the guidelines are meant to clean up the streets. In practice, Katzberg and other defense attorneys believe, they “provide enormous incentive for people to lie.”

It took more than four years for the case to come to trial. Among the obstacles Katzberg overcame were legal barriers to deposing the FBI agents and the government attorney who prose-cuted Rothstein.

The jury awarded Rothstein $1.25 million in damages, including $1 million in punitive damages, a record for malicious prosecution in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree Jr. noted in a New York Times article that the verdict demonstrates that there is a “civil remedy for false testi-mony” and that “lying witnesses have to pay.”

Katzberg, whose current assignment is serving as co-counsel for Mark Belnick, a high-profile attorney recently indicted for fraud in the prosecutions against the Tyco Corp., relishes the intensity of his work. “When you are defending somebody, it is flesh and blood,” he says. “My clients usually have the legal equivalent of cancer. I'm supposed to be someone who can cure the cancer. It's a great challenge.”

Amy Aldrich

Richards Named Lawyer of the Year The Foundation of the D.C. Bar Association named Suzanne V. Richards, BA '48, JD '57, LLM '59, its Lawyer of the Year for 2002. A December event at the Russian embassy in Washington celebrated the event. An active lawyer who has a solo practice, Richards has been a member of the Bar for more than 40 years. She has served in every elected office of the Association and was elected its first woman president in 1989. She also has been involved in several other Washington organizations and continues to practice law and serve as a mentor and leader.

Redskins Great Former Redskins quarterback Eddie LeBaron, JD '59, was among the 70 Greatest Washington Redskins honored during halftime at a home game Oct. 26. LeBaron played for the Redskins from 1952 to 1959. For more on LeBaron, see GW Law School magazine's feature story on LeBaron in the June 1999 issue of GW Law School Magazine at www.gwmagazine.com.

Virginia Honors Carrico Virginia Gov. Mark Warner, BA '77 (left), joined Chief Justice of Virginia Harry Lee Carrico, JD '42, Hon. '87, to celebrate Carrico's tenure as the leader of Virginia's judicial system. The December dinner and reception tribute event, sponsored by several Virginia bar associations, was held at the Jefferson Hotel in Richmond.

Alumni Bookshelf

Karen E. Black, LLM '86, an attorney practicing estate law in Escondido, Calif., has self-published her first novel, Code of Conduct. Based on her husband's experiences as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, the book tells the story of a fictional Navy pilot who is shot down in Vietnam and spends almost seven years in a POW camp only to return to a wife who has cheated on him and a home that no longer includes him. The scenes in the prison camps are real and are based on military research and on her husband's and other POW's accounts of what happened to them in Vietnam.

While the book takes place in the middle of a war, it is not so much a blood-and-guts story, Black says, but rather, an emotional tale of a family torn apart by war. The book is available at www.code-of-conduct.com.

Based on her experiences as an expatriate lawyer, Pamela Eddy, JD '81, weaves a mystery of murder and office politics among London lawyers in her book Killable Hours (Five Star, 2002). The mystery novel explores the unnatural death by chocolate of a young, pregnant lawyer's “demonic” boss. Eddy uses not only her knowledge of lawyers, but also her expertise on food safety that comes from specializing in product safety law for multinational food, drug, medical device, and cosmetic companies in London during the mad cow disease epidemic.

An adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College teaching in the paralegal studies program, Pierce Kelley, JD '73, wrote Civil Litigation: A Case Study (Pearson Publications, 2002). In writing his book he drew on almost 20 years of experience in the area of civil litigation, with a concentration on personal injury litigation. Kelley is of counsel for Hinshaw & Culbertson in Tampa, Fla.

An associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Piper Rudnick, Raymond Millien, JD '97, co-authored From Finals to the Firm: The Top 10 Things New Law Firm Associates Should Know (Matthew Bender & Co., 2003). The 72-page book is a quick read. It is written in a humorous, informal tone, yet it offers provocative and practical tips that will assist law students and younger associates in their transition from law school to law firm. The book also includes a bonus chapter for summer associates.

Regardless of whether the reader's goal is to make partner, go in-house, or leave the practice of law altogether, the book offers informative, inspirational, and insightful advice that Millien believes will lead to a more rewarding law firm experience.