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’’60s | ’70s | ’80s | ’90s | ’00s | Distinguished Military Service | A Fulbright Scholar, A Human Rights Educator | A Voice for the District | Solomon's Wisdom | In Memoriam | And What About You?

Jack Olender, LLM ’61, a medical malpractice attorney, was on the faculty of “Tort Reform: What is Right, What is Wrong” at the American Bar Association’s Third Annual Washington Healthcare Summit in October.

In July, Daniel R. O’Neill, LLM ’67, joined Stinson Morrison Hecker as a senior attorney in its business litigation division. Focusing on white-collar criminal defense and corporate compliance, O’Neill has represented St. Louis businesses and institutions for more than 25 years.

Managing partner of Hackensack, N.J., firm Winne, Banta, Hetherington, Basralian & Kahn, Joseph L. Basralian, JD ’68, was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his philanthropic contributions. The award, established in 1986, is sanctioned by both houses of Congress and recipients are listed in the Congressional Record. Basralian was recognized for longstanding service to his Armenian ancestry, in particular to the global Armenian diaspora, and to his local community. He is secretary of the Central Board of Trustees of the Armenian General Benevolent Union and is a former trustee and secretary of the Armenian Fund USA. His practice focuses on areas of real estate and land use, corporate and commercial law, and banking services. He and his wife, Jacqueline, reside in Franklin Lakes, N.J.

Warren L. Lewis, JD ’72, partner and chair of franchising and licensing at Williams Mullen in Richmond, Va., was included in Washington SmartCeo’s list of “Legal Elite.” Lewis previously was recognized as a leader in franchise law by International Who’s Who of Franchise Lawyers for helping clients capture growth opportunities in the United States and internationally through franchising and licensing. He is legal counsel to the Capital Area Franchise Association and is a recipient of the International Franchise Association’s “Franny” Distinguished Achievement Award.

In June, Frederic G. Berner Jr., JD ’73, was elected president, CEO, and chair of the board of directors of the Energy Bar Association. The EBA has about 2,400 members and six regional and local chapters. Berner is a senior partner with Sidley Austin Brown & Wood. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for two EBA-affiliated foundations, the Foundation of the Energy Law Journal and the Charitable Foundation of the Energy Bar Association.

In August, Eric G. Moskowitz, JD ’73, was named assistant general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board’s special litigation branch. The cases he oversees include issues of preemption, bankruptcy, subpoena enforcement, and the Freedom of Information Act. He previously served as an attorney in its appellate court branch and in the NLRB’s special litigation branch, of which he became deputy assistant general counsel in 1987.

A principal in the Detroit office of Miller, Canfield, Paddock and Stone, Richard J. Seryak, JD ’75, was elected a fellow in the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers. The college is a non-profit professional association honoring leading lawyers in the practice of labor and employment law. Seryak has more than 30 years of experience in labor and employment law including wrongful discharge and employment discrimination, civil litigation, and Michigan Department of Civil Rights proceedings.

Chair of the employee benefits practice of Fox Rothschild, Susan Foreman Jordan, JD ’76, will be included in the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. Jordan specializes in employee benefits law, tax law, and trusts and estates. She also has been recognized as a top attorney by Pennsylvania Law Weekly, The Legal Intelligencer, and Law & Politics.

Daniel R Levinson, LLM ’77, former inspector general of the U.S. General Services Administration, was sworn in as inspector general of the U.S. Department of Heath and Human Services in June. He serves as chief audit and law enforcement executive for the largest civilian department in the federal government. Levinson formerly was deputy general counsel of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management; general counsel of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission; and chairman of the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board. In the private sector, he practiced employment law for more than a decade, representing public and private sector management before Congress, the courts, and regulatory agencies.

Reading & Northern Railroad, a 314-mile freight railroad with more than 90 employees based in Port Clinton, Pa., appointed Wayne A. Michel, BA ’75, JD ’78, president in January. He previously held marketing positions at Consolidated Rail Corp. in Philadelphia and was an attorney with the Interstate Commerce Commission. Michel resides with his wife in Valley Forge, Pa.

Construction lawyer Joseph C. Kovars, JD ’78, was selected for the 2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America. He works in the Baltimore office of Ober/Kaler.

Cozen O’Connor’s Washington office welcomed Ralph V. De Martino, JD ’79, as a member and vice chair of the firm’s securities offerings and regulations practice group. A member of the D.C. Bar Association Committee on Corporate, Banking and Business Law, De Martino has 25 years of experience as a securities attorney. He also advises audit committees and councils of numerous NASDAQ organizations on stock exchange listing and delisting matters.

Claudia Z. Springer, JD ’80, an attorney with Reed Smith in Philadelphia, was named among the “Top 50 Female” attorneys in her state in a list compiled by Law & Politics and Philadelphia magazines.

Trademark Insider ranked Scott J. Fields, JD ’84, as the highest filing lawyer in the United States for the first quarter of 2005. Last year, Fields was ranked third nationwide in total trademark filings and was the largest filing attorney in the Philadelphia area. He is CEO of the National IP Rights Center in Blue Bell, Pa.

Barry Boss, JD ’85, in August was elected co-chair of the ABA Criminal Justice Section’s Corrections and Sentencing Committee, addressing criminal law and justice. Boss also presented at the 14th Annual National Seminar on the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in San Francisco. As managing partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Washington office, Boss concentrates on complex criminal matters with a focus on white-collar crime and corporate compliance. He is co-author of Federal Criminal Practice, an adjunct professor at GW Law, and vice chair of the D.C. Federal Bar Association’s Sentencing Task Force.

Best Lawyers in America included David Michael DeMaio, JD ’85, in a recent issue. DeMaio is managing shareholder of the Miami office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart. He previously was named one of Florida’s “Legal Elite” by Florida Trend, and among the “Best of the Bar” by the South Florida Business Journal. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., with his wife, Marina, and their two children, 16-year-old Robert and 12-year-old Alexandra. He has lived in South Florida since joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami in 1986.

John A. Greenhall, JD ’87, was named a 2005 Pennsylvania and New Jersey Super Lawyer in the field of construction law by Law & Politics. He was featured in Philadelphia Magazine and New Jersey Monthly. Greenhall was also named a Pennsylvania Super Lawyer in 2004.

A shareholder with Shulman, Rogers, Gandal, Pordy & Ecker of Rockville, Md., Kim Viti Fiorentino, JD ’89, was named president of the board of directors of the Mental Health Association of Montgomery County in August. She has been a member of the board of MHA since 2003. Fiorentino is chair of the pro bono guardianship program at Shulman Rogers.

In June, Elizabeth Forgotson Goldberg, JD ’89, earned certification as an elder law attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation. NELF offers certification in an effort to provide assurance to the public that certified attorneys have practical knowledge of specific legal issues affecting older adults. An attorney in Washington, Forgotson Goldberg focuses on the preparation of wills, trusts, advance heath care directives, and financial power of attorney for local residents, in addition to advising families about public benefits.

“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless IP Portfolio: Creating and Implementing an Effective Corporate Intellectual Property Program,” co- written by Tracy-Gene Durkin, JD ’89, won the 1st Place Gold Award in the scholarly journals, feature article category from the Society of National Association Publications. It also won a Burton Award for Legal Achievement. The article first appeared in the November/December 2004 issue of the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Docket magazine. Durkin is a director at Washington firm Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox, where she focuses on all aspects of IP protection and enforcement.

Edward E. Gainor, JD ’90, co-wrote Offerings of Asset-Backed Securities (Aspen Publishers, 2005), a treatise which includes detailed treatment of Regulation AB and the recently-adopted securities offering reform rules. He is a partner in the Washington office of McKee Nelson and is director of practice development for the firm’s capital markets practice group.

For the third consecutive year, Thomas E. Propson, JD ’92, was named a “Super Lawyer” by Minnesota Law & Politics Magazine. Attorneys on the list are selected by their peers and make up less than five percent of the attorneys practicing in the region. A trial lawyer, Propson is a partner with Meagher & Geer in Minneapolis. His practice is devoted to commercial litigation.

In March, Bryan Cave added Evan Y. Chuck, JD ’93, as a partner in the firm’s Los Angles office. Chuck focuses on international transactions including acquisitions, mergers, joint ventures, strategic alliances, and outsourcing agreements for firms throughout Asia and Europe. He also advises international private equity funds and portfolio companies on corporate and commercial law matters, and represents domestic and international financial institutions acting as lenders, trustees, credit enhancers, and paying agents in corporate debt issuances.

In September, Randi Weller Kochman, JD ’95, received the 2005 Community Service Award from the Bergen County Bar Foundation of New Jersey. She is a partner with Cole Schotz. Kochman has chaired the firm’s community outreach committee since its inception in 2003. Volunteer programs she has led include toy drives and soup kitchen outreach. She is a resident of Glen Rock, N.J.

Dino C. La Fiandra, JD ’95, was elected to the board of directors of the Children’s Home, a nonprofit organization providing housing and support services for abused and neglected children throughout Maryland. A partner of Whiteford Taylor & Preston, La Fiandra is a member of the real estate section and land use law group.

Does Human Rights Need God? (William B. Eerdmans, 2005), co-edited by Barbra Barnett, JD ’96, explores the role of religion in contemporary human rights discourse and praxis.

Sidley Austin Brown & Wood named Eileen L. Kahaner, JD ’96, a partner in its health care group. She has counseled health care providers on state and federal fraud and abuse, and regulatory and corporate compliance matters. She also has negotiated corporate integrity agreements with the Office of the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services on behalf of providers subject to federal investigation.

Leslie Gross Davis, JD ’98, joined the senior staff of Representative Artur Davis (D-AL), as a senior policy adviser. She serves as a liaison to the New Democratic Coalition, which Davis co-chairs, with a particular focus on issues of education and rural poverty.

In December, Jay L. Kooper, JD ’98, joined the Amerada Hess Corp. as its director of regulatory affairs. On June 27, Jay and his wife, Jessica, welcomed their first child, Jordan Aaron Kooper, into their family. They reside in Livingston, N.J.

After serving as legal adviser for the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environment Resources since 2003, Javier J. Rua-Jovet, LLM ’98, was named deputy secretary of the agency. Previously, Rua-Jovet served as an attorney for the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board, and as a law clerk in the Puerto Rico Court of Appeals.

Prince, Yeates & Geldzahler of Salt Lake City named James W. McConkie III, JD ’99, a shareholder. He joined the firm in 2000. McConkie represents clients in commercial litigation matters and is a past president of the Utah Bar Association’s International Law Section.

Of counsel at Funk & Bolton in Ambler, Pa., Alan Nochumson, JD ’99, discussed “Real Estate: Eminent Domain and Other Considerations” at the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Bench Bar Conference in Atlantic City, N.J. He represents real estate developers, landlords and tenants, financial institutions, mortgage companies, and other business entities in litigation and transactional matters throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Robert J. Garagiola, JD ’01, is chair of the Veterans Caucus of the Maryland General Assembly. He has served in the Maryland State Senate since 2003. Prior to being elected, Garagiola served six years as an enlisted airborne soldier in the U.S. Army Reserve. In addition, he practices in the corporate and commercial real estate practice group at Stein Sperling in Rockville, Md.

In October, James Zembrzuski, JD ’01, became an associate in Fulbright & Jaworski’s New York office. He focuses on corporate law, equipment finance, and aviation matters.

Fulbright & Jaworski associate Hdeel Abdelhady, JD ’02, was named vice chair of the American Bar Association International Law Section’s Middle East and Islamic Law Forum Committee in August. Abdelhady joined Fulbright in 2002 where she focuses on international arbitration. She also teaches a course at GW Law in legal research and writing for LLM and SJD candidates.

Laura McBride, JD ’03, in October joined Cleveland firm Calfee, Halter & Griswold as an associate in the litigation group. She focuses on resolving general corporate litigation disputes including corporate governance, contract, and regulatory issues.

In May, Peter C. Meisel, JD ’04, earned an LLM in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He is active in the Virginia and D.C. Bar Associations and practices tax law in Washington.

Distinguished Military Service

At the ABA Annual meeting in Chicago in August, former GW Law associate dean John S. Jenkins, JD ’61, had the privilege of speaking at a luncheon honoring three GW Law graduates who received outstanding military service career judge advocate awards from the ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section. Jenkins is a former judge advocate general of the Navy and commander of the Naval Legal Service command. The awards were presented during a bi-annual event honoring the life and legacy of Maj. Gen. Keithe E. Nelson, a retired Air Force general who died of cancer in 2002.

Alumni receiving the award were: Cmdr. Gregg Cervi, LLM ’98, U.S. Navy; Col. Will A. Gunn, LLM ’94, U.S. Air Force; and Cmdr. Kevin Lunday, JD ’97, U.S. Coast Guard.

A Fulbright Scholar, A Human Rights Educator

The worldwide struggle for human rights takes center stage in the professional life of four-time Fulbright awardee David J. Padilla, LLM ’79.

Throughout his 27-year career with the Organization of American States, Padilla shuttled around the hemisphere, monitoring and fighting for human rights in 35 OAS member nations, predominantly in Central and South America. Since retiring from his long-time position as assistant executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, he’s shifted his focus to Africa and Asia as a consultant and Fulbright senior specialist. In the past several years, Padilla has completed three Fulbright visiting professorships at the Center for Human Rights of the University of Pretoria in South Africa and will soon depart for a half-year stint in the Philippines, where he will be teaching international human rights law at Silliman University in Dumaguete.

The Detroit native says that his passion for human rights is a vital part of his makeup. “A strong social conscience is an important part of my family tradition,” he says, explaining that his grandfather, a Mexican immigrant, helped feed the poor in Detroit, and that his father, uncle, and many of his 10 siblings have been involved in community service. After completing his JD at the University of Detroit Law School in 1969, Padilla and his wife served in the Peace Corps, spending two years in Venezuela. He joined OAS as a legal officer in 1975, after earning an MA in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania (he also holds an MPA from Harvard University), and rose steadily through the ranks.

“Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, I was involved in the struggle for human rights, organizing and participating in OAS on-site investigations in Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Canada, and representing the commission before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in San Jose, Costa Rica,” he says.” “It was a real privilege to be involved in trying to alleviate human suffering and to be a witness to the history of our hemisphere in that period.”

Padilla now enjoys sharing his decades of experience with college students around the globe. Through his Fulbright visiting professorships, he’s taught international human rights law to LLB and LLM students from all over Africa at the University of Pretoria. He’s also served as a visiting lecturer of inter-American human rights law at the University of Suriname, St. Thomas University Law School in Miami, and the University of Amsterdam. “Human rights are universal,” he states. “I believe in what I’m teaching and find that my students are tremendously interested in and enthusiastic about strengthening respect for human rights around the world, which is very reassuring.”

Retirement has afforded Padilla the time to take on some captivating pro bono human rights cases as well. He is currently hard at work representing a tribe of Sarimaka Maroons in Suriname. “They are a unique and proud people who descended from escaped African slaves and fled into the interior of Suriname, where they eventually gained their independence,” explains Padilla. “For centuries, they collectively had exclusive use of their land, where they served as devout custodians of the environment, but, since Surinamese law only provides for private land ownership, the government has recently been granting concessions to international companies to cut down timber in their forests. We’ve brought a case against the Surinamese government challenging these practices, and I anticipate being involved in future cases like this to help draw international attention to these injustices and help the people in their quest for justice.”

On a more personal level, Padilla now represents one of his former University of Pretoria students, Gabrielle Shumba, who worked as a human rights attorney in Zimbabwe. “He was arbitrarily detained, hooded, taken to a clandestine location by government thugs, held incommunicado, and tortured, before ultimately receiving political asylum in South Africa,” says Padilla. “We’ve brought a human rights violation case before the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”

Throughout his decades of globetrotting, Padilla has credited GW Law with giving him a “solid grounding” in international law. “The training I received at GW was very important to my professional development,” says Padilla, who pursued his LLM at night while working days at OAS, just two blocks from Foggy Bottom. “It exposed me to the history, reach, and potential of international law. I hope more GW graduates will consider a career in human rights law. They won’t
get rich, but they will be doing something that’s important and the moral rewards are extraordinary.”

—Jamie L. Freedman

A Voice for the District

Washington, D.C.’s Chamber of Commerce has enjoyed a healthy dose of GW leadership lately. One year ago, GW President Stephen Joel Trachtenberg completed his term as chair of the board, passing the baton to Natalie O. Ludaway, JD ’86, managing partner of Leftwich & Ludaway, one of the oldest and largest minority-owned law firms in D.C.

Natalie O. Ludaway, JD ’86, managing partner of Leftwich & Ludaway, is chair of the board of the D.C. Chamber of Commerce.

A prominent voice in Washington’s legal community, Ludaway has done an exceptional job of directing the chamber during a time of explosive business growth in the nation’s capital. “It’s been a tremendous time to be a part of the D.C. Chamber,” she states. “It’s important to play an active role in the community, particularly the business community, because of the impact it has on D.C. and the region. It’s been extremely fulfilling to try to make a difference by helping to influence the policy-making process and by ensuring that Washington’s business community continues to engage in a meaningful dialogue.”

According to Ludaway, the city suffers from a unique problem. “In the District, we’re blessed to have more jobs than people to fill them,” she says, explaining that a vast number of professional jobs have come online in the past four years. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a workforce with the requisite job skills to fill these positions within the 69 square miles of the District of Columbia. It is, therefore, vital that we improve the city’s educational system and decrease the high school dropout rate.”

As immersed as she is in the inner workings of professional life in Washington, Ludaway is quick to admit that she never expected to settle in the District. A native of New York, she received her undergraduate and master’s degrees in political science and economics from Hunter College of the City University of New York. “I planned to return to New York after graduating from GW Law,” she says, admitting that she even revealed that intention during a job interview with her current firm, which she initially joined as a clerk during her second year of law school. “It’s incredible to think that May 2006 marks my 20th anniversary at the firm,” says Ludaway, who has been its managing partner since 1996 and a named partner since 2003. Leftwich & Ludaway specializes in civil litigation, transactional work, regulatory matters, employment law, government relations, government contracts, insurance defense, and family law.

A civil litigator, Ludaway takes great pleasure in putting together cases and defending clients. “There’s nothing that beats the exhilaration of a trial—of building a case and working toward the right outcome,” she states. “It brings out the creative side of lawyers.” Ludaway says that she’s equally enjoyed building the firm over the past two decades and watching its lawyers grow and develop. “I’m proud of our lawyers and our staff,” she says, pointing out that the founder of the firm, Willie L. Leftwich, JD ’67, LLM ’71, and partner Rebecca Taylor, JD ’94, are GW Law grads. “GW gave me a solid legal education and taught me how to think analytically and critically. Looking back, I can honestly say that my three years at GW were a great investment in myself.”

—Jamie L. Freedman

Solomon’s Wisdom

Juvenile Court Judge Herbie L. Solomon, JD ’75, devotes his professional life to mediating cases for the youngest of those in the Georgia judicial system. In his spare time, he volunteers to help prevent children from having to enter his courtroom in the first place.

“A lot of children are doing positive things in our community,” Solomon says. “But many others don’t have the love and supervision they need, or their families just aren’t able to provide them with the foundation to be successful. When they go afoul of the law, we’re here to help rehabilitate them. As a judge in the juvenile court setting, you’re always looking to do what’s best for the child.”

In addition to criminal cases, his court handles family law issues, mainly state charges of abuse or neglect resulting in an unsafe environment for the child. In many of these cases, Solomon says, the parents are the biggest obstacles. “When parents take the situation seriously, they consider the consequences and work to fix the situation,” he says. “But when they don’t take it seriously, their child lingers in foster care.”

Solomon believes it is paramount for children to have a safe home and for government and society to help provide services to facilitate healthy families. Solomon practices what he preaches. He is passionate about the local Boys & Girls Club and has served on the board of directors of the YMCA.

Solomon’s own childhood was greatly affected by the civil rights movement. Witnessing change in his own community inspired him to make a difference as well, and his ambition led him to Alabama’s Tuskegee University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in history. “Attending Tuskegee in the midst of the civil rights era was a really tremendous experience,” Solomon says. “It was an activist campus, and you had the opportunity to do amazing work such as on voter registration drives.”

Near the end of his time at Tuskegee, Solomon and fellow Tuskegee classmate Ricky Thomas, JD ’75, met recent GW Law School graduate—and now Montgomery County, Ala., Circuit Court judge—Charles Price, JD ’72. Price was part of a concerted effort at GW Law School to recruit more minority students to create a better, more diverse student body. Former Dean Robert Kramer and his administration had embarked on an active recruitment process that involved alumni looking for talented students at predominantly minority colleges.

Solomon, who declined a spot at Yale Law School, and Thomas began studies at GW Law School in the fall of 1972. “To be in Washington in the 1970s made for an exciting time to be in law school,” Solomon says. “I have fond memories of discussing the fundamentals of executive privilege and constitutional law as Watergate was occurring and history was being made. I was able to study constitutional law with professor Arthur Miller, and it wasn’t an abstract concept; all around us we could see lawyers in action and go to the courts to hear arguments.”

At the time, Solomon’s law school class had the highest number of students who were members of minority groups in the school’s history. It was this group of students that formed GW’s Black Law Students Association. Classmate and friend Jeanette Michael, JD ’75, (now a member of GW's Board of Trustees) called the BLSA “a revolutionary group of folks whose common goals and experiences kept us connected to one another.” And, after more than 30 years, she reports, “we still like each other!”

Solomon’s ascent to the bench is rooted in a career of government civil service, legal aid work, and private practice. As a 3L at GW Law School, Solomon was commissioned into the U.S. Navy as a judge advocate general.

Solomon left active duty with the Navy in 1980 to pursue a career as a senior staff attorney at the Georgia Legal Services Program. (He retired as a commander from the U.S. Naval Reserve in 2000.) He spent the next 15 years working on behalf of impoverished residents in several low-income Georgia counties to help them with legal needs such as housing, welfare, and consumer law.

In 1994, Solomon began a private practice in Albany, Ga. He handled cases dealing mainly with personal injury, criminal law, bankruptcy, and divorce and continued to follow his convictions by helping many clients on a pro bono basis.

In 1999, Solomon was appointed as the Dougherty County Juvenile Court Judge. The court’s annual caseload is more than 2,200 petitions that result in “a lot of long hours.”

Solomon and wife and high school sweetheart, Jean, are active in their community. Solomon is a member of a local civic organization, the Criterion Club, which was instrumental in having the new federal courthouse in Albany named after civil rights leader C.B. King. The Solomons have two children who are carrying on the family tradition of philanthropy and hard work. Tamara, 25, is a Tuskegee University graduate who works for Miller Brewing Co., one of the largest employers in the Albany area. Their son, Herb Jr., 21, will graduate in May from Tuskegee and plans to pursue a profession in finance.

Solomon’s advice to GW Law students is the same he gives to his own children and to those who come before him in court: “You have to have faith and not be afraid to spread your wings and pursue your goals in life,” he said. “This, in turn, will sustain a never-ending faith that you can succeed in whatever you do.”

—Claire Duggan

In Memoriam

And What About You?

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