GW Law School Fall 2003
A Magazine for Alumni and Friends
Features
Departments

Alumni Newsmakers

’40s | ’50s | ’60s | ’70s | ’80s | ’90s | ’00s | Witnessing Change at Tyco | The 'Wow' Factor | A District Champion | In Memoriam | And What About You?


the '50s

Philomene A. Gates, BL ’42, traces her family’s Southern history—and recalls her GW Law days—in A Soft Rebel Yell: From Grits to Gotham (Gridiron Publishers, 2001): “The last time that I visited the Law School, I spoke about my first book, ‘Suddenly Alone,’ and received the Belva Lockwood Award in 1994. It was wonderful to see how the Law School had grown and become truly one of the outstanding law schools in the United States.” Gates still practices in New York in her own firm, specializing in real estate, matrimonial, and commercial transactions, as well as with the Legal Aid Society, of which she was previously vice president. Gates has three married daughters.

the '60s

William B. Smith, JD ’55, an attorney with Dicerkson & Smith Law Group in Virginia Beach, Va., was named the 2004-05 chair of the Senior Lawyers Conference of the Virginia State Bar. The conference is composed of more than 9,000 licensed Virginia lawyers age 55 and older. Its purpose is to address legal issues of concern to senior citizens and to present educational programs of interest to senior lawyers. Smith has served on the Virginia State Bar Council as chair of its litigation section. He is a former president of the Virginia Beach Bar Association..

the '70s

C. Sherfy Jones, BL ’61, was given the Samuel H. Weese Award, the highest honor given by The American College Endowment Foundation of Bryn Mawr, Pa., to recognize her contributions to the college and her help in advancing its mission as a leading nonprofit public charity dedicated to financial services education. Jones is president of Jones, Morris and Associates and is a 45-year resident of Arlington County, Va.

In May, the Washington Bar Association presented Jack Olender, LLM ’61, with the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit for his legal achievements and service to the community. Olender is a malpractice attorney with Jack H. Olender & Associates.

Hiscock & Barclay in June named Ronald S. Kareken, JD ’64, a member of its Rochester, N.Y., office.

Richard D. Grauer, JD ’65, a patent attorney with Rader, Fishman & Grauer in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., was appointed to the American Arbitration Association Patent Advisory Council in February. The council’s goal is to encourage greater use of alternative dispute resolution instead of litigation in resolving patent disputes. Grauer also was appointed to the Academy of Court-Appointed Masters, which promotes the courts’ use of special masters—outside neutral parties with specialized expertise—to make objective recommendations to the bench.

Dirigo’s Prisoner: The Life of an Intelligence Officer (Dorrance Publishing, 2005) by Albert P.C. Lefebvre, JD ’67, tells the story of special agent Claude Iver, a one-time seminary student turned undercover agent in secret government missions who faces imprisonment in the line of duty. Drawing on his 30 years of experience with the federal government serving in the Air Force as well as a congressional liaison officer, the author says legal issues are a key focus of the novel. A member of the District of Columbia and Maine Bars, Lefebvre resides in Portsmouth, N.H.

To recognize his efforts in a lost policy insurance coverage case that resulted in a settlement totaling $2.2 billion and the creation of a trust for 40,000 past and future asbestos exposure victims in the San Francisco area, James N. Penrod, JD ’67, received the California Litigation of the Year Award for 2004. The award was given by California Lawyer magazine. He is a partner with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius. He also is a member of the American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, and the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. He has been listed in The Best Lawyers in America since its first publication in 1987.

the '80s

Roger C. Spaeder, JD ’70, was named a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in March. He was inducted at the college’s spring meeting in La Quinta, Calif., before an audience of more than 700 people. Lawyers must have a minimum of 15 years of trial experience, mastered the art of advocacy, and have high standards of ethical conduct to be considered for fellowship. Spaeder is a partner in the Washington firm of Zuckerman Spaeder, practicing complex criminal and civil litigation. He formerly worked in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Formerly director of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Francis Carter, JD ’72, joined the Washington office of Zuckerman Spaeder as a partner in February. Carter was the first lawyer to represent Monica Lewinsky. He has represented clients in legal and professional malpractice cases and obtained acquittals for several former government employees in high profile cases involving multicount indictments of business fraud, conspiracy, and contract fraud.

Drawing from experience in the courtroom, Steven Selzer, BA ’69, JD ’72, published By George! Mr. Washington’s Guide to Civility Today (Andrews McMeel, 2000) and gives presentations on civility. The book is inspired by 110 rules of behavior Washington wrote at age 14. Selzer has been in private practice in Montgomery County, Md., for 25 years.

A partner specializing in complex commercial litigation and dispute resolution with Tonkon Torp in Portland, Ore., Daniel H. Skerritt, LLM ’72, was included in the Chambers USA America’s Leading Lawyers for Business 2004 directory as a leader in his field.

Michael S. Wolly, BA ’69, JD ’72, is president of the greater Washington and Virginia chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. He previously served the chapter as a member of its board of directors and vice president for development. Wolly is general counsel of the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers of the Service Employees International Union, the Railroad Coordinating Council of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, and the American Train Dispatchers Association. He is special counsel to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division of the Teamsters Union.

The American Bar Association selected “Client Perjury: When Do You Know the Defendant is Lying?” by J. Vincent Aprile II, LLM’73, as one of the best articles published in 2004 by the ABA in magazines, journals, and newsletters generated by its sections, forums, and divisions. The article first appeared in the fall 2004 issues of Criminal Justice, a quarterly publication of the ABA’s Criminal Justice Section, and an abridged version was reprinted in “The Best Articles Published by the ABA” issue of the ABA magazine GP Solo. Aprile practices with Lynch, Cox, Gilman and Mahan in Louisville, Ky.

The Jewish Institute of Religion of Hebrew Union College appointed David R. Berz, BA ’70, JD ’73, to its New York Board of Overseers. He is a partner of the Washington office of Weil, Gotshal & Manges, where he heads the firm’s environmental group and focuses on the bankruptcy practice. He is an authority on U.S. and international environmental law and was recognized by Chambers Publications as a leading lawyer in his field. He is the co-author of a three-volume environmental treatise, Environmental Law in Real Estate and Business Transactions. Berz is active in numerous Jewish organizations in the Washington area and is former president of Washington Hebrew Congregation.

In February, International Law Firms—a business firm referral network—named Howard G. Slavit, JD ’73, managing partner of Saul Ewing in Washington, as its chairman. Slavit previously was chairman of the ILF’s marketing committee and overall coordinator of two of its regional conferences. He has more than 30 years of experience assisting domestic and international clients in regulatory, litigation, corporate, transactional, trademark, copyright, and government contracts matters. He is a partner in Saul Ewing’s business and litigation departments and also serves as outside general counsel to U.S. companies and as U.S. outside general counsel to foreign companies.

Susan Linden McGreevy, JD ’74, was named the “Best of the Bar” by the Kansas City Business Journal in December. She is the only construction attorney to be selected every year since the award began. McGreevy is the chair of the construction law practice group of Husch & Eppenberger in Kansas City. She is a member of the American Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the Missouri Bar, The Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association, and the Association of Women Lawyers, of which she is past president.

In Minneapolis, Minn., Ken Levinson, JD ’75, joined Faegre & Benson as a partner in its tax group. He focuses on tax planning issues for multinational business and on tax planning in the captive insurance company area. He previously was managing director in the Midwest region in the captive insurance and warranty practice of KPMG. He also has worked at the Office of Chief Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service, Northwest Airlines, and the Marriott Corporation.

Gregory C. Yadley, JD ’75, chair of Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick’s corporate practice group, was given the Parke Wright III Award in January. The award is presented annually to a member of Leadership Tampa Alumni who has demonstrated exceptional leadership and community contribution. He has served as chair of the Arts Council of Hillsborough County, Tampa Bay Business Committee for the Arts, and the Tampa/Colorado Ballet Alliance. He also is on the board of directors of the Florida Orchestra and is a founding member of Friends of Tampa Public Art Foundation. He is co-editor of the Florida Bar’s Florida Corporate Practice Manual and co-director of the annual Federal Securities Institute.

In April, Law Bulletin Publishing Co. announced that Janine M. Landow-Esser, JD ’76, a partner in the Chicago firm Quarles & Brady was recommended by her peers as one of the top lawyers licensed in Illinois in the area of environmental law. She advises buyers, sellers, and lenders in environmental aspects of various transactions and represents manufacturers and other regulated entities on environmental compliance issues. Prior to entering private practice, she served with the Department of Energy.

Quarles & Brady in Madison, Wisc., announced in November that Nicholas J. Seay, JD ’77, was listed in The Best Lawyers in America. Seay specializes in intellectual property law.

Bradd Siegel, JD ’77, in November was named in The Best Lawyers in America, a publication in which he has been listed every year since 1987 in the area of labor and employment lawyers. He is a partner with Porter Wright in Columbus, Ohio. He has more than 25 years of experience in labor and employment law litigation on behalf of companies and their managers in state and federal courts. Siegel was elected a fellow of the College of Labor and Employment Lawyers in 1999.

President George W. Bush appointed Bobby R. Burchfield, JD ’79, to serve as commissioner of the Antitrust Modernization Commission in December. The commission was created in accord with the Antitrust Modernization Commission Act of 2002 and consists of 12 members. Burchfield is co-partner-in-charge of McDermott Will & Emery’s Washington office and chairs the firm’s complex litigation practice. He has been recognized as a top trial lawyer in the D.C. area by Legal Times; is highly rated by Chambers USA and Chambers Global; and is listed in Best Lawyers in America. He previously served as general counsel to the campaign of President George H. W. Bush and clerked for Judge Ruggero J. Aldisert of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

Giants of the Delft: Johannes Vermeer and the Natural Philosophers: The Parallel Search for Knowledge during the Age of Discovery (Bucknell, 2003) by Robert D. Huerta, JD ’79, was selected as a finalist for the 2004 Mitchell Prize. The honor is given every two years for a book that has made a major contribution to art history. Huerta’s Vermeer and Plato: Painting the Ideal will be published by Bucknell in 2005.

the '90s

James F. Nagle, LLM ’81, SJD ’86, a federal contracts lawyer in Seattle, received the life service award from the Boards of Contract Appeals Bar Association.

First appointed as a superior court judge in District 18 in 1993, Catherine Caldwell Eagles, JD ’82, was elected to another eight-year term in November. She and her husband, Bill, live in Greensboro, N.C., with their two teenage sons.

In March, Roy L. Bernstein, JD ’83, joined the Chicago firm Arnstein & Lehr as partner. He focuses on real estate and environmental areas. He formerly worked with Michael Best & Friedrich. Bernstein has served as counsel on numerous Superfund cases and has represented clients in environmental compliance matters, practiced before the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, and Illinois Pollution Control Board.

Martha McQuade, BA ’75, JD ’84, married Marni Byrum in July at The Glenerin Inn in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. McQuade is a past president of the Women’s Bar Association of the District of Columbia and the Virginia Commission of Women and Minorities in the Legal System. She has led the Virginia family law firm of McQuade & Hite since 1997. The couple resides in Alexandria, Va.

Managing partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Washington office, Barry Boss, JD ’85, co-wrote Federal Criminal Practice (James Publishing, 2005) a treatise for criminal defense attorneys. The book provides practical advice on federal criminal prosecution, including arguments and procedures in the field. Drawing on examples from cases, the authors present strategies concerning pretrial release, alternatives to prosecution, discovery and plea bargaining, and trial and sentencing. Also an adjunct professor at GW Law School, Boss is vice chair of the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section’s Corrections and Sentencing Committee and was named a “top lawyer” for criminal defense by Washingtonian magazine.

An intellectual property litigation specialist at the Irvine, Calif., office of Howrey, Simon, Arnold & White, William Rooklidge, LLM ’85, was named president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association, a group of more than 16,000 intellectual property lawyers, law students, and patent agents.

In New York, Mound Cotton Wollan & Greengrass named James M. Dennis, JD ’86, an associate. He focuses on business and commercial law, contracts, insurance law, commercial insurance, and reinsurance.

Director of graduate criminal justice and legal studies at the California University of Pennsylvania, Charles Nemeth, LLM ’87, is the author of Private Security and the Law (Butterworth Heinemann, 2005), a textbook analysis of significant practices in the security industry that relate to law regulation, and licensure; Private Security and Public Safety: A Community-Based Approach (Prentice Hall, 2005), which discusses how private security companies are increasingly taking on community law enforcement duties; and Criminal Law (Prentice Hall, 2004), which features extensive case studies.

Kenneth A. Gelfarb, JD ’88, was named a “top lawyer” in the real estate law category by Washingtonian magazine. He is a partner with Margolius, Mallios and Rider and resides with his wife and two daughters in Bethesda, Md.

In December, New York firm Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr named John M. Hintz, JD ’88, a partner in its litigation department. He previously was with Fish & Neave for 16 years as an associate and a partner. Hintz specializes in major patent disputes and has transactional, licensing, and counseling experience.

Honored for 25 years of service to the Jewish community, Rabbi Jan Caryl Kaufman, JD ’88, was conferred an honorary doctor of divinity degree by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York. She is director of special projects for the Rabbinical Assembly, an international association of conservative rabbis. Kaufman previously was asocial Hillel director at the University of Maryland and a chaplain and teacher at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School of Greater Washington.

Karen A. McGee, JD ’88, in January was named a partner in the Washington office of Barnes & Thornburg. She is a member of the international practice group; the business, tax, and real estate department; and the intellectual property department. She focuses on antidumping and countervailing proceedings, customs law, export controls, trade in defense articles and services, and foreign assets controls.

Washington firm Sterne, Kessler, Goldstein & Fox elected Robert W. Esmond, JD ’89, to its executive committee. Esmond is a director in the firm’s biotechnology and chemical group, specializing in preparing and prosecuting patent applications and counseling clients on Abbreviated New Drug Application filings, intellectual property portfolio strategies, and licensing and research agreements.

the '00s

Charles K. Adkins-Blanch, JD ’90, was sworn in as an immigration judge at a ceremony at the U.S. Army Court of Criminal Appeals in Arlington, Va., in October. Prior to his appointment, Adkins-Blanch served as general counsel for the Executive Office for Immigration Review. He also has worked for the Board of Immigration Appeals and was a judicial law clerk under the Attorney General’s Honor Law Program. He is a member of the Virginia and District of Columbia Bars.

After earning her master of laws degree in trial advocacy from Temple University in 2004, Margaret Fine, JD ’91, now is a deputy city solicitor in the child welfare unit for the City of Philadelphia’s Law Department.

The Vanguard Group named Deanna Flores, JD ’91, a principal in February. She is responsible for tax compliance and strategy within the organization’s legal department. Before relocating to Havertown, Pa., Flores was associate counsel at the Investment Company Institute in Washington. In May, Flores became vice chair for the Investment Company Committee of the American Bar Association Section of Taxation.

Michael Mallow, JD ’91, a business litigation partner with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham, was included in the “Top 20 Under 40” listing of the Daily Journal Extra. Mallow has been with the firm since 1998 and serves as the firm’s Los Angeles litigation department coordinator and also spearheaded the launch of the firm’s California Unfair Competition Law Practice.

Chambliss, Bahner & Stophel in Chattanooga, Tenn., named Paul S. Weidlich, JD ’92, a shareholder. He is a member of the firm’s intellectual property group and focuses on patents, trademarks, trade secrets, and copyrights. He and his wife, Ashley Paul Weidlich, JD ’92, and their two sons, August and Alex, live in Signal Mountain, Tenn.

A principal in the Baltimore firm Miles & Stockbridge, Sky Woodward, JD ’92, was named one of the city’s emerging business leaders by the Baltimore Business Journal in its “40 Under 40” list. She specializes in indoor environmental quality and “toxic” mold cases. Woodward is president-elect of the Maryland Defense Counsel and serves on the executive committee of the board of directors for Downtown Baltimore Child Care.

The Vanguard Group named Edward C. Delk, JD ’93, principal in February. He provides legal advice and counsel concerning federal securities laws and monitoring legislative and regulatory developments affecting the group. He joined the organization in 2000 as associate counsel in its legal division. Delk resides in Radnor, Pa.

Brendan C. Fox, JD ’93, joined Dechert of as partner in its Washington office January. He practices in the firm’s financial services group.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Darrin P. Gayles, JD ’93, to the Miami-Dade County Court in April of 2004. A resident of Miami Shores, Fla., Gayles previously was an assistant U.S. attorney and assistant district counsel with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Bloomfield Hills, Mich., firm Dawda, Mann, Mulcahy & Sadler elected Gary A. Kravitz, JD ’93, as a member in January. He formerly was an associate with the firm. Kravitz concentrates on commercial real estate, corporate business, and municipal law matters. Before joining the firm, he was a prosecuting attorney in Oakland County and with the Mineral Policy Center in Washington. Kravitz is pursuing a master of laws degree in taxation from Wayne State University Law School.

Dark Harbor (Warner 2005) a murder mystery draws on the legal knowledge of author David Hosp, JD ’94. It follows Scott Finn, a Boston lawyer whose career and family are put in danger when his beautiful co-worker, who also is his ex-lover, is found dead in Boston Harbor. Hosp was included in Boston Magazine’s list of rising stars in the Massachusetts legal profession in its May edition. He also was profiled in Massachusetts Super Lawyer Magazine.

The Bureau of National Affairs’ Corporate Practice Series published “Annual Reporting Under the Federal Securities Laws,” co-written by Paul Mamalian, BA ’91, JD ’94. He is assistant general counsel of Choice Hotels International, which franchises hotels under the Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, and Econo Lodge brands, among others. He is responsible for corporate, securities, trademark, advertising, and e-commerce matters. Mamalian and his wife, Cyndy, live in Rockville, Md., with their children, Alexandra and Matthew.

Robert S. Collins, JD ’95, joined Whiteford, Taylor & Preston as counsel in its business and corporate and technology intellectual property groups in its Baltimore office in August. He previously was a corporate and intellectual property partner at Gordon & Glickson in Chicago, where he represented privately held companies in corporate governance and operational issues. He is active in the American and Maryland State Bar Associations, is a member of the Chicago Council of Foreign Relations and was a member of the planning committee for the Great Lakes Venture Capital Conference and volunteered for the Springboard Venture Capital Conference.

Marcelo N. Corpuz III, MPH ’95, JD ’95, an associate in the Milwaukee office of Quarles & Brady’s health care practice group, was named one of Nightingale’s “Outstanding Young Health Care Lawyers” for 2004. He also has been listed in “Who’s Who in American Law.” Corpuz resides in Menomonee Falls, Wisc.

An associate with Burns & Levinson and a member of its business litigation and labor, employment, and employee benefits groups, Mark F. Murphy, JD ’95, was appointed a member of the Boston Bar Journal’s board of editors. He serves a three-year term. Murphy co-wrote “Recent Developments in Massachusetts Wage Act Claims” in the publication’s May/June 2004 issue. He concentrates on general commercial litigation and employment disputes.

Whiteford, Taylor & Preston named Dino C. La Fiandra, JD ’95, a partner in January. He focuses on land use and real estate development. La Fiandra resides in Owings Mills, Md.

In December, Walter W. Palmer, JD ’95, was admitted to the Brazilian Bar, Rio de Janeiro Division. In January, he and his wife, (Angela) Cristina Pinheiro-Palmer, LLM ’92, opened Pinheiro Palmer Advogados, an intellectual property firm, in Rio de Janeiro.

Alejandro Brito, JD ’96, was named partner by Zarco Einhorn Salkowski & Brito, a franchise law firm in Miami. The firm represents franchisees in litigation and other forms of dispute resolution and has clients in the restaurant, hotel, and service industries. The firm represents franchisees in the United States, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America.

Blank Rome elected Alan M. Freeman, JD ’96, a partner in January. He is a member of the firm’s commercial litigation and maritime practice groups in the Washington office. Freeman resides in Potomac, Md.

A staff judge advocate at the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center at Presidio of Monterey in Monterey, Calif., John L. Clifton IV, LLM ’97, was promoted to the rank of colonel in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps in April.

M. Chris Fabricant, JD ’97, wrote Busted! Drug War Survival Skills (forthcoming HarperCollins), which will be released in August. The book is a guide to protecting civil liberties and surviving the criminal justice system, using humor to reach a young, mainstream audience and reduce the potential criminal justice consequences of drug use. The book simplifies complex areas of Fourth Amendment law, criminal procedure, drug possession law, and basic civil liberties. The author discusses disenfranchisement and the racial and social inequities he argues are a result of the war on drugs. More information is available at www.drugwarsurvival.com.

Chicago firm Bell, Boyd & Lloyd in January named Thor W. Ketzback, LLM ’97, an associate. A member of the environmental, health, and safety group, he concentrates on all areas of environmental law, specifically on Clean Air Act counseling and litigation.

The Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Division honored Kathy Ochroch, JD ’97, with the Craig M. Perry Award to recognize her pro bono work and community activities. The event took place in March. Ochroch is an associate and pro bono coordinator with Blank Rome.

Stan Davis, JD ’98, former deputy chief of staff and chief legal counsel for Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, joined the Madison office of Quarles & Brady in February. He is part of the firm’s litigation and government relations practice groups. He serves on the boards of directors for the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Alumni Association and the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute. He is chairman of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Multicultural Alumni Advisory Board and is a member of the 100 Black Men of Madison. Davis resides in DeForest, Wisc.

On Feb. 23, Joseph Mastrosimone, JD ’98, and his wife, Gina Spade, welcomed their first child, Zachary, into their family. The family resides in Washington. Mastrosimone is senior counsel to the chairman of the National Labor Relations Board.

Formerly a trial and appellate attorney with the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, Michael Starr, JD ’98, joined Coburn and Schertler as of counsel, concentrating on criminal defense and civil litigation.

Formerly associate counsel of MicroStrategy, a software company in McLean, Va., Daria Williams, JD ’99, now is technology transactions counsel in the technology and network law group at MCI in Washington. She resides in Oxon Hill, Md.

the '00s

Oliver A. Beaubeau, JD ’01, joined Galbut & Hunter of Phoenix in March 2004 as an associate. He represents clients in commercial litigation matters including securities, antitrust, and real estate issues.

In Tucker Ellis & West’s Cleveland office, Janice R. Gambaccini, JD ’01, joined as an associate and a member of the firm’s business group. She focuses on employee benefits and health care law and is a member of the American, Cleveland, and Virginia Bar Associations as well as the American Health Lawyers Association.

Suzanne (Williamson) Hixenbaugh, JD ’03, joined Faegre & Benson’s Colorado real estate practice as an associate.

Phelps Dunbar named Sunni D. Jones, JD ’03, an associate in its New Orleans office. She concentrates on labor and employment and is admitted to practice in Louisiana.

Erik Petersen, JD ’03, an environmental attorney in the Washington office of Bracewell Giuliani, received a 2005 Burton Award for Legal Achievement in April. He was recognized for excellence in legal writing and analysis for “Corporate Environmental Disclosures: Old Complaints, New Expectations,” an article co-written by Petersen that appeared in the September 2004 issue of Business Law International. As an associate with Bracewell, Petersen focuses on environmental issues in the regulated, transactional, and litigation arenas.

Wildman Harrold Allen & Dixon of Chicago named Ashanti L. Madlock, JD ’04, an associate in its employment and labor practice.

Christina Wilkes, JD ’04, an Equal Justice Works Fellow, was recognized for providing legal services to under-represented individuals, causes, and communities at the first Fellows Reunion and Leadership Conference in March. The fellows are sponsored by Greenburg Traurig and the Florida Bar Foundation. Wilkes is serving her two-year fellowship at Just Neighbors Immigrant Ministry in Arlington, Va., providing immigration legal services and advocacy to unaccompanied immigrant children in the region.


Witnessing Change at Tyco

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Ask John S. Jenkins Jr., JD ’94, what it’s like to work at Tyco International these days, and there’s no hesitation in his voice. “It’s great,” states the electronic and medical supply conglomerate’s newly appointed vice president and corporate secretary. “The environment is very collegial and everyone is committed to the highest standards of integrity.” Brighter skies have indeed arrived for Tyco, which Jenkins says has been hard at work transforming itself from “a holding company to a best-in-class operating company.”

Now under new management, Tyco has fast become a model of corporate governance. Jenkins, who joined the conglomerate in June 2003 as senior litigation counsel, explains, “A dramatic and fundamental change took place at Tyco starting from the day that Ed Breen joined the company as chairman and chief executive officer. The management philosophy, the ethical principles, and the corporate governance programs he's brought to the company are an example of best in practice corporate governance for any publicly traded company.”

Jenkins’ affiliation with Tyco began in early 2003, when he began representing the conglomerate as outside counsel while working as a commercial litigator at McGuire Woods. “I was commuting weekly between Tysons, Va., and Manhattan, managing a portfolio of cases, when I was asked to join the company on a full-time basis,” he says. “The transition was challenging, as Tyco was then facing a meaningful number of securities claims arising out of the activities of the former management. At any one time, my portfolio included more than three dozen securities cases plus a similar number of related cases and regulatory and governmental investigations.”

Jenkins has witnessed a swift transformation at Tyco, following a series of bold changes designed to restore the company’s reputation as a highly respected corporate entity. “Tyco replaced its entire board of directors with independent directors in the space of one year, which, to my knowledge, is a first in corporate history,” he states. The industrial giant also added a senior vice president for corporate governance, created an ombudsman office to field and investigate complaints involving violation of ethical behavior, and adopted a new employee guide to ethical conduct, which was rolled out via an extensive training program to all 250,000 Tyco employees worldwide.

“I enjoy being part of a team that is really having an impact on the performance of this company,” says Jenkins, who is responsible for security matters, public finance issues, regulatory and corporate compliance, and corporate entity maintenance. Jenkins also plays a key role in coordinating various projects with the company’s board of directors and manages the annual shareholders meeting.

He says that his ability to perform well under the toughest of circumstances was fine-tuned in law school. “I learned as a GW Law student that no matter how difficult, complex, or challenging the task is, if you put in the effort and the time necessary to master something, that effort will be rewarded,” states Jenkins, who won the Charles Glover Prize for attaining the highest GPA as a third-year law student.

Jenkins also attributes his fortitude to his 13-year stint in the U.S. Navy. He served four years as a line officer driving warships, including a 1989-90 deployment to the Persian Gulf, and nine years as an officer in the Navy’s office of the judge advocate general. “I started out as a court-martial attorney in Norfolk, Va., and concluded my service as legislative counsel to the Secretary of the Navy in the Pentagon,” he says.

In the early 1990s, he attended GW Law School as part of the Navy’s funded legal education program. “I chose GW for two reasons,” he explains. “It’s a nationally recognized legal education institution that ranks consistently as one of the top 20 law schools in the United States and has a long history of educating members of the armed forces.” His father, John Jenkins, was a familiar face on campus for many years, serving as GW Law’s well-loved associate dean for administrative affairs. “I wanted to be a lawyer from a very early age, because I saw first hand from my father what an enjoyable profession it is,” he says.

Jenkins enjoyed his days at GW Law. “I had some of the most colorful professors, who brought a real level of academic superiority to the classroom,” he reflects. “They provided me with a fantastic educational base in the practice of law.”

He is now putting that knowledge to work at Tyco, helping to ensure that the business continues to grow and thrive. “You strive to do the best you can with the opportunities that are presented to you,” says Jenkins, who lives just outside of Princeton, N.J., the new site of Tyco’s executive offices, with wife Karen and daughters Kelly, 13, and Katherine, 11. “To be able to contribute in any respect to Tyco’s ability to maintain its position as market leader in so many fields, while ensuring the highest standards of integrity and operational excellence, is a rewarding experience.”

Jamie L. Freedman


The 'Wow' Factor

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Photo by Claire Duggan

Lara Levinson, JD ’93, always knew she would be a lawyer. Her father was a law professor at Vanderbilt University. She also knew that she would enjoy public service. Her mother was an emergency room nurse. And Levinson realized that GW was a good match for her goals. “The law school encourages federal careers and working in nonprofits,” says this Nashville native.

While Levinson had no doubts what she would do, where she works still surprises her after three years on the job. “When people hear where I work, their first reaction is always ‘Wow,’” says Levinson. “They can’t believe it.” Levinson can hardly believe it either, despite many impressive previous positions.

Immediately after graduation, she clerked for Anita B. Brody, U.S. District Judge in Eastern Pennsylvania, and then served as a litigation associate with Wiley, Rein & Fielding in Washington. She taught legal research and writing and advanced evidence as an adjunct professor of the GW Law School, and she worked as a trial attorney for the Department of Justice in the Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch.

She even worked at the White House during the last year of the Clinton administration, vetting candidates for cabinet, diplomatic, and judicial appointments. “It was a great time to be there because of the nontraditional nominees,” Levinson says. And yes, she met the President several times in receiving lines.

But Levinson says where she works now elicits as much enthusiasm as the White House.

Levinson is associate general counsel of the National Gallery of Art, one of the most beloved institutions in Washington, D.C., and one of the most visited art galleries in the world. The gallery comprises two very different buildings and a sculpture garden. In the neoclassical West Building, more than 100 galleries contain 13th- to 19th-century works. The airy and spacious East Building houses modern art by Picasso, Matisse, Miró, and others in an I.M. Pei-designed trapezoidal structure.

Levinson admits that she lacks a formal art education. “Fortunately, that wasn’t a job requirement,” she says. “They were looking for a good legal fit.” After only three rounds of interviews, Levinson was hired as assistant general counsel in 2002. A year later, she was promoted to associate general counsel. She is one of five attorneys on staff in an office Levinson describes as “professional and warm.”

The Office of the General Counsel works on issues involving the gallery’s unusual status. The federal government appropriates funds for the maintenance and operation of the gallery, while all art is donated to the gallery or purchased with funds from private donors. Levinson also deals with conflicts of interest, personnel, and intellectual property rights issues. Her research and findings affect what the gallery uses in catalogs and brochures. “I use a lot of the information I learned in Professor Schechter’s copyright class,” she says.

Beyond her legal work at the gallery, Levinson chairs a committee on accessibility at the gallery and serves on a committee engaged in selecting candidates for competitive internships at the gallery.

She also stays involved with students and alumni at GW. Levinson helped plan the 10-year reunion for her class, is on the Law School’s alumni board of directors, and she was active on the search committee to select a new dean.

Levinson offers advice for students and young professionals. “I recommend that students get the best academic experience they can in law school and then develop skills to be a good, decent lawyer. I tell everyone to be persistent and look for opportunities,” she says. “I never could have hoped or dreamed to be working here.”

Yet, when Levinson first visited GW in 1990, she made one detour outside of the scheduled events for prospective students. She walked over to the National Gallery of Art to see the 1990 Matisse in Morocco, a landmark exhibition highlighting the artist’s years in North Africa between 1912 and 1913. As a memento of her trip, Levinson bought a poster. “It’s called the ‘The Casbah Gate,’” she says. “It’s a scene from a window with deep reds, blues, and greens. I just love it.” The poster by Henri Matisse still hangs in her home.

Ironically, before becoming one of the greatest painters of the 20th century, Matisse worked as a law clerk.

Kathryn McKay


A District Champion

photo

Photo by Claire Duggan

Jeanette A. Michael, JD ’75, grew up thinking that being a lawyer was as noble as being a politician. Back then, she was naïve enough not to know that some looked at both professions with a measure of cynicism. Today, the 55-year-old is smart enough to appreciate the collective good that can be done by straddling both worlds.

Currently, Michael serves as executive director of the D.C. Lottery and Charitable Games Control Board—one of the few District government agencies that generates revenue. Under the purview of the city's chief financial officer, Michael exceeds her goals by empowering her employees. “In my role, it is imperative that I communicate where the lottery must be two to five years from now. Then, I must keep my employees informed, focused, and motivated to work effectively and efficiently to accomplish our goals.”

Michael maintains the DCLB's integrity throughout her work. “You cannot have the perception of anything negative in the gaming industry,” she says. “Integrity is our lifeline and without it, we would not be able to sell tickets to raise revenue to transfer to the District’s General Fund.”

DCLB is not solely about the bottom line; it is the licensing agent for all charitable gaming in the District, and nonprofit organizations raise millions annually to provide services and programs that support the social safety net of the city.

Leading DCLB is one role for Michael, whose career is packed with public service on the legal and political fronts.

The New York City native remembers handing out flyers as a little girl to help her uncle in his fight to win a local assemblyman position. Her enthusiasm carried through to high school, where Michael was elected president of all of her classes and served as the first student body president of Mother Cabrini High School.

“I remember spending time with my grandfather, father, and uncles talking politics,” Michael says. Her aunt also was a federal district court judge and her uncle, who ran for assemblyman, was a lawyer. “Politics and law were commonplace in my family. For me, it was only natural to become a lawyer and politically active.”

She earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Manhattanville College in 1972, and then headed south to The George Washington University Law School.

“It was a time of change,” she recalls. “I believed that lawyers had the ability to significantly impact the community and earning my law degree was, simply, the next step.”

After earning her law degree, Michael worked at the Consumer Product Safety Commission, before dabbling in her own private practice. But neither resonated enough for her to stick around, and she eventually met future D.C. Mayor Marion Barry.

Her ties to Barry, combined with her own grassroots campaigning, forged the start of her career in politics. She served on a number of D.C. government boards and held high-level positions, including chief of staff to Barry.

Michael says she learned about the inner workings of big-city politics, and those days reinforced her core beliefs, while burnishing her image inside the beltway.

Her first foray into the lottery business came in the mid-1980s when she was named as its first general counsel. When she returned in 2001, Michael was ready for a bigger challenge as DCLB’s leader.

Under her stewardship, the agency has hiked its revenues from an average of $213 million a year between fiscal years 1992–2002 to $238.5 in the past two fiscal years. She did it by instituting new games, recruiting new lottery agents, and attracting more players.

She managed this while battling breast cancer, a fight she proudly says she is winning.

Michael also is a founder of the Black Law Alumni Association and served as its first president. Throughout her career, Michael has continued to be active with the Law School. Currently, she serves on the GW Law Alumni Board and GW Alumni Association Board. In addition, the GW Board of Trustees of recently nominated Michael for election as an alumni trustee.

It’s all part and parcel of her personality, giving back whenever possible.

“Public service is who I am. I understand the obstacles. It’s something I really love to do.”

Christan Toto


In Memoriam

1951

Frank L. Bowron, JD '51
Feb. 8, 2005
Casper, Wyo.

1953

Paul J. Ethington, JD '53
Aug. 17, 2003
Troy, Mich.

William R. St. George, JD '53
Dec. 17, 2004
San Diego, Calif.

1958

Edith Carter Baum, JD '58
Aug. 7, 2004
Arlington, Va.

1959

Warren H. Rotert, JD '59
Dec. 19, 2004
Ramsey, N.J.

1982

Janice Platner, JD '82
March 15, 2005
Provincetown, Mass.

1997

Linda C. Reese, JD '97
June 20, 2004
Port Lavaca, Texas

2005

Elizabeth Prostic, JD '05
March 31, 2005
Washington, D.C.

 

Members of the Law School community wore yellow arm bands at the diploma ceremony in May in honor of Elizabeth Prostic, JD ’05, a remarkable student and friend. A devoted wife to Michael Lundblad and mother to daughter Harper, born June 10, 2004, Prostic passed away March 31 after battling stage-four metastatic breast cancer. A skilled debater, she balanced evening classes at the Law School with being a managing director of Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal’s lobbying practice. Prostic was passionate about bipartisan political action, and worked for Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.), Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and the Commerce Department. She also was an advocate for women in science. On June 4, more than 30 people represented “Team Lizzie” in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation’s National Race for the Cure. Her husband is spearheading the effort to launch a Web site in her honor; www.metacancer.org combines information, art, and poetry to emphasize movement and hope—a fitting tribute to a lively and graceful former dancer who was constantly in motion.

 


And What About You?

Please write and tell us about your career accomplishments and personal milestones. (If you’ve changed your name since you attended GW, please include your former name.) Send your news and a photo you can spare to:

GW LAW SCHOOL MAGAZINE
The George Washington University
2121 Eye Street, N.W., #512
Washington, D.C. 20052
Or call up www.gwmagazine.com


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