Brown Bag Series: Trial Practice Tips for New and Experienced Practitioners 

The United States Court of Federal Claims and the United States Court of Federal Claims Bar Association are pleased to announce their next joint educational program:  “Trial Practice Tips for New and Experienced Practitioners.”  This brown bag program will take place on November 1, 2018, from 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm, followed by a wine reception with light hors d'oeuvres.  Four judges of the United States Court of Federal Claims will be participating in this panel and sharing their views and tips for effective oral advocacy in different situations.  Robert E. Kirschman, Director of the National Courts Section at the Department of Justice and Lewis Wiener of Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP will share the perspective of the bar regarding this important topic. This highly qualified panel is not to be missed.

Chief Judge Margaret M. Sweeney has been on the United States Court of Federal Claims since 2005 and was designated Chief Judge in July 2018. Chief Judge Sweeney formerly was a Special Master for the United States Court of Federal Claims (2003 - 2005). Prior to that appointment, Chief Judge Sweeney served as an Attorney Advisor for the United States Department of Justice Office of Intelligence Policy and Review (1999 - 2003).  Prior to that, Chief Judge Sweeney served as a Trial Attorney in the General Litigation Section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the United States Department of Justice (1987 - 1999). From 1985 to 1987, she served as law clerk to the Honorable Loren A. Smith, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims. Chief Judge Sweeney was a litigation associate from 1983 to 1985, with the firm of Fedorko, Gilbert, & Lanctot, Morrisville, Pennsylvania. Chief Judge Sweeney also served as a Delaware Family Court Master presiding over cases involving domestic relations matters (1981 - 1983).

Judge Patricia E. Campbell-Smith was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims on September 19, 2013. She served as Chief Judge from October 21, 2013 - March 13, 2017.  Judge Campbell-Smith formerly served as Special Master from December 8, 2005 to April 6, 2011. On April 7, 2011, she was appointed as Chief Special Master. Judge Campbell-Smith practiced from 1993 to 1996, and again from 1997 to 1998, with the law firm of Liskow & Lewis in New Orleans, Louisiana.  She clerked for Judge Martin L. C. Feldman of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1992 to 1993. She clerked for Judge Sarah S. Vance of the United States District Court of the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1996 to 1997, and she clerked for Judge Emily C. Hewitt of the United States Court of Federal Claims from 1998 to 2005.

Judge Lydia Kay Griggsby was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims on December 5, 2014. Prior to her appointment, Judge Griggsby served as the Chief Counsel for Privacy and Information Policy for the Senate Judiciary Committee, a position to which she was appointed by Senator Patrick Leahy in 2009. From 2004 to 2008, Judge Griggsby served as Privacy Counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee. In 2004, Judge Griggsby was appointed counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Ethics. Prior to this appointment, she served six years as an Assistant United States Attorney with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia from 1998 to 2004. Between 1995 and 1998, Judge Griggsby was a trial attorney with the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice. Prior to her appointment to the Department of Justice, Judge Griggsby was an associate with the law firm of DLA Piper, LLP.

Judge Elaine D. Kaplan was appointed Judge of the United States Court of Federal Claims on November 1, 2013. Judge Kaplan joined the court after serving as the Acting Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Prior to being designated Acting Director in April 2013, she had served as OPM’s General Counsel, a position to which she was appointed in 2009.  Judge Kaplan began her legal career in the Solicitor’s Office of the U.S. Department of Labor, first in the Employee Benefits Division and then in the Division of Special Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation. Between 1984 and 1998, she litigated and supervised the litigation of cases at all levels of the federal court system as an attorney at the National Treasury Employees Union, an organization to which she returned in 2004 as Senior Deputy General Counsel. In 1998, Judge Kaplan was nominated by President Clinton and confirmed by the Senate to serve a five-year term as the head of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, an independent agency whose mission is to protect the merit-based civil service. From 2003 to 2004, Judge Kaplan was “of counsel” to Bernabei and Katz, a nationally recognized plaintiff's side employment law and civil rights firm.

Robert E. Kirschman serves as the Director of the National Courts Section, Commercial Litigation Branch, Civil Division, United States Department of Justice. In that capacity, he leads an office of over 110 attorneys engaged in litigation on behalf of the United States, principally in the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the United States Court of International Trade. He has served in the Commercial Litigation Branch since 1990, and has participated in litigation of several of the Branch’s largest cases throughout the years. His primary area of personal practice includes contract disputes. He received his law degree from the George Washington University and his B.A. in Political Science from the Pennsylvania State University.

Lewis S. Wiener, Partner with Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP is an experienced trial and appellate attorney with more than three decades of trial and counseling experience, represents a broad array of clients in state, federal and appellate court litigation throughout the United States. Lew co-chairs the firm’s global Financial Services Disputes and Investigations (FSDI) Practice Group, heads the domestic (US) Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) counseling and defense group and on June 1, 2017 concluded a four-year term as a member of the firm’s Executive Committee. His extensive litigation and trial experience as a former prosecutor and senior trial attorney with the United States Department of Justice includes serving as class action defense counsel, conducting large internal investigations, handling complex litigation matters, and representing entities in litigation brought by and against the federal government. Lew also represents clients in eminent domain/inverse condemnation, environmental and land-use litigation before state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Please hold your calendars open for this outstanding event. This is a unique and excellent opportunity to enhance your knowledge and expertise in trial practice at the United States Court of Federal Claims. The program will take place at the Dolley Madison House in the Howard T. Markey National Courts Building complex, 717 Madison Place, Washington D.C. on November 1, 2018, from 4:00 pm to 5:15 pm. There will be a wine and light hors d'oeuvres reception following the event.

Space is limited and registration is required REGISTER NOW!