Suit in the courtroom, stripes on the football field

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Hello, Generation J.D.! As a long-time reader of the blog, I was thrilled when I saw the Uncle Sam “I want you” post asking for new bloggers. I thought I could bring to the blog a point of view that seems absent from its current writers, that of a civil government attorney. Practicing law and litigating as a young assistant attorney general certainly has its challenges. Because many of the readers of the blog either are government attorneys, someday might practice in the government or interact with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, I wanted to take the opportunity that this blog offers to discuss the experiences I’ve had and to offer some advice and perspective.

A little background about myself: I grew up on the south side of the Capital Beltway in Northern Virginia, where I attended Fairfax High School. I was an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, which is not a bad place to spend four years! It’s a thriving city which offers so much more than just Disney World. For those of you unfamiliar with UCF, take a look at the 2014 Fiesta Bowl. You’ll see UCF scoring 52 points on our way to whopping Baylor University and a No. 10 national ranking. (You’ll learn this about me quickly; I’m a huge sports fan.)

After college, I returned to the area to attend law school at the University of Maryland. During my time at there, I was an editor of the Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class, a peer advisor, a member of the honor board, president of the Jewish Law Student Association and the student representative to the faculty committee on administration. Somehow, I still found time to make it to class.

I graduated from Maryland in 2011, sat and passed for the Maryland Bar in July of that year, and was hired by the attorney general’s office in January 2012, where I have worked ever since. After changing departments in 2013, I am currently an assistant attorney general for a principal department of the state government.  My practice focuses mostly on federal and state civil litigation in both trial and appellate courts, as well as providing advice to my client agencies and divisions.

I live in downtown Charm City and love exploring everything Baltimore has to offer. From great restaurants to the many world-class museums to the captivating live theater, Baltimore is a thriving town and my girlfriend and I love soaking up every ounce that this city has to offer.

In my spare time, I am a high school football official for games in the Baltimore and D.C. metro areas. I often have to make quick wardrobe changes and jump from the suit and tie I wear during the day to the stripes I wear and flags I use to officiate games at night. One might think that practicing law and officiating football games are unrelated avocations. On the contrary, I’ve found that officiating forces me to utilize many of the same skills I employ as an attorney, and vice versa. You’ll hear more about the officiating in later posts. If you can’t reach me on a Thursday or Friday night in the fall, check your local high school’s football field.

I’m thrilled to be able to share a bit of myself with my fellow young attorneys and hopefully become a better attorney for it!