Mobile, Alabama, United States
All statements, views, and opinions are personal and do not directly or implicitly represent the U.S. Government, DoW, U.S. Army, or Corps. This includes all written statements, endorsements, likes, and other interactions. Currently serving as Senior Assistant District Counsel for Employment and Labor Law / Assistant District Counsel for Ethics, Corps of Engineers, Mobile District. In charge of the District's employment, labor relations, EEO, and ethics disputes, providing oral/written advice to the Commander, Deputy Commander, and senior management officials re: advanced issues in civilian personnel law, employment discrimination law, labor relations matters, and ethical governance. From 2008-2024, served as a Career Law Clerk to a federal U.S. District Judge. Successfully handled thousands of highly complex civil and criminal cases. Meaningful expertise in federal court systems, litigation, appeals, motion practice, and a vast array of federal claims including highly complex employment disputes. Post-graduate experience in historic preservation, architectural history, the arts, and community leadership/service. J.D. in International Law / M.A. in International Relations/Diplomacy (international trade, international business transactions, international human rights, politics, war crimes, crimes against humanity, cultural rights, intellectual property, anti-corruption, etc.). Undergraduate background in cultural anthropology, archaeology, art history, and French. In 2023, appointed by the Mayor and City Council of the City of Mobile, Alabama, to serve as a Board Member on the City's Architectural Review Board (a volunteer, quasi-judicial body that rules on applications for exterior work on historic structures in the City's seven (7) historic districts). Such entails reviewing the propriety of applications for exterior alterations/material changes to historic structures to ensure preservation of the City's historical, cultural, and aesthetic heritage and compliance with uniform procedures (Design Review Guidelines consistent with the U.S. Secretary of Interior's standards). -Award-winning freelance photographer -Published freelance writer -18+ years of service to the federal judiciary -20+ years of overall service to the federal government
-Recipient, Civilian Service Achievement Medal from the U.S. Department of the Army (2025) -Recipient, Performance Award, USACE-SAM (2024) -Recipient, Certificate of Appreciation, USACE-SAM (2024) -In charge of labor relations, employment, EEO and ethics matters for the Mobile District -Render legal advice, assistance, and support in all areas of labor and employment law. -Provide oral and written advice to the Commander, Deputy Commander, and senior management officials on all aspects of civilian personnel law, employment discrimination law, and all labor relations matters, including transitions in personnel. -Serve as Trial Attorney, represents the District in administrative hearings before mediators, arbitrators, investigators, and administrative judges from various agencies (EEOC, MSPB, etc.). -Serve as District Labor Counselor providing advice to the Command regarding 2 active unions, including all negotiations and management requirements. -Serve as District Ethics Officer, providing advice and opinions regarding regulations, directives, and policies, including complex legal questions involving interpretation of legislation and regulations regarding Ethics and Standards of Conduct. -Serve as legal advisor on Commander Inquiries and AR 15-6 investigations, in the Mobile District and at the request of the Division Counsel, throughout SAD. -Assist the Department of Justice in litigating civilian personnel/labor relations/EEO civil actions in federal district courts and federal appellate courts. -Evaluates adverse decisions for possibility of appeal and considers the importance of the case, the potential precedent, cost of further litigation, likelihood of success on appeal, and other considerations which bear on the advisability of appeal.
-Recipient, Special Service Award SDAL -Proactively handled 50% of the civil/criminal caseloads reflecting demonstrated excellence in self-directed, trustworthy, and independent legal research, analysis, decision-making, writing, editing, workload management, judicial temperament, professional litigation/courtroom competence, and subject matter expertise; -Successfully resolved motions/cases within litigation deadlines, Court Rules, Fed.R.Civ.P., Fed.R.Crim.P. etc. for a minimum of: 1) civil - 950 cases (some multi-plaintiff, collective, and class actions), 32 trials, 183 summary judgments, 65 pretrial conferences, 65 motion hearings, and 480 R&R reviews; and 2) criminal - 380 cases (some multi-defendant), 30 trials, 30 competency hearings, 20 suppression/evidentiary hearings, and 115 miscellaneous motion hearings; -Close to 16 years effectively managing multifaceted federal civil/criminal cases necessitating considerable legal/factual research and analysis from the initial filing of the Complaint or Indictment through trial and post-judgment proceedings, to astutely draft correct, clear, and cogent memoranda and/or decisions for the comprehensive and judicious resolution of pending matters; -Substantively assisted with hearings, conferences, and/or trials (jury/non-jury), including analyzing all briefing, evaluating testimony, scrutinizing evidence, and drafting rulings; -Excellent Westlaw, Windows, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Power Point, etc. and docketing (CM/ECF, NextGen) skills; -Coordination with judges, law clerks, counsel, court personnel, IT, Finance, HR, Jury, US Probation/Pretrial Services, US Marshals, FPD, AUSA, AO, GSA, FJC, litigants, the public, etc.; -Selectee, AO's Chambers Staff Admin. Workshop (Jul. 2021, Sept. 2021, Jan. 2022), the FJC's Wm. Matthew Byrne, Jr. Judicial Clerkship Institute Conf., Pepperdine University Caruso School of Law (2021, 2022, 2024), and the AO's Ethics for Chambers workshop (2021, 2022)
-Served in a six (6) month clerkship as the Judge's first law clerk, to provide an introduction to judiciary processes and assist with the establishment of chambers and protocols, daily operations, a roadmap for effective case/workload management, tools for swift, fair, comprehensive, and effective legal analysis as well as attaining excellence in chambers' administrative, interpersonal, logistical, and managerial tasks/responsibilities, etc. -Proactively handled 100% of the judge's civil docket, and assisted substantively with the criminal docket, reflecting demonstrated excellence in self-directed, trustworthy, and largely independent legal research, analysis, decision-making, writing, editing, case/workload management, judicial temperament, professional litigation/courtroom competence, and subject matter expertise; -Successfully resolved motions/cases within deadlines and in keeping with chambers' prioritization schedules and the judiciary's mission for the fair/objective resolution of pending matters; -Astutely drafted numerous correct, clear, and cogent internal memoranda and/or decisions for the comprehensive and judicious resolution of non-dispositive/dispositive motions and other matters -Substantively assisted with, adversarial or non-adversarial oral arguments, hearings, conferences, and/or trials of varying durations (jury/non-jury), and drafted timely and legally sound work products for same (on motions, petitions, or exceptions involving questions of law, procedure, and the admissibility of evidence) including gathering and analyzing all briefing and filings, evaluating witnesses testimony including experts, scrutinizing evidentiary conflicts, and recommending rulings; -Handled jury selection and ad hoc matters relating to jury and bench trials, consistently and reliably, including for the weekly civil docket call (oral argument on motions). -Regularly coordinated with jury panels, court personnel, counsel, and the public.
-Worked as a temporary law clerk to fill an emergency need for staffing. -Assisted the Judge in the disposition of several urgent and significant matters for the civil docket. -Conducted legal research, drafted orders/opinions, fielded inquiries from counsel, etc. -Prepared the Judge for courtroom proceedings/hearings.
-Proactively handled 100% of the civil docket (including 100% of the SSA appeals) and 50% of the criminal docket reflecting demonstrated excellence in self-directed, trustworthy, and largely independent legal research, analysis, decision-making, writing, editing, case/workload management, judicial temperament, professional litigation/courtroom competence, and subject matter expertise; -Successfully handled hundreds of motions and/or cases within litigation deadlines, chambers' schedules, Court Rules, Fed.R.Civ.P., federal caselaw interpretation, other agencies’ rules, etc. -2+ years effectively managing hundreds of multifaceted federal civil cases necessitating considerable legal/factual research and analysis to astutely draft correct, clear, and cogent internal memoranda and/or decisions for the comprehensive and judicious resolution of pending matters; -Substantively assisted with, adversarial or non-adversarial oral arguments, hearings, and/or criminal pretrial conferences, and drafting timely and legally sound work products for same including gathering and analyzing all briefing and filings, evaluating testimony including experts, scrutinizing evidentiary conflicts, and recommending rulings for same; -Coordinated telephone conferences, scheduling hearings, setting briefing deadlines, amending calendar settings, etc.; -Coordinated and conferred with judges, law clerks, counsel, courtroom deputies, court reporters, Clerk's office, IT, Finance, Human Resources, Jury, SDAL committees, US Probation/Pretrial Services, US Marshals, Federal Defenders, US Attorneys, AO, GSA, FJC, other federal courts and court units, the Alabama State Bar, the Mobile Bar Association, government agencies, litigants, and the public, as needed; -Tapped to plan and organize naturalization ceremonies; -Developed significant skills in Westlaw, Windows, Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, Outlook, Microsoft Teams, Power Point, etc. and docket systems (CM/ECF).
-Managed complex state and federal cases for cases concerning international, national, state and local individuals and entities. -Handled pre-trial, trial and appellate work, including client relations, court appearances and hearings, oral arguments, interviewing witnesses, drafting motions and briefs, conducting discovery, taking and defending depositions, and settlement negotiations. -Illustrative litigation record: Service Scaffold & Equipment, Inc. v. Zachry Construction, 2004 WL 3055193 (N.D. Ala. Apr. 15, 2004) and CV 04-616 (N.D. Ala. Mar. 24, 2004); Central Alabama Comprehensive Healthcare, Inc. v. Aventis Pharmaceutical, Inc., et al., CV 04-673 (M.D. Ala. Jul. 13, 2004); Beasley v. Unilever United States, Inc., CV 03-14728 (11th Cir. Sept. 18, 2003) and Beasley v. Conopco, 273 F. Supp. 2d 1239 (M.D. Ala. 2003); Richardson v. Tomberlin, et al., CV 02-150 (M.D. Tenn. Feb. 19, 2003) and CV 02-305 (S.D. Ala. Apr. 30, 2002); Stuart C. Irby & Co. v. Hatfield, et al., CV 02-287 (S.D. Ala. Apr. 24, 2002); Mississippi Valley Title Co. v. Kopesky, CV 02-665 (S.D. Ala. Sept. 3, 2002); Ogle et al. v. Nissan North America, Inc., CV 02-2083 (N.D. Ala. Aug. 27, 2002); Tucker v. Harrington Hoist, et al., CV 01-570 (S.D. Ala. Aug. 10, 2001).