Three Alumni Make List of Top 75 Washington Lawyers

The April, 2002, Washingtonian Magazine had the following descriptions of the work of alumni, Nina Ginsberg,'78, Michael Maggio, '78, and Bernie Grimm, '83 - all listed as among the top 75 lawyers in Washington! Here's what the Washingtonian said:

21. Bernie Grimm: "A Legend in Washington Courthouses"

"Bernie Grimm has become something of a legend in Washington Courthouses, tirelessly defending bad guys without the backing of a big law firm. Courthouse watchers say his insanity defense of Tomar Locker, accused of killing boxer Reuben Bell, was the greatest courtroom performance by a Washington lawyer since the days of trial legend Ken Mundy, who died seven years ago. Locker, who never denied shooting Bell, was convicted only of possessing a firearm and instead of life in prison spent 60 days at St. Elizabeths, after which he was deemed to be in "perfect mental health" and released.

More recently Grimm arranged a plea for slum landlord Rufus Stancil under which he was sentenced to spend four days in jail and two months, including Christmas Eve, in housing where his tenants lived without heat, hot water, or basic sanitation. A Washington Post article noted that tenants of the building cheered the common-sense justice of the deal. Grimm and Stancil also cheered: Stancil faced a possible total of 17 years in prison and $21,000 in fines."

40. Michael Maggio: "Washington's Best Immigration Lawyer"

"Washington's best immigration lawyer grew up in an Italian family in south Philadelphia. When he told his father he wanted to be an "immigration lawyer," Papa hit the roof--practitioners of the specialty were famous for ripping off new arrivals who didn't speak the language.

Maggio has done it right, representing everyone from housekeepers to entertainers and circus groups coming for performances to corporate CEOs. Fluent in Spanish, Maggio provided a great deal of advice to Juan Miguel Gonzalez during his struggle to regain custody of his son, Elian, who was found at sea following an accident while trying to flee Cuba with his mother."

74. Nina Ginsberg: "Crafty Courtroom Manner"

"A New York native with expertise in drug offenses, Ginsberg has built a Virginia practice centered on defending alleged drug dealers, illegal aliens, and spies like Brian Regan, a retired Air Force master sergeant accused of selling secrets. Her crafty courtroom manner was on display in a Fairfax County child-molestation case when she elected not to strike a retired FBI agent from the jury panel. Many in the courtroom thought she had lost her case right there. Ginsberg correctly predicted, however, that the agent 'would understand the weakness in the government's case,' and her client was acquitted. Ginsberg is also Virginia's leading expert on evaluating the consequences of criminal conviction for non-US citizens."