Hon. Liam O’Grady (Ret.)
Hon. Liam O’Grady (Ret.) is an experienced neutral who draws on decades of judicial, trial and ADR experience to resolve complex, high-stakes disputes. Appointed as a judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia in 2007, Judge O’Grady presided over thousands of cases on the renowned “Rocket Docket,” including securities, antitrust and intellectual property matters. He played a key role in shaping local patent discovery rules in both the Eastern District of Virginia and the Eastern District of Texas; sat by designation on the Fourth Circuit, Ninth Circuit and Federal Circuit courts of appeals; and served on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court and the Alien Terrorist Removal Court.
Before his district court appointment, Judge O’Grady served as a United States magistrate judge, resolving complex discovery disputes, issuing opinions on novel legal issues and conducting more than 75 civil settlement conferences in highly contentious matters.
Prior to taking the bench, Judge O’Grady worked as an IP litigator in private practice and tried dozens of cases in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia.
Judge O’Grady retired from federal service in August 2023 and founded an ADR practice before joining JAMS. In his spare time, he teaches trial advocacy at The George Washington University Law School and the National College of Trial Advocacy. He brings a pragmatic, disciplined and results-oriented approach to mediation and arbitration, grounded in extensive experience as a trial judge, advocate and ADR practitioner.
Representative Matters
- Business Commercial
- As a judge, presided over commercial litigation involving business torts and fiduciary-duty claims brought by large corporate entities against their principals
- As a judge, managed multiparty litigation involving real-estate investments, financial transactions and competing contractual claims
- As a judge, oversaw Foreign Corrupt Practices Act litigation brought by the U.S. government against an international retailer
- As a judge, presided over a $1 billion copyright infringement action brought by a multinational rightsholder against a prominent internet service provider
As a litigator, represented Fortune 100 companies in antitrust, securities and regulatory matters in judicial and administrative forums
- Criminal
- As a judge, presided over multiparty criminal matters involving government white-collar investigations, regulatory enforcement and national security issues, including securities fraud, terrorism, espionage, criminal copyright violations, international drug trafficking, international kidnapping and cross-border cybersecurity offenses
- As a judge, handled extradition-related proceedings and matters involving cross-border jurisdictional issues
- As a litigator, served as an assistant United States attorney prosecuting a broad range of federal criminal offenses, including white-collar fraud, narcotics and human trafficking
- As a litigator, served as lead counsel in more than 75 jury trials as an assistant commonwealth’s attorney prosecuting major crimes in Arlington County, Virginia
- Employment Law
- As a judge, adjudicated employment disputes involving discrimination, retaliation and harassment
- As a judge, presided over executive-level employment cases involving compensation and termination
As a litigator, advised and represented clients in employment-related disputes and investigations involving workplace policies and compliance obligations
- Intellectual Property
- As a judge, oversaw complex, technology-related disputes involving intellectual property and digital platforms, including the largest criminal copyright case ever prosecuted by the U.S. government
- As a judge, presided over patent infringement, trade secret, licensing and unfair competition disputes requiring expert testimony and expedited case management
- As a litigator, served as the lead trial lawyer on large-scale intellectual property and technology-driven cases for corporate clients
- As a mediator, resolved complex disputes involving software, chemical, pharmaceutical and mechanical patents
As a neutral, oversaw high-value antitrust and patent matters
Provided strategic guidance to outside counsel on trial preparation, dispositive motions, mock trials and settlement strategy in federal antitrust litigation brought by the U.S. government
Honors, Memberships and Professional Activities
- Honors
- Recipient, Brennan Award, National Institute of Trial Advocacy, 2011
- Excellence Award, Department of Justice, 1991
- Memberships
- City of Alexandria Bar Association, 2025–2026
- George Mason Inns of Court, 2008–2026
- Pauline Newman IP Inns of Court, 2005–2026
- Federal Bar Association, 2003–2026
- District of Columbia Bar Association, 1995–2026
- Fourth Circuit Bar Association, 1986–2026
- Virginia State Bar Association, 1978–2026
- Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Virginia
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia
- Selected Speaking Engagements:
- Speaker, Federal Circuit Bar Association Annual Conference, 2025
- Speaker, Federal Circuit Bar Association – International Litigation Training, 2025
- Speaker, Global Patent Litigation Forum, Munich, Germany, 2024
- Additional or Unique Skills
- Created a mentorship program at the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the annual award was later named in his honor
- Guardian Ad Litem, 2025–2026
Background and Education
- Mediator/Neutral Evaluator, Liam O’Grady Consulting LLC, 2024
- Judge, Alien Terrorist Removal Court, 2021–2023
- Judge, Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), 2020–2023
- United States District Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2007–2023
- United States Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2003–2007
- Partner; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP; 1992–2003
- Assistant United States Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, 1986–1992
- Assistant and Deputy Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney; Arlington County, Virginia; 1982–1986
- Associate; Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner LLP, 1979–1982
Education
- J.D., George Mason University School of Law, 1977
- B.A., Franklin & Marshall College, 1973
Home Office
HOME OFFICE
Washington, D.C.
1050 K Street NW, Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20001
Available to Travel
AVAILABLE TO TRAVEL
Atlanta, Georgia
1230 Peachtree St. NE, Suite 2950, Atlanta, GA, 30309
Boca Raton, Florida
2500 N. Military Trail, Suite 200, Boca Raton, FL 33431
Boston, Massachusetts
One Boston Place, 201 Washington Street, Suite 3300, Boston, MA 02108
Century City, California
1925 Century Park East, 14th Floor, The Watt Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Chicago, Illinois
71 S. Wacker Drive Suite 2400, Chicago, IL 60606
Dallas, Texas
5956 Sherry Lane, Suite 1330, Dallas, TX 75225
Detroit, Michigan
150 West Jefferson, Suite 1600, Detroit, MI 48226
Houston, Texas
609 Main Street, Suite 3930, Houston, TX 77002
Inland Empire, California
Citrus Towers, 3390 University Ave., Suite 450, Riverside, CA 92501
Las Vegas, Nevada
7160 Rafael Rivera Way, Suite 400, Las Vegas, NV 89113
Los Angeles, California
515 S. Flower St, Suite 4500 Los Angeles, CA, 90071
Miami, Florida
One Biscayne Tower, 2 South Biscayne Boulevard, Suite 3600, Miami, FL 33131
Minneapolis, Minnesota
90 S. 7th Street • Suite 3875, Minneapolis, MN, 55402
New York, New York
NY Times Building, 620 8th Ave, 34th Floor, New York, NY 10018
Orange County, California
5 Park Plaza, Suite 400, Irvine, CA 92614
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1717 Arch Street, Suite 3810, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Sacramento, California
1415 L Street, Suite 700, Sacramento, CA 95814
San Diego, California
401 B Street, Suite 2100, San Diego, CA 92101
San Francisco, California
Two Embarcadero Center, Suite 1500, San Francisco, CA 94111
Santa Rosa, California
50 Old Courthouse Square, Suite 600, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
Seattle, Washington
1420 Fifth Ave., Suite 1650, Seattle, WA 98101
Silicon Valley, California
160 W. Santa Clara St., Suite 1600, San Jose, 95113 CA
St. Louis, Missouri
190 Carondelet Plaza, Suite 1450, Clayton, MO 63105
Walnut Creek, California
1255 Treat Blvd., Suite 700, Walnut Creek, CA 94597
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