Christopher D. "Chris" Menconi

After serving as a law clerk for a Federal judge in Los Angeles, Mike began his career in tax controversy as a Trial Attorney with the Attorney General’s Honors Program at the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. After the Justice Department, Mike worked at a boutique tax firm in Washington, D.C., where he was elected partner in 2004. In this capacity he represented clients ranging from Fortune 100 companies to partnerships and individuals. Mike returned to government in 2005...

Carmen Irizarry-Diaz is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Trusts and Estates. Carmen, who practices law in McLean, Virginia, has been recognized since 2024. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Carmen is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Eric Frechtel practices in the area of construction and government contracts. He represents general contractors, subcontractors, sureties, and owners, in both the prosecution and defense of claims on large public and private construction projects. He has significant litigation experience before both state and federal courts, including both bench trials and jury trials, and he has considerable experience in construction arbitration as well. Eric’s practice also includes substantial work ...

Carson Sullivan is Chair of Paul Hastings’ Washington, D.C. Employment Law Department and Co-Chair of the Washington, D.C. office. She represents employers in all aspects of employment law, with an emphasis on the defense of class and collective action suits. As one of the leaders of the firm’s Pay Equity Practice Group, Ms. Sullivan provides sophisticated litigation defense and works with clients to review and analyze their compensation practices for pay equity and legal complian...

Criminal defense lawyer and civil litigator Michael Battle is focused on white collar criminal matters. Having previously served as a prosecutor and judge himself, Michael understands their perspectives and designs compelling arguments that have the best chance of defending his clients and mitigating their exposure to prosecution. After leaving public service for private practice, Michael has counseled numerous clients on cases involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), healthcare fr...

Recognized by the Washington Post as “ the feared attorney of the #MeToo movement ,” Debra S. Katz has been successfully litigating employment discrimination, civil rights, and whistleblower protection cases for nearly 40 years. Ms. Katz is a founding partner of Katz Banks Kumin LLP, where she concentrates her practice on employment discrimination, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, whistleblower retaliation claims, and contractual employment disputes. She has developed extens...

Sean Clancy is the team leader of Nixon Peabody’s Tax practice, and a member of the firm’s Public Company Transactions team. He assists clients with a broad range of tax and business planning matters and related tax policy matters. My focus Tax Planning I advise clients on federal tax planning, including assistance in structuring mergers and acquisitions and other transactions. In addition, I counsel private equity funds on domestic and cross-border taxation and corporate finance ...

John L. Laster is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Elder Law and Trusts and Estates. John L., who practices law in Fairfax, Virginia, has been recognized since 2007. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which John L. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Scott works to design a creative, optimized path to problem solving that enhances their chances of recovery. Effective, thorough and practical, Scott is valued by clients and colleagues alike for his depth and breadth of knowledge and experience in insurance law, and for finding the right solution to each client’s distinct problem.Scott served co-lead counsel in a landmark class action trial, the first case of its kind to determine that insurance coverage was available, without aggregat...

Christopher W. Schinstock is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Family Law, Family Law Arbitration and Family Law Mediation. Christopher W., who practices law in Alexandria, Virginia, has been recognized since 2010. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Christopher W. is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.