Press Release: National Association of Attorneys General Names D.C. Solicitor General Loren L. AliKhan Senior Staff Member of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

December 14, 2020

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Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert A. DeBerardinis, Jr. Receives Meritorious Service Award for 21 Years of Excellent Service to the District

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today congratulates District of Columbia Solicitor General Loren L. AliKhan for receiving the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) 2020 Senior Staff Member of the Year Award and Senior Assistant Attorney General Robert A. DeBerardinis, Jr., for receiving the Meritorious Service Award. Ms. AliKhan is recognized as NAAG Senior Staff Member of the Year for her exemplary leadership, tireless work ethic, and legal expertise and acumen within the Office of Attorney General for the District of Columbia (OAG) and among Attorney General staff nationally. The NAAG Meritorious Service Award recognizes Mr. DeBerardinis for his committed public service and significant contributions to OAG, clients, colleagues, and the District over the past 21 years.

“Throughout her tenure as Solicitor General and, before that, as Deputy Solicitor General, Loren AliKhan has performed and led at the highest standard of excellence,” said AG Racine. “Loren’s judgement is sound, and she possesses an indefatigable work ethic. Her colleagues, including myself, the Chief Deputy, and Senior Counsel, regularly seek Loren’s advice on the most complex legal issues before the office. Gifted with a collaborative spirit, Loren has established strong relationships with colleagues throughout the office, as well as throughout the broader Attorney General community in every region of our country. Because of Loren’s leadership and strong support for her Solicitor General Office colleagues, our Solicitor General’s office is broadly viewed as the best in the United States.”

Ms. AliKhan joined OAG as Deputy Solicitor General in 2013, and AG Racine appointed her Solicitor General in 2018. The NAAG Senior Staff of the Year Award recognizes Ms. AliKhan for playing a key role at OAG and elevating the office’s reputation for excellent legal work over the past seven years. As Solicitor General, she handles the District’s appellate litigation, primarily in the D.C. Court of Appeals, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court, and she oversees the District’s multistate and amicus curiae practice in courts across the nation. She personally briefs and argues OAG’s most difficult cases, which involve questions that are critically important to the District and the state Attorney General community at large. Ms. AliKhan has also built strong relationships with Attorney General offices across the country, allowing her to assemble large and diverse multistate coalitions to sign on to key amicus briefs, including over ten amicus briefs defending voting rights during the 2020 election.

The NAAG award further recognizes Ms. AliKhan’s exceptional writing and oral advocacy skills, hands-on efforts to ensure that OAG’s work is always top notch, and her commitment to building a diverse and collegial legal profession.

NAAG’s Meritorious Service Award is given to recognize Attorney General staff members who have particularly exceeded expectations and gone above and beyond for their offices, often over the course of many years.

“In over 21 years at the Office of the Attorney General, Bob DeBerardinis has demonstrated an extraordinary commitment to public service and deep legal expertise, and he has been a true team player,” said AG Racine. “Bob has provided excellent representation to the District of Columbia in civil cases large and small. He has also selflessly invested in the development and success of his colleagues, finding time to mentor junior attorneys, present trainings, advise coworkers on litigation strategy, and advocate for District lawyers as a union leader despite a heavy caseload of his own. OAG and the District are better off as a result of his contributions.”   

Mr. DeBerardinis is a Senior Assistant Attorney General in OAG’s Civil Litigation Division. Since joining OAG in 1999, he has represented the District in a wide range of cases and acts as an in-house expert in civil litigation related to civil rights. He has also provided informal mentorship to numerous attorneys and has presented trainings within and outside of OAG on topics including preparing expert witnesses, litigation defense strategies, Section 1983 issues, trial practice, and depositions. He also serves as Vice President of AFGE Local 1403, the union that represents most of the District’s attorneys.

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