Liam mmcmanus Mon, 20 Apr 2026 - 21:48 O’Grady Prefix Hon. Suffix (Ret.) Panelist ID 1636 Show Neutral Calendar false Case Manager Erika Holland 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. 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 Disable practice area bio links false Sort practice area links alphabetically true Disable "Practice Areas" section button false 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 Available In-Person true Federal Judge true Diverse Neutral false Mediator Arbitrator Neutral Evaluator Court-Appointed Neutral (Referee/Special Master) Judicial All Judge U.S. District Court Judge U.S. Magistrate Judge U.S. Federal Judge Available to Travel Location(s) Atlanta, Georgia Austin, Texas Boca Raton, Florida Boston, Massachusetts Century City, California Chicago, Illinois Dallas, Texas Detroit, Michigan Houston, Texas Inland Empire, California Las Vegas, Nevada Los Angeles, California Miami, Florida Minneapolis, Minnesota New York, New York Orange County, California Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Sacramento, California San Diego, California San Francisco, California Santa Rosa, California Seattle, Washington Silicon Valley, California St. Louis, Missouri Walnut Creek, California Sort by State true Home Office Washington, D.C. 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