Hon. John H. "Hamp" Tisdale (Ret.) - Frederick, MD

The Honorable John H. "Hamp" Tisdale (Ret.) has served his community admirably for over forty years as an advocate, jurist, board member, and volunteer. Prior to his appointment to the bench, he enjoyed a successful career in private law practice, providing counsel in a variety of civil and family law disputes. A proven leader, Judge Tisdale has served as President of the Frederick County Bar Association, Director of Frederick Memorial Hospital, Chair of the Board of Directors for Frederick Community College, and as a Commander in the United States Naval Reserves. He currently serves on the board of trustees of Hood College. Judge Tisdale was recognized by the Maryland State Bar Association with the presentation of the Anselm Sodaro Civility Award and served as Chair of the Maryland Judicial Ethics Committee for five years. To view Judge Tisdale's profile, please click here.

Hon. Eric T. Washington (Ret.) - DC

The Honorable Eric T. Washington (Ret.) recently retired after completing his third consecutive term as Chief Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, throughout which time he also served as Chair of the Joint Committee on Judicial Administration for D.C. Prior to his designation as Chief Judge, he was an Associate Judge of the D.C. Court of Appeals, and before that, he served as Trial Judge on the D.C. Superior Court. A nationally recognized leader, Chief Judge Washington is a past President of the Conference of Chief Justices of the United States and also formerly served as Chair of the National Center for State Courts. He has been active in many professional and charitable organizations including several committees of the D.C. Bar, the D.C. Courts' Standing Committee on Fairness and Access, and the D.C. Access to Justice Commission. To view Judge Washington's profile, please click here.

Article by David P. Bobzien, Esq., Retired Fairfax County Attorney and Past President of the Virginia State Bar

During the over 23 years I served as the Fairfax County Attorney, I never considered mediation as a viable alternative to going to trial. Part of it was having received my legal training at a time when the use of mediation to resolve legal disputes was virtually non-existent. A much larger part was having the luxury of a hefty office budget that could readily pay for depositions and experts and the comfort of knowing that adverse money judgments (which thankfully were few) could easily be absorbed within the County's four billion dollar annual budget.

But the salad days are over. On the morning of November 23, 2016, I read with alarm that the Fairfax County Executive was predicting an $83 million shortfall for the coming fiscal year...to continue reading, please click here.