HOME> ATTORNEY BIOGRAPHIES> ELIZABETH A. FRANCIS
Practice Areas:
Professional Liability
Malpractice
Disciplinary
Admissions
Employment and Labor Law
Complex Litigation
General Liability
Bar and Court Admissions:
Virginia, 2004
District of Columbia, 2005
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, 2007
United States District Court for the District of Columbia, 2008
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, 2011
US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, 2011
Education:
The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Degree Juris Doctor
Certificate: Comparative International Law Certificate
Date 2003
Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Degree Bachelor of Arts (Honors)
Date 1997
Professional and Civic Organizations:
Virginia Association of Defense Attorneys
Director at Large October 2010-present
Chair of the Young Lawyers Division 2009-2010
Vice-Chair of the Young Lawyers Division 2008-2009
George Washington American Inn of Court
American Bar Association
Personal Statement:
Elizabeth litigates complex civil matters, particularly in the areas of professional liability and employment and labor law. Elizabeth has recently defended clients in legal malpractice claims and in negligence claims against title companies, closing agents, and real estate appraisers. Elizabeth has defended associations and religious institutions in employment law matters before the EEOC and state agencies, and in state courts. Elizabeth has also defended trade organizations in general liability matters.
Elizabeth has successfully represented clients in disciplinary actions before Bar Counsel and in admissions cases before state Committees on Admission.
Elizabeth has represented clients in the U.S. District Courts for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of Columbia, District of Columbia Superior Court, and Circuit Courts and General District Courts in Virginia.
Elizabeth served as the law clerk to the Honorable Patricia A. Broderick at the District of Columbia Superior Court. She also spent two and half years as a law clerk in the Office of Bar Counsel, working closely with Wallace E. “Gene” Shipp, Jr., Bar Counsel, and Julia Porter, Senior Assistant Bar Counsel.
Prior to law school, Elizabeth worked in the Ambassador’s Office at the Canadian Embassy, under Ambassador Raymond Chrétien. She immigrated to the United States in 1998 and was naturalized in 2006.
Elizabeth has presented on the District of Columbia Disciplinary System to professional responsibility classes at The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. Elizabeth has chaired CLE courses for the D.C. Bar Association on Avoiding Bar Complaints and Legal Malpractice Claims. The materials for this course can be purchased at http://www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/continuing_legal_education/materials.cfm, in the Ethics section. She has also taught in-house CLE classes to insurance adjusters on the rules of professional conduct and the tri-partite relationship.
Publications
Balancing the First Amendment Right to Freedom of Speech With the State’s Desire to Protect Its Citizens: World Church of the Creator Case, 4 Int’l J. of Not-For-Profit Law 4 (2002) at http://www.icnl.org/knowledge/ijnl/vol4iss4/cn_4.htm#usa.
The Interaction Between the Rules of Professional Conduct and Malpractice Actions in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia co-authored with Dennis J. Quinn http://www.carrmaloney.com/news/newsletters/october.html.
VA Circuit Court Addresses Interplay Between Attorney-Client and Marital Privileges http://www.carrmaloney.com/news/newsletters/03_11.html.
