May 2013
Schertler & Onorato attorneys David Schertler, Danny Onorato, David Dickieson, and Stuart Sears are recognized in the 2013 Super Lawyers list of outstanding attorneys in Washington, D.C. Mr. Schertler was named to the elite list of the "Top 100" attorneys in Washington and was rated a leading practitioner in the area of white collar criminal defense. Mr. Onorato received Super Lawyer recognition in the area of criminal defense, and Mr. Sears was named a "Rising Star" in the same field. Mr. Dickieson was named a Super Lawyer in tax matters. The rigorous selection process utilized by Super Lawyers includes both peer evaluation and independent research. The results of the rating process appeared in the Washington Post Magazine.
April 2013
Schertler & Onorato obtains a significant appellate victory in a criminal trademark counterfeiting case in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. The Court vacated several of our client’s convictions and concluded, on an important matter of first impression, that the government had pursued an overly–aggressive theory of trademark counterfeiting that was unsupported by the federal criminal statute. The firm’s appellate specialist, Lisa H. Schertler, briefed and argued the case.
March 2013
Schertler & Onorato proves its client’s "actual innocence" in a contested proceeding to seal criminal records. The evidentiary hearing took place in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and involved a client who was initially arrested for a felony offense and then was charged by the United States Attorney’s Office with multiple misdemeanor offenses in 2011. The charges were dismissed pursuant to a Deferred Prosecution Agreement, and Schertler & Onorato counsel Lisa Manning subsequently moved to seal all records of the arrest and court proceedings, including the pertinent records in the FBI’s national arrest database, on grounds of the client’s actual innocence. The Superior Court granted the motion over the government’s opposition, finding that the client did not commit any of the offenses with which he had been charged. Ms. Manning has extensive experience in criminal record mitigation matters in multiple jurisdictions.
March 2013
The International Who’s Who of Business Lawyers names David Schertler to its elite list of leading lawyers in the field of Business Crime Defense for 2013. Only 535 practitioners worldwide received this recognition. Attorneys were selected for the list based on a survey of law firm clients and business crime defense lawyers from around the world.
November 2012
Best Law Firms, a joint publication of U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers, again ranks Schertler & Onorato among the top "Tier 1"law firms in Washington for white-collar and non-white-collar criminal defense. This prestigious recognition of the firm’s white-collar criminal practice covers both litigation matters and governmental investigations. Best Law Firms rankings are the result of a rigorous evaluation process involving both client evaluations and peer review from leading attorneys in the applicable practice areas. Schertler & Onorato is pleased to be named a Best Law Firm for a second consecutive year.
July 2012
A Washington Post Editorial endorses the Confirmation of Robert Spagnoletti to Chair the District of Columbia Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. The Editorial opines that "[t]here is no doubting Mr. Spagnoletti’s qualitifications; he is a highly regarded lawyer who knows the District and its issues, and he has the experience and energy to manage organizations."
Read the Washington Post Editorial.
June 2012
Robert Spagnoletti has been nominated by Mayor Vincent Gray to serve as chairperson of the newly-formed Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. The three-person Board will be responsible for investigating alleged ethics violations by local elected officials and public employees. In announcing the nomination of Mr. Spagnoletti and the other Board members, Mayor Gray emphasized the candidates' extensive experience and their "sterling professional and personal reputations."
February 2012
After two years of intense litigation, the Department of Justice dismisses all charges against Schertler & Onorato’s client in the massive and highly publicized Foreign Corrupt Practices Act "Africa Sting" case. The dismissal with prejudice applied to all the defendants who were pending trial (or retrial) and followed two lengthy trials in which the government failed to obtain any convictions. David Schertler, Danny Onorato, and Veronica Jennings handled the proceedings for the firm’s client, a British citizen.
January 2012
U.S. News & World Report ranks Schertler & Onorato among the best law firms in Washington in both white-collar and non-white-collar criminal defense. The "Best Law Firms" rankings for 2011- 2012 were based on "a rigorous evaluation process" that included client evaluations of the firm’s expertise and cost-effectiveness, peer review from leading attorneys in the field, and the significance of legal matters handled by the firm.
December 2011
Washingtonian magazine names David Schertler one of the 30 best lawyers in the area bar, and Schertler & Onorato partners Danny Onorato, Robert Spagnoletti, and David Dickieson also are recognized by prestigious surveys as being leading lawyers in their fields for 2012. In addition to featuring Mr. Schertler in the elite group of 30 "superstar" lawyers, the December 2011 issue of Washingtonian identified both Mr. Schertler and Mr. Onorato as two of the area’s best white-collar criminal defense attorneys. In a separate survey, Mr. Schertler, Mr. Onorato, Mr. Spagnoletti, and Mr. Dickieson all were selected for inclusion in the 2012 "DC Super Lawyers" list, which rates attorneys based on a combination of independent research and peer evaluations. Mr. Schertler also is one of 297 American lawyers listed as the leading practitioners worldwide in the area of white collar defense in the 2012 issue of The International Who’s Who of Business Crime Defence Lawyers.
Read the Washingtonian feature.
January 2012
Lisa Fishberg has been selected to become a member of the D.C. Bar Family Law Section Steering Committee. Ms. Fishberg’s tenure as a section leader will continue through June 2013.
November 2011
Schertler & Onorato prevails on its motion to unseal court proceedings in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. The district court ordered the unsealing over the government’s objection, finding that there was no continuing compelling need to seal the records and that the constitutional right of public access to court records therefore controlled.
Read the LegalTimes' BLT story.
November 2011
Schertler & Onorato defeats a government request for a sixteen–level "loss amount" upward adjustment in a bank fraud case in the Southern District of Alabama. The firm’s Sentencing Guidelines analysis resulted in an eight–month sentence for our client, who otherwise would have faced an advisory Guidelines range of 70 to 87 months’ imprisonment. Lisa Hertzer Schertler developed the legal argument and wrote the successful sentencing submission.
October 2011
Schertler & Onorato achieves a 20–month sentence reduction at the post–appeal resentencing in a health–care fraud case. The resentencing followed the firm’s successful appeal of the client’s 53–month sentence in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. At resentencing, attorney Veronica Jennings persuaded the district court to forego the upward variance it originally imposed in favor of a 33–month sentence, which was the low end of the applicable advisory Sentencing Guidelines range.
September 2011
Lisa Hertzer Schertler serves as Distinguished Speaker on the topic of legal writing. As part of the "Distinguished Speakers Series" cosponsored by the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. and the Office of Civil Rights at the Department of Transportation, Ms. Schertler delivered a well–received lecture on techniques for effective written advocacy.
July 2011
Attorneys Bob Spagnoletti, David Dickieson, and Habib Ilahi successfully assisted in negotiating and reaching a settlement on behalf of a Schertler & Onorato client named as a defendant in a major shareholder class action lawsuit brought in U.S. District Court in Greenville, South Carolina, against Signalife Inc., and several current and former executives. (Latham v. Matthews, et al., 6:08-CV-02995-JMC and Roth v. Matthews, et al., 6:08-CV-03183-JMC).
July 2011
After a lengthy three–year grand jury investigation into bid–rigging by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division, Schertler & Onorato attorneys David Schertler and Habib Ilahi successfully persuaded the Antitrust Division prosecutors that criminal charges were not warranted against their client, a former high level federal government official who had been designated previously as a target of the investigation.
July 2011
In a consecutive victory in the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Schertler & Onorato earns another sentencing remand for an appellate client. The Court has vacated our client’s sentence for filing a false tax return based on our argument that the district court’s Sentencing Guidelines calculation and upward variance were improperly influenced by matters on which our client retained a Fifth Amendment privilege. Lisa Hertzer Schertler wrote the briefs and argued the case.
June 2011
Veronica Jennings and Lisa Hertzer Schertler are successful in their appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The Court unanimously vacated our client’s 53 month prison sentence in a health care fraud case.
Read the LegalTimes' BLT story.
May 2011
David Dickieson and Lisa Fishberg successfully protect a client’s above–guidelines child support order. Judge Chamblin issued a Memorandum Opinion holding that a prior agreement to pay child support well in excess of the Virginia guidelines would not be modified, despite the changed circumstance of the payor. If the guidelines had been applied by the court, Schertler & Onorato’s client would have faced a 70% reduction in child support received. Tolan v. Tolan, Civil No. 62667 (Cir. Ct. Loudoun Cty, Va.).
May 2011
David Schertler and Danny Onorato are once again recognized as among the "Best Lawyers" in Washington, D.C. in the areas of white collar and non–white collar criminal defense in the Washington Post magazine. The Best Lawyer survey also selects David Schertler as one of the top 100 lawyers in the City.
March 2011
Schertler & Onorato selected as the Best Defense Attorneys in D.C. by the Washington City Paper staff. From the 2011 Best of D.C. edition of the City Paper: "It’s amazing what some good lawyering can do. This year, in almost every big criminal case, the defense firm Schertler & Onorato LLP was there, scoring major victories."
March 2011
The District of Columbia Court of Appeals affirms a trial court decision in favor of Schertler & Onorato’s client. In a case briefed and argued by Lisa Fishberg, the D.C. Court of Appeals upheld a trial court decision maintaining a father’s right to joint physical and legal custody following a trial based on false allegations of domestic violence and child abuse.