Jessiah practices with the firm’s Criminal and Government Investigations practice group where his primary focus is working with clients on federal grand jury investigations and white-collar criminal defense matters. Prior to joining the firm, Jessiah clerked for the Honorable Mary Grace O’Brien of the Court of Appeals of Virginia. During law school, he interned with the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office in Augusta County, Virginia, and the United States Attorney’s Office in Camden, New Jersey.
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Unpublished short stories written
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Movies watched at least twice
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Lego minifigures collected
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People would be surprised to know:
During law school, I worked a few shifts as a janitor and housekeeper at the hotel my wife managed in Lexington, Virginia. I enjoyed it. I like the inherent satisfaction of leaving a place in better condition than I find it.
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Five songs everyone should listen to:
“Vitamin C” by German experimental rock band Can; “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” by American gospel blues artist Blind Willie Johnson; “Djougou Toro” by Burkinabe Yéyé group Volta Jazz; “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel; and “Alexander Nevsky, Op. 78-II: Song About Alexander Nevsky” by Russian-Soviet classical composer Sergei Prokofiev.
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In an alternate universe…
I would be an astrophysicist. My father, a brilliant high school physics teacher, instilled a deep appreciation of physics and astronomy in me during my childhood. In this universe, however, I lack the raw mathematical skills required to work as a scientist in either field.
Education
- Washington and Lee University School of Law, J.D. magna cum laude
- University of Valley Forge, B.A. summa cum laude
Experience
- Assist with conducting internal investigations and defending clients in the life sciences, healthcare, insurance, and hospitality industries against prosecutions, grand jury investigations, and civil enforcement actions.
- Research complex issues involving the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act (FDCA), Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), Endangered Species Act (ESA), False Claims Act (FCA), Social Security Act (SSA), and the Virginia Business Conspiracy Act.
- Coordinate, plan, and execute large-scale document review projects on e-discovery platforms such as Relativity and Logikcull.
- Drafted a summary judgment reply brief in a $230,000 breach of contract lawsuit.
- Drafted a document retention policy for a Section 501(c)(3) organization.
- As a law clerk to the Honorable Mary Grace O’Brien, researched issues of state criminal law and federal Constitutional law on appeal to the Court of Appeals of Virginia.
- As a student attorney for the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office for Augusta County, tried misdemeanor cases in General District Court, tried a felony solicitation case in Circuit Court, drafted motions, negotiated plea deals, and argued at bond hearings.
- As an intern at the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey, assisted in the defense of civil suits against the United States and in the prosecution of a variety of federal crimes including narcotics trafficking, deprivation of civil rights under color of law, and bank, wire, and securities fraud.
Affiliations
- Member, Virginia State Bar (2020-present)
- Member, Federal Bar Association, Western District of Virginia Chapter (2021-present)
- Judge, American Bar Association Client Counseling Competition (2022)
- Judge, National Black Law Students Association Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition (2021, 2022)
- Volunteer, Virginia Model Judiciary Program (2021, 2022)
- Judge, National Moot Court Competition, Region 3 (2020), Region 4 (2021)
- Appellate Advocacy Competition Chair, Moot Court Executive Board, Washington and Lee University School of Law (2019-2020)
- Member, National Black Law Students Association (2018-2020)
- Member, American Bar Association, Law Students Division (2018-2020)
Admissions
- Virginia Bar
- United States District Court, Western District of Virginia
Awards
- Best Petitioner Brief Award and Runner-Up Team, National Thurgood Marshall Moot Court Competition, 2020
