Ben Civiletti focuses his practice of law on commercial litigation, banking, white-collar crime, government regulation, and corporate governance. He has conducted numerous product liability cases; successfully prosecuted and defended statutory and constitutional claims, and conducted special investigations growing out of derivative suits, governmental proceedings, and a state impeachment resolution. Mr. Civiletti is both a trial and appellate advocate. In addition, he has developed a practice in alternative dispute resolution, working successfully as a mediator, facilitator, master and arbitrator in many commercial and tort disputes to achieve faster and more cost-efficient justice. Mr. Civiletti's prior service on four public for-profit boards and three non-profit boards has afforded him a thorough familiarity with corporate governance consensus, task forces, and strategic planning. As Attorney General of the United States, Mr. Civiletti argued before the International Court of Justice on behalf of the American captives in Iran, and before the Supreme Court for the right of the government to denaturalize Nazi war criminals, and successfully defended the President's wage and price guidelines in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (sitting en banc). Furthermore, Mr. Civiletti was responsible for the Justice Department's promulgation of open trial guidelines, the Stanford Daily laws, the development and publication of National Priorities for the Investigation and Prosecution of White-Collar Crime, Principles of Federal Prosecution, National Prison Standards, and a score of other improvements in the effective enforcement of criminal law and in civil rights and environmental protection. Significant Matters Mr. Civiletti successfully argued again in the Court of Appeals of Maryland to reverse excessive millions in punitive damages and the court entered judgment for the defendant. He was co-independent counsel, appointed by regulators, in the investigation of the derivative business of a major Wall Street financial institution. Mr. Civiletti represented a corporate client in the successful defense of multi-million dollar claims of tortious interference with contract. For another client, he successfully settled multiple intentional tort claims after a lengthy trial on motions to suppress. And he again was successful in settling claims from a domestic air crash in which he represented plaintiffs against a major airline. Activities Mr. Civiletti has served as a member of the National Research Council Committee to Study National Cryptography Policy and as Chair of the Maryland Governor's Commission on Welfare Policy. He was a member of the Governor's Task Force on Alternatives to Incarceration. In community-related areas, Mr. Civiletti's service includes former membership on the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc.'s board and Chair of GBMC Healthcare, Inc. (retired). In the legal publications field, he is a member of the Lexis-Nexis/Martindale-Hubbell Legal Advisory Board and a member of Matthew Bender & Company, Inc., - board of editors of Federal Litigation Guide Reporter. Mr. Civiletti has also served as chair or member on a number of task forces under several Maryland governors. These include: Funding of Public Education; Drug Abuse; and Funding of the Arts. Government Experience Attorney General of the United States, United States Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General Judicial Clerkships Honorable W. Calvin Chesnut, U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, 1961 - 1962 Memberships American Bar Association Federal Bar Association Maryland State Bar Association District of Columbia Bar Association Bar Association of Baltimore City News December 15, 2011, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2012 honors 38 Venable attorneys September 21, 2011, Leading White Collar Attorney Jan Handzlik Joins Venable as Partner in Los Angeles Office August 25, 2011, Ben Civiletti and Mitch Mirviss honored as "Champions of Human Rights and Justice" by Maryland Legal Aid and The Daily Record August 25, 2011, Two Venable attorneys named to the International Who's Who of Commercial Litigators 2011 April 13, 2011, Ben Civiletti featured on NPR's All Things Considered April 11, 2011, Bart Stupak, Former Congressman and Chair of House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee, Joins Venable March 9, 2011, Washington Times opinion piece highlights comments from Ben Civiletti during his tenure as U.S. Attorney General March 1, 2011, John Cooney quoted in Law360 article regarding threat of government shutdown December 30, 2010, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2011 honors 37 Venable attorneys May 18, 2010, Ben Civiletti honored at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School's American Dream Gala and Auction April 5, 2010, Michael Schatzow Elected Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers March 29, 2010, Michael Schatzow elected to American College of Trial Lawyers January 28, 2010, Venable Surpasses Pledge, Raises More Than $125,000 for Haiti Relief Efforts January 6, 2010, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2010 honors 38 Venable attorneys November 23, 2009, 13 Venable attorneys included in Washingtonian's "Washington's Top Lawyers" November 2, 2009, Brian Schwalb Elected Fellow of American College of Trial Lawyers September 15, 2009, Ben Civiletti recognized with Lifetime Achievement Award in American Lawyer September 9, 2009, Ben Civiletti's American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award mentioned in The Daily Record August 7, 2009, Venable Partner Ben Civiletti Named American Lawyer Lifetime Achievement Award Winner for 2009 July 10, 2009, Venable recognizes Benjamin R. Civiletti Pro Bono Lawyers of the Year February 10, 2009, Maryland edition of Super Lawyers 2009 list honors 40 Venable attorneys January 13, 2009, Ben Civiletti mentioned in Daily Record article on pending death penalty legislation November 13, 2008, Ben Civiletti quoted in Daily Record article on Maryland Commission on Capital Punishment's vote to recommend abolishing death penalty August 25, 2008, Fifty-nine Venable Attorneys Earn Best Lawyers in America Honors May 28, 2008, Venable honored for its contributions to the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau and Equal Justice Council November 29, 2007, 14 Venable Lawyers Named to Washingtonian Magazine's 2007 List of D.C.-Area's Top Attorneys September 12, 2007, Fifty-five Venable Attorneys Earn Best Lawyers in America Honors October 2, 2006, Forty-Seven Venable Lawyers Cited Among The Best Lawyers in America May 3, 2006, Venable Announces Senior Management Changes: Managing Partner Jim Shea Becomes Firm Chair; Longtime Chair Benjamin Civiletti to Focus on Investigations/Governance Practice; Karl Racine Named Managing Partner November 21, 2005, Venable Chairman Benjamin R. Civiletti Awarded American Judicature Society's Justice Award for Career Dedicated to Improving the Legal System October 5, 2005, Forty Venable Lawyers Cited Among "Best Lawyers in America" December 13, 2004, 23 Venable Partners Cited Among "Best Lawyers in America" in Bi-Annual Peer-Reviewed Survey October 7, 2004, University of Maryland School of Law Scholarship Named After Benjamin R. Civiletti Awarded to Student Interested in Public Service February 24, 2004, Venable Chairman Benjamin R. Civiletti Joins Lawyers Committee of National Court Reform Organization October 1, 2003, Venable Completes Move to Historic Terrell Place in Downtown Washington; Law Firm Becomes Anchor Tenant in DC Revitalization Project May 21, 2003, Venable Recognized as Trailblazer and Outstanding Community Leader by Legal Aid Bureau January 6, 2003, Eight Real Estate, Finance and Corporate Attorneys Join Venable's Washington Office; Group Includes Four Partners, Top Practitioners in D.C. Area September 9, 1999, Venable and Tucker Flyer Announce Merger Honors Awards and honors include: Omicron Delta Kappa; Order of the Coif, Herbert H. Lehman Ethics Award (American Jewish Theological Seminary); Distinguished Alumnus Award, Johns Hopkins Alumni Association; Knight-Commander in the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic; the 1997 Baltimore Urban League's Equal Justice Award; the 2005 American Judicature Society Justice Award and the William J. Brennan, Jr. Award presented by the National Trial Advocacy College at the University of Virginia School of Law. In 2004, Mr. Civiletti was honored for his leadership in public service and law by the establishment of a scholarship in his name at the University of Maryland School of Law. He has been named "Best Lawyer in America" in three fields - commercial litigation, corporate governance and compliance law, and white collar crime criminal defense, as well as being named to the 2004 International Who's Who of Corporate Governance Lawyers. He is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, American Law Institute and American College of Trial Lawyers and founding Chair of Maryland Legal Services Corp. Mr. Civiletti is past chair, American Bar Association Litigation Section, chair of the Task Force on an International Criminal Court, a past member of the House of Delegates, Member of the ABA Commission on the American Jury, and the ABA representative to the United Nations. His honorary degrees are: Doctors of Law from the University of Baltimore, New York Law School, St. John's College, Tulane and Notre Dame Universities, and the University of Maryland; and a Doctor of Humane Letters from Towson State University. Mr. Civiletti is AV® Peer-Review Rated by Martindale-Hubbell. Listed for over 20 years in The Best Lawyers in America, (Woodward/White, Inc) for Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Corporate Governance and Compliance Law, and Criminal Defense: White Collar. Listed in Who's Who Legal, Corporate Governance and Commercial Litigation, 2011 Selected for inclusion in Maryland Super Lawyers (2008 - 2012). Recognized in 2007 and 2009 by Washingtonian magazine as one of "Washington's Top Lawyers." American Lawyer's Lifetime Achievement Award 2009. Publications March 2011, Frequently Asked Questions & Answers about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)
Lindsay B. Meyer, William H. Devaney, Benjamin R. Civiletti, Ashley W. Craig, Geoffrey R. Garinther, Nancy R. Grunberg, W. Warren Hamel, Treazure R. Johnson, Thomas J. Kelly, Jr., David A. Kettel, George Kostolampros, Seth A. Rosenthal, Michael Schatzow, Michael D. Sherman, Raymond V. Shepherd, III, D. E. Wilson, Jr. December 2002, The New Standards of Corporate Governance: Assessing the Implications of Sarbanes-Oxley
Benjamin R. Civiletti, Thomas J. Kelly, Jr., Wallace E. Christner, W. Warren Hamel, Thomas W. France, Nancy R. Grunberg November 2002, Confidence, Courage and Leadership in Corporate Governance: Moving Beyond the New Letter of the Law
Benjamin R. Civiletti January 28, 2000, BRIEF OF BENJAMIN R. CIVILETTI AMICUS CURIAE CHARLES THOMAS DICKERSON, PETITIONER v. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Benjamin R. Civiletti March 1, 1999, Benjamin Civiletti's Congressional Testimony Concerning the Independent Counsel Act
Benjamin R. Civiletti Events/Speaking Engagements Mr. Civiletti is frequently invited to speak on legal, civic, and other topics before academic, legal, civic, and political groups nationwide. Past Events April 5, 2006, American Bar Association Section of International Law 2006 Spring Meeting
Benjamin R. Civiletti 2000, "Overview of Strict Products Liability Claims in the United States" at the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting
Benjamin R. Civiletti, Christina Lee Gaarder (Also at Baltimore, Maryland Office) |