Top best Arbitration Lawyers in Washington | 92 available

Elizabeth Sandza counsels boards of directors of for-profit and non-profit corporations. A former Delaware Deputy Attorney General, she also has extensive experience representing corporate clients in government investigations and in complex business litigation. Betsy has defended her clients in class actions, fraud and RICO cases, antitrust matters and injunctive actions, as well as in high-value disputes with their business partners. She appears regularly in state and federal trial courts and before federal multidistrict panels and international arbitral tribunals, as well as in bankruptcy, liquidation and appellate courts. She chairs Wilson Elser’s Commercial Litigation practice and is co-chair of the firm’s Class Action practice.. Betsy is appreciated for her calm and practical approach to clients' problems, and even their alleged wrongdoing. With a career’s worth of experience defending clients against a wide variety of serious charges under the most complicated circumstances, she has the ability to see the big picture and learn the details, while allowing her clients to focus on their business.. International Involvement Betsy is corporate secretary and general counsel to the board of directors of the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, a $100 million equity fund created by the U.S. government that invests in small and medium-sized companies in eleven Sub-Saharan countries. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the South Africa Washington Internship Program.. Areas of Focus. International InvolvementBetsy is corporate secretary and general counsel to the board of directors of the Southern Africa Enterprise Development Fund, a $100 million equity fund created by the U.S. government that invests in small and medium-sized companies in eleven Sub-Saharan countries. In addition, she serves on the Advisory Board of the South Africa Washington Internship Program.. Internal InvestigationsBetsy has assisted clients in designing and implementing compliance and governance programs, conducting internal investigations and preparing comprehensive defense strategies in response to investigations by government regulators, state and federal prosecutors, and civil litigants.. International BusinessBetsy has tried international arbitrations before the London Court of International Arbitration, the American Arbitration Association, and an arbitration panel of the National Construction Council of Tanzania, and she is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. She counsels U.S. corporations regarding exposure under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, regulations of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and international banking anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering regulations. She also has served as counsel to U.S. advocates for foreign governments under the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). In addition, Betsy advises U.S. companies doing business in Africa on U.S. regulations applicable to foreign trade and transacting business abroad.. Insurance-ReinsuranceFor 20 years, Betsy has represented excess insurers in bad faith and major complex insurance coverage cases involving liabilities for mass product failures, toxic torts, environmental cleanup and asbestos injuries. In addition, she has represented reinsurers and cedents in reinsurance arbitrations before industry tribunals. Betsy frequently counsels insurance companies on market conduct and regulatory compliance, and she has defended insurance companies in investigations by state insurance regulators and attorneys general. She was commissioned to write the current insurance code for the country of Uganda.

David Dickieson has over 30 years of litigation experience.. Mr. Dickieson came to Schertler & Onorato, LLP in 2007 after spending 17 years heading up the Washington litigation team of a national law firm that grew to over 500 lawyers during Mr. Dickieson’s tenure. In that role, Mr. Dickieson has been on the front line of numerous tax and commercial litigation matters across the United States.. Notably, Mr. Dickieson represented the UBS whistleblower in a complex whistleblower campaign before the IRS, the Department of Justice Tax Division, the SEC and the Senate Subcommittee on Investigations, resulting in a $104 million whistleblower reward and a restructuring of the world's cross-border banking system.. The foundation for Mr. Dickieson’s trial work was strengthened by his tenure at the United States Department of Justice Tax Division from 1984 to 1989. In 1988, Mr. Dickieson was the senior attorney assigned to the largest civil tax fraud case up to that time – In re Conti-Commodity Corp. ––involving billions of dollars of phantom commodity trades intended to generate tax losses for commodities speculators. Mr. Dickieson’s successful handling of that tax case led to an offer from a premier national tax law firm in 1989.. Mr. Dickieson’s private litigation practice has spanned virtually all forms of trial work. In 1990, Mr. Dickieson won a record jury verdict of $7.3 million in a case of optometric malpractice. He has represented clients in Bankruptcy Court, Tax Court, state courts, and federal courts. Mr. Dickieson also has substantial experience in alternative dispute resolution through mediation or arbitration procedures where clients can typically get a quicker, less expensive resolution of civil disputes in a private, confidential setting with no publicity or published decision.. Mr. Dickieson has taught continuing legal education courses in the area of legal ethics and he served as the ethics counselor for his previous law firm for over 15 years.. Active in community programs, Mr. Dickieson has served for ten years on the board of directors of the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and is also on the advisory board of SquashEmpower – a non-profit organization which combines academic tutoring with coaching in the sport of squash for urban middle school children. Mr. Dickieson has also spearheaded numerous pro bono legal activities including providing teams of lawyers for legal referral clinics for the disadvantaged sponsored by Bread For The City.. Admitted to Practice law in:. Law School: University of Michigan, J.D., 1979. College: Cornell University, B.A., 1977. Department of Justice experience: Trial Attorney, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1984-1988; Senior Trial Attorney, Office of Special Litigation, Tax Division, U.S. Department of Justice, 1988-1989.

As an attorney and a tech entrepreneur I bring a unique combination of skills and experience to solving business and client problems. As an attorney I have extensive experience in high-profile international and domestic arbitration and litigation matters advising all sizes of clients, from Fortune 100 businesses through individuals. As an entrepreneur I have years of experience writing software and leading teams with startups, banks, and airlines.