Partner Joseph Cammarata has been appointed adjunct professor of law at American University Washington College of Law beginning in fall 2026. He will teach Pretrial Civil Litigation, a course covering the written and oral advocacy that determines how a civil case is positioned before trial.
What the course covers
Most civil cases resolve before trial. The work that produces those resolutions is pretrial work: pleadings, written discovery, depositions, expert disclosures, and motions practice. The outcome of a case is largely determined by how well that phase is executed.
Law school curricula generally emphasize doctrine and trial advocacy. The pretrial phase, where the majority of civil practice actually takes place, receives less classroom attention. A course taught by a practicing trial lawyer is built to address that.
Mr. Cammarata’s background
He has practiced for more than forty years. He argued and won a unanimous decision in Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997), has obtained tens of millions of dollars in verdicts and settlements, led the effort to reform Virginia’s medical malpractice damages cap, and authored legislation protecting youth athletes from concussion. In May 2026 he argued before the Supreme Court of Maryland in Torney v. Towson University.
He is admitted in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, and New York, and was inducted into the 2026 Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame.
Sources
- American University Washington College of Law, adjunct faculty listing,
[CONFIRM: link] - Clinton v. Jones, 520 U.S. 681 (1997)
Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.
