Farnaz Farkish ‘07, an attorney in the Civil Litigation Division Trial Section at the Virginia Attorney General’s Office, recently argued her first case before the Supreme Court of Virginia. Farkish represented the Virginia State Bar (VSB) on an appeal concerning the VSB’s disciplinary proceedings against a Prince George County prosecutor.
An attorney disciplined by the VSB has the right to challenge the VSB Disciplinary Board’s decision, resulting in an appeal as of right before the Supreme Court of Virginia, which is where Farkish picked up the case.
“It was eye opening to have to review the record because I did not litigate the case in the proceedings below—another attorney represented the Virginia State Bar before the District Committee and Disciplinary Board,” says Farkish. “I reviewed the appendix, which was over 500 pages and committed the proceedings below to memory.”
Her opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court of Virginia is rare. In 2012, the Court granted 123 petitions for appeal out of the 1,721 it received.
As an attorney in the Civil Litigation Division Trial Section, Farkish handles civil litigation for the state of Virginia, representing public officials, colleges and universities and agencies, including the Virginia State Bar. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Farkish was a judicial clerk for two judges: Senior Judge Eric G. Bruggink of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the late Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She was also a judicial clerk for the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney of the Supreme Court of Virginia.
An attorney disciplined by the VSB has the right to challenge the VSB Disciplinary Board’s decision, resulting in an appeal as of right before the Supreme Court of Virginia, which is where Farkish picked up the case.
“It was eye opening to have to review the record because I did not litigate the case in the proceedings below—another attorney represented the Virginia State Bar before the District Committee and Disciplinary Board,” says Farkish. “I reviewed the appendix, which was over 500 pages and committed the proceedings below to memory.”
Her opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court of Virginia is rare. In 2012, the Court granted 123 petitions for appeal out of the 1,721 it received.
As an attorney in the Civil Litigation Division Trial Section, Farkish handles civil litigation for the state of Virginia, representing public officials, colleges and universities and agencies, including the Virginia State Bar. Before joining the Attorney General’s Office, Farkish was a judicial clerk for two judges: Senior Judge Eric G. Bruggink of the United States Court of Federal Claims, and the late Chief Justice Leroy Rountree Hassell, Sr., of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She was also a judicial clerk for the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney of the Supreme Court of Virginia.