ABOUT THE SPEAKERS
Catherine French Zagurskie, Chief Appellate Counsel, Virginia Indigent Defense Commission
Catherine is Chief Appellate Counsel for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. Throughout her career, she has argued numerous writ and merit cases before the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Supreme Court of Virginia, with victories in both appellate courts. Catherine has presented on appellate topics at various programs, including a three-part webinar series for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, twice at the Annual Indigent Criminal Defense Advanced Skills for the Experienced Practitioner, and the Virginia State Bar’s Annual Criminal Law Seminar. Catherine is an adjunct professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.
Prior to her current position at the VIDC, Catherine was a Supervising Public Defender at the Richmond Public Defender’s Office.
Catherine earned a J.D., summa cum laude, and graduated Order of the Coif from Case Western Reserve University. Catherine also holds a M.S. in Social Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Catherine graduated with a B.A. from Smith College.
K. Lorraine Lord, Chief Staff Attorney, Supreme Court of Virginia
Lori is the Chief Staff Attorney for the Supreme Court of Virginia. She leads 12 attorneys who assist the Justices by analyzing petitions for appeal, ensuring cases filed in the Court are procedurally sound, drafting proposed orders in cases of original jurisdiction, and assisting with special projects.
Before working for the Court, Lori was as a member of the Complex Commercial Litigation practice at McGuireWoods in Richmond, where she litigated business and securities cases in federal courts around the country and briefed appellate cases in the U.S. Supreme Court and federal Courts of Appeals and in the Supreme Court of Virginia.
Previously, Lori served as law clerk to Justice A. Christian Compton of the Supreme Court of Virginia and as law clerk to the judges of the 14th Judicial Circuit of Virginia.
She is a graduate of Washington & Lee University School of Law and earned a B.A. in Journalism from the undergraduate college at W&L. Lori has been a regular guest lecturer at the law school for several years.
Alice T. Armstrong, Chief Staff Attorney, Court of Appeals of Virginia
Alice is the Chief Staff Attorney for the Court of Appeals of Virginia. The Chief Staff Attorney’s Office reviews all petitions for appeal filed with the Court, and does preliminary reviews of all appeals of right, petitions for writs of actual innocence, petitions for review, and original jurisdiction cases.
Alice was an Assistant Attorney General and Senior Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Virginia, where she represented the Commonwealth in criminal appeals and habeas corpus proceedings in state and federal court. She previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Johanna L. Fitzpatrick, of the Court of Appeals of Virginia and the Honorable Michael P. McWeeny, of the Fairfax Circuit Court.
Alice is also a member of the adjunct faculty at the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at the College of William and Mary, where she teaches appellate brief writing.
Alice is a graduate of the George Mason School of Law and has a B.A. in History from the University of Sheffield, England.
Stacy P. Thompson, Procedure Supervisor, Staff Attorney, Office of the Chief Staff Attorney of the Supreme Court of Virginia
Stacy is the Procedure Supervisor and a Staff Attorney in the Office of the Chief Staff Attorney of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She helps the Justices evaluate procedural matters and oversees the work of the other staff attorneys on procedural issues. Stacy also analyzes appeals filed in the Supreme Court, participates in oral arguments presented to the Chief Staff Attorney, and trains and mentors new staff attorneys and law clerks.
Before working for the Supreme Court, Stacy was a Staff Attorney for the Court of Appeals of Virginia for 17 years. Previously, she was in private practice.
Stacy is a graduate of the University of Richmond, T.C. Williams School of Law, and has a B.S. in Accounting from Bentley University.