Litigating High-Profile Cases

A pre-recorded streaming VIDEO replay of the August 2026 webcast, Litigating High-Profile Cases.

This program explores the unique challenges and strategic considerations involved in litigating high-profile cases. 

Topics include managing intense public and media scrutiny, ethical decision making under pressure, courtroom strategy in cases with heightened visibility, and maintaining professional judgment when the stakes extend beyond the parties themselves. Panelists also examine the impact of public interest litigation on institutions, juries, and communities, and discuss best practices for advocacy, leadership, and civility when cases shape public trust in the legal system.

Hon. Mary Grace O’Brien, Court of Appeals of Virginia / Richmond

The Honorable Mary Grace O’Brien was elected to the Court of Appeals of Virginia in February 2015.  She was reelected for another eight-year term in January 2023. Judge O’Brien previously served as a Circuit Court judge and a Juvenile and Domestic District Court judge in the 31st Judicial Circuit (Prince William County, Cities of Manassas and Manassas Park). Judge O’Brien is a former assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney in Prince William County, where she specialized in prosecution of major narcotics and sexual assault cases.  She began her career as a law clerk to the Honorable Roscoe B. Stephenson, Jr. of the Supreme Court of Virginia. She is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law and received her undergraduate degree from LeMoyne College. Judge O’Brien is a member of the Circuit Court Benchbook Committee and the Operations Committee for the Court of Appeals. She previously served as a member of the Board of Governors of the Virginia State Bar Section on the Education of Lawyers, the Judicial Mentoring Committee, the Model Jury Instruction Committee, the Association of District Court Judges Benchbook Committee, and the Virginia State Bar Professionalism Faculty. She lectures at a continuing legal education seminar about legal writing and oral advocacy. 

Hon. Penny Azcarate (ret.), Fairfax Circuit Court / Fairfax

Before her retirement in July 2026, Penney Azcarate was the Chief Judge of Fairfax County Circuit Court, the first woman to hold this position. She served as a judge for 18 years both on the circuit court and on the general district court levels. She implemented the Fairfax County Recovery Court and the Veteran Treatment Docket, which assists combat veterans with mental health and/or substance abuse issues—the first such stand-alone docket in Virginia. As Chief Judge, she was responsible for operations of the Court and led 14 other judges to develop racial equity initiatives and improve access to justice to include paperless initiatives, remote access to court, diversity and inclusion training, community outreach, and improved interpreter services. On the bench, she presided over high-profile cases including Depp v. Heard in 2022 and Commonwealth v. Banfield in 2026.

Judge Azcarate was the chair of the Supreme Court of Virginia’s Veteran Specialty Docket Council and served as a mentor judge and a facilitator peer coach.

She was chosen by Virginia Lawyers Weekly as a Leader in Law and an Influential Woman in Law. The Fairfax Bar Association awarded her the President’s Award twice, and she received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Old Dominion University. She has made presentations to various organizations and judiciaries including the Fairfax Bar, Virginia State Bar, Virginia New Judge Training, Virginia Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program, various local, state, and federal representatives, law schools, military organizations, the Judicial Council of California, and the Judicial Conclave of New Mexico. In addition, she recently published an article, “When the Media Circus Comes to Town,” in the book Challenging Cases.

Judge Azcarate received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Old Dominion University, where she attended on a military scholarship. Upon graduating, she was commissioned in the United States Marine Corps and served in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Storm as a communications officer. After active duty, Judge Azcarate remained in the reserves and earned her J.D. degree from George Mason School of Law.

Upon completion of law school, Judge Azcarate was a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney, and civil litigator in Fairfax County before being appointed to the bench. Judge Azcarate was honorably discharged from the United States Marine Corps Reserves as a major.

She currently works as a conciliator with The McCammon Group and is an associate professor at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School. 

Bryan L. Porter, Alexandria Commonwealth’s Attorney / Alexandria

Bryan Porter is the elected Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Alexandria, Virginia, his hometown. He was first elected in 2014 and is currently serving his fourth term in office.

Mr. Porter began his career as a police officer, working the midnight shift while attending law school. He obtained his law degree from the George Mason University School of Law in 2001. Immediately after passing the bar exam, Mr. Porter was hired as an Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Alexandria. During his tenure as an assistant, he conducted the investigation and prosecution of hundreds of violent offenses, including robberies, shootings, and gang offenses. He has personally prosecuted over a hundred serious, violent criminal offenses.

Mr. Porter has taught constitutional law and civil liability to literally thousands of citizens, law enforcement officers, and lawyers. He has taught subjects as varied as prosecutorial ethics, search and seizure law, and the conduct of murder investigations and prosecutions. He has appeared on top-rated podcasts such as Anatomy of a Murder and has written a book about a serial killer case he prosecuted, The Parable of the Knocker.

He recently finished his term as the president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys.