Innovation Award: Jim Walden, Walden Macht & Haran
"When I commenced my representation of Dr. Rodchenkov, I never could have imagined that his mission to expose the truth about Russia's endemic corruption would metamorphosize into a global movement that would mobilize our own lawmakers to act."
October 20, 2020 at 10:00 AM
3 minute read
What are some of your proudest achievements from the past year? When I commenced my representation of Dr. Rodchenkov, I never could have imagined that his mission to expose the truth about Russia's endemic corruption would metamorphosize into a global movement that would not only capture the attention of Congress, but also mobilize our own lawmakers to act. I thought I could not have been more honored when the Helsinki Commission invited me to author The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, but when the bill passed unanimously through the House and the Senate Commerce Committee, it was a deeply gratifying and humbling moment.
What, if any, obstacles stood in the way of your innovation, and how did you overcome them? After The Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act passed a unanimous vote in the House of Representatives in October, we were filled with hope that the legislation and the critical anti-corruption reforms it would bring could become a reality. But we quickly realized that we needed to mobilize high-level bipartisan support for the bill in the Senate. News reports also surfaced confirming that certain actors with vested interests in the multibillion dollar international sports industry were descending on Capitol Hill to derail our anti-corruption efforts. I sensed a potential crisis on the horizon and convened a meeting of our brains trust, including the Helsinki Commission, athletes rights organizations including FairSport and Global Athlete, the U.S. Anti-Doping agency and media experts. We decided to take a proactive approach. We made our team of experts available to brief members of the Senate and the media on all aspects of the doping fraud, from the failure of the existing sports governance framework to the pernicious forms of criminality spawned by doping fraud conspiracies. By February, we had organically amassed eight prestigious Senate sponsors for the bill, including Senators Wicker, Cardin, Blumenthal, Moran, Rubio, Warner and Whitehouse, hailing equally from both sides of the aisle.
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View AllBenjamin West and John Singleton Copley: American Painters in London
8 minute read'A Regressive Institution': SDNY Judge Rakoff Delivers Pointed Remarks on SCOTUS in Recent Appearance
2 minute readFederal Court That Faces Its Share of Real-Life Horrors Gets Into Halloween Spirit
1 minute readTrending Stories
- 1Trump’s Firing of NLRB Member Could Spark Review of Supreme Court Precedent
- 2Portuguese Law Firm Launches Tech Arm, Becoming Multidisciplinary Operation
- 3Disciplinary Board Criticizes Ethics Panel for Dismissing Charges Over Improper Firm Name
- 4AI, Innovation and ADR: The Future Is Now
- 5On The Move: Kilpatrick Adds West Coast IP Pro, Partners In Six Cities Join Nelson Mullins, Freeman Mathis
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250