Peter Cohen, of Brooklyn, New York, joined the firm in 2003 and became partner in September of 2004. He graduated with top honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo with a B.A. in Political Science. In 1984, he received his J.D. from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington, D.C. Mr. Cohen is admitted to practice in Virginia, Washington, D.C., the state and federal courts in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Ms. Brown, of Fairfax County, Virginia, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia in 1996 and received her law degree from George Mason University School of Law in 1999. Ms. Brown is currently admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland. Ms. Brown is also admitted to practice in the federal trial courts in Virginia and the District of Columbia, as well as the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

Ms. Sakata, originally from Fairfax County, joined the firm in January 2007. Ms. Sakata graduated cum laude from George Mason University in 2000 with a B.A. in Government and International Politics and a minor in Legal Studies. In 2004, Ms. Sakata received her law degree from American University Washington College of Law. While in law school, she worked as a paralegal at Hughes and Associates and assisted in the litigation of construction law and insurance defense cases. Later, she was employed as a law clerk by Stein, Mitchell & Mezines in Washington D.C., where she worked on government investigations of corporate officials and antitrust and trade regulation matters.

Ms. Quill, of Menasha, Wisconsin, joined the firm in 2003. Ms. Quill graduated with distinctions and phi beta kappa, from the University of Wisconsin in 1990. She received her J.D. from the University of Chicago Law School in June 1996, where she was co-president of the Women’s Law Caucus and participated in the Mandel Legal Aid Clinic, Criminal Justice Project. After law school, Ms. Quill clerked in the Federal District Court of Massachusetts for the Honorable Nathaniel M. Gorton. Ms. Quill is currently admitted to practice in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and the District of Massachusetts.

Daphne Shih Gebauer, of Vancouver, Canada, joined the Firm in April 2010. Ms. Gebauer earned her J.D. from the New York University School of Law in 2007, where she held executive positions with the NYU Moot Court Board and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association. While in law school, Ms. Gebauer interned with the World Health Organization’s Department of Ethics, Trade, Human Rights and Health Law in Geneva, Switzerland, and the Law & Justice Unit of ABC News in New York City.
 

Ms. Bergman joined the firm in December 2010 as an associate. Ms. Bergman, originally from Maryland, attended the University of Maryland in College Park, where she earned her B.S in biology. After working as a paralegal for the food and drug practice at King & Spalding in Washington, D.C. Ms. Bergman decided to attend law school at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri, where she received a J.D. in 2005.
 

Ms. Abbott joined the firm in June 2011. Ms. Abbott graduated cum laude from American University, Washington College of Law in 2003, where she was a member of the American University Law Review and participated in the Civil Practice Clinic. While in law school, Ms. Abbott worked as a litigation legal assistant for the Employment Law Group in Washington, D.C. representing individuals in a variety of employment law matters.

Curtis L. Charlson, Elaine Charlson Bredehoft's father, was the founding partner of the Minnesota law firm of Charlson & Marben, P.A. Prior to retirement, Mr. Charlson was admitted to practice in Minnesota. While in active practice in Minnesota, Mr. Charlson enjoyed a long and successful career as a trial attorney, in all areas of civil and criminal law, on the trial and appellate levels. Mr. Charlson consulted with the firm on selected civil litigation matters from April 1991 until his death on October 30, 2010.