The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia (EDVA), known as the “Rocket Docket,” has consistently been the fastest trial docket in the United States, boasting a median “file to trial” timeline of only 16.4 months. The court maintains this break-neck speed through rigid discovery rules, enthusiastic enforcement of deadlines, and a long-fostered culture of celerity and efficiency.

Baker Botts’ EDVA/NoVA practice group is well acquainted with the court’s unique expedited trial process through both direct trial experience in the court and clerkships with district and magistrate judges in the EDVA.  This EDVA-specific experience, coupled with team-members’ decades of success litigating in other federal jurisdictions, informs the team’s strategic approach to carefully balancing zealous advocacy against the court’s emphasis on civility and cooperation among opposing counsel.

The EDVA/NoVA Team

We offer a highly effective, multi-disciplinary team with the wide-ranging expertise necessary to cover the array of industries that make up Virginia’s economy, including energy, technology, telecommunications, aerospace, defense, and financial services. Our team is led by Cailyn Reilly Knapp, who clerked for four years in the EDVA for both a District and Magistrate Judge. She also serves on the board of directors of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, alongside judges and other EDVA practitioners.

Our partners—Michael Calhoon, Sterling Marchand, and Tommy Martin—have decades of trial experience representing both plaintiffs and defendants in cases involving thousands to billions of dollars. Our team has the knowledge and bench strength to take on our clients’ most significant and complex legal issues.

The NoVa team also sports former Fourth Circuit law clerks, including Joshua Lee and Matthew Hilderbrand. Insight into the appellate court's procedures and practices allows the NoVa team to take the long view in litigation strategy and, if necessary, competently and efficiently handle appeals.

IP Experience

The EDVA has long been one of the country’s most active venues for IP litigation because of its speedy docket. Our EDVA/NoVA team includes an impressive slate of accomplished IP trial lawyers, including six former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) patent examiners and three lawyers who clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. These lawyers have collectively appeared in front of the USPTO’s Patent Trial and Appeal Board—headquartered in Alexandria, VA—hundreds of times. They also routinely litigate IP disputes through trial in federal district courts throughout the country, including the EDVA.