WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 20, 2022) — Kostelanetz & Fink is proud to announce that partner Jay R. Nanavati has become a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers (“the College”), one of the premier legal associations in North America.
The induction ceremony at which Mr. Nanavati became a Fellow took place recently before an audience of approximately 690 during the Annual Meeting of the College in Rome, Italy.
The process for induction into the College is extremely competitive, and it is an accomplishment that signifies the high esteem in which a trial attorney is held by his or her peers.
Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds, who have mastered the art of advocacy and whose professional careers have been marked by the highest standards of ethical conduct, professionalism, civility and collegiality. Lawyers must have a minimum of fifteen years trial experience before they can be considered for Fellowship.
Membership in the College cannot exceed one percent of the total lawyer population of any state or province. There are currently approximately 5,800 members in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, including active Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Judicial Fellows (those who ascended to the bench after their induction) and Honorary Fellows. The College maintains and seeks to improve the standards of trial practice, professionalism, ethics, and the administration of justice through education and public statements on independence of the judiciary, trial by jury, respect for the rule of law, access to justice, and fair and just representation of all parties to legal proceedings. The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.
Fellow K&F partner Sharon L. McCarthy was inducted into the College in 2015 and was the first at Kostelanetz & Fink to receive the honor.
“Jay is not just an excellent trial lawyer, but his colleagues and his clients also find him a joy to work with,” said Ms. McCarthy. “His intellect and strategic know-how have been a tremendous asset to the firm’s clients, and I am beyond thrilled to see him inducted into this prestigious organization.”
“It is an honor to join Sharon, whom I greatly admire, and the College’s many other illustrious Fellows,” Mr. Nanavati said.
Before starting his legal career, Mr. Nanavati graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1996 from the University of Virginia with a B.A. in Government and Foreign Affairs. He received his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, Order of the Coif, in 1999. After a clerkship, Mr. Nanavati became a state prosecutor in the Washington, D.C., area. He then went on to work as a Justice Department Tax Division prosecutor and co-founded K&F’s D.C. office.
In addition to becoming a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, Mr. Nanavati is a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, and he has been recognized nationally by Chambers and Partners for Tax: Fraud; as a “Best Lawyer” for Criminal Defense: White Collar in D.C., and by Super Lawyers as a top-rated White Collar Crime attorney in D.C.
