JIMMY McBIRNEY

JIMMY McBirney is a trial attorney in the Civil Division of the United States Department of Justice, where he has successfully defended hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars against claims brought by large corporations represented by some of the nation’s largest and most prestigious law firms, while also recovering taxpayer funds through affirmative counterclaims.

He has received the Justice Department’s Special Commendation for Outstanding Service in the Civil Division for his successful trial work defending the government against excessive damages claims by the nuclear power industry, and has been recognized as one of the commercial litigation branch’s most talented trial lawyers.

Before moving to Washington, D.C. to join the Justice Department, McBirney was a managing associate in the San Francisco office of Orrick, Herrington, & Sutcliffe, LLP, where he litigated a wide variety of highstakes commercial cases. He also maintained a robust pro-bono caseload during his time at the firm, including his successful habeas corpus representation and exoneration of George Souliotes, who was wrongfully convicted of triple-murder and arson, and who served nearly 16 years in prison before his release. McBirney received the California Lawyer magazine Attorney of the Year Award for pro bono work as a result of the case.

McBirney obtained a BA from Azusa Pacific University, and a JD, Order of the Coif and Order of the Barristers, from the University of California at Davis. He spent a semester on exchange at University College Dublin.

McBirney currently lives in Arlington, Virginia, with his wife, Charlotte, who he married at Barberstown Castle in Co. Kildare. He returns to Ireland often to visit friends from his study abroad and family still living in counties Dublin, Galway, and Leitrim. He has traced his Irish lineage as far back as the 13th century.