He is admitted to the bars in California and the District of Columbia (now an inactive member.) He began his legal career in 1967 as an Army Judge Advocate General captain with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam for which he was awarded the Bronze Star. He then served as a defense appellate attorney with the Army Judiciary in Washington, DC for 3 years and thereafter was a litigation partner with the international law firm of Reed Smith from 1971 through 2006. He served as co-managing partner of Reed Smith’s Washington, D.C. office for five years and as the head of that office’s litigation group for nearly 20 years.