Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis Inducted into America College of Trial Lawyers

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – United States Attorney Anthony P. Giorno announced today that Assistant United States Attorney Donald R. Wolthuis has been inducted as a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, one of the premier legal associations in North America.

The induction ceremony at which AUSA Wolthuis became a Fellow took place during the recent Annual Meeting of the College in Chicago, Illinois.

Founded in 1950, the College is composed of the best of the trial bar from the United States and Canada. Fellowship in the College is extended by invitation only and only after careful investigation, to those experienced trial lawyers 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.

Donald R. Wolthuis has been an Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Virginia in Roanoke since 1990, where he currently serves as the Senior Litigation Counsel and the lead attorney for the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force. Prior to joining the USAO, Mr. Wolthuis was an associate and later a partner at the law firm of Martin, Hopkins, Lemon & Carter, P.C. from 1984-1990. From 1980-1984, Mr. Wolthuis served as an Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for the City of Roanoke. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from Mary Washington College where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He later earned a J.D. from the College of William and Mary, Marshall-Wythe School of Law.

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 and Canada, including active Fellows, Emeritus Fellows, Judicial Fellows (whose who have ascended to the bench) and Honorary Fellows. The College strives to improve and elevate the standards of trial practice, the administration of justice and the ethics of the trial profession. Qualified lawyers are called to Fellowship in the College from all branches of practice. They are carefully selected from among those who customarily represent plaintiffs in civil cases and those who customarily represent defendants, those who prosecute individuals accused of crime and those who defend them. The College is thus able to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice.