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Richard A. Rice, Jr. | Frank Podesta
Richard Rice has been selected for inclusion as a “Super Lawyer” and also as one of the State of Georgia’s “Legal Elite” by Georgia Trend magazine. Mr. Rice is or has been a member of many honorary and legal organizations, such as the American Bar Association, the Atlanta Bar, the Lawyers Club of Atlanta, the Federal Bar Association, the Sorin Society of the University of Notre Dame, the Army Navy Club of Washington, DC., the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Mr. Rice also is a member of Mensa International, an organization only open to those persons whose IQ is in the top 2% of world’s population.
As described below, Richard Rice has years of experience investigating or defending companies accused of fraud. This expertise is what you need in order to investigate and pursue a whistleblower action. Maximum results. Maximum rewards. The Rice Law Firm, LLC.
United States Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
As an Assistant United States Attorney, Richard Rice was a federal prosecutor in the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) section. Mr. Rice investigated and prosecuted international drug trafficking and money laundering organizations operating throughout the Western hemisphere. Mr. Ricewas an expert in investigations involving electronic surveillance, such as Title III (wiretap) investigations in the United States. Mr. Rice coordinated multi-jurisdictional and interagency investigations. Mr. Rice also investigated and prosecuted the full spectrum of federal crimes, including public corruption, fraud schemes, firearm offenses, bank robberies, and internet crimes. He also prepared and argued numerous appeals before the Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division
Trial Attorney
Washington, D.C.
As a Trial Attorney with the Special Litigation Section, Richard Rice assisted the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia with the prosecution of the "twelfth hijacker,"Zacarias Moussaoui.Mr. Rice also investigated and litigated enforcement actions against state and local police departments alleged to have engaged in a pattern of civil rights abuses and state and local detention facilities alleged to have had unconstitutional conditions of confinement.
Kirkland & Ellis, LLP
Washington, D.C.
Kirkland & Ellis is generally regarded as one of the premier litigation firms in the nation. As an attorney in the Washington, D.C. office, Richard Rice specialized in commercial litigation and products liability litigation, primarily representing Fortune 50 companies in complex and high-dollar civil matters. In one case, he served as the senior associate on the trial team defending an international company in a multi-billion dollar class action trial in federal court that resulted in a full defense verdict.
Hunton & Williams
Washington, D.C.
Hunton & Williams boasts over 1,000 attorneys in 19 offices in the United States, Europe and Asia. As an attorney in the Washington, D.C. office, Mr. Rice specialized in white collar criminal defense and commercial and environmental litigation. His work included successfully defeating a federal health care investigation – prior to indictment and while avoiding any negative publicity – and defending utility companies against Environmental Protection Agency enforcement actions under the New Source Review Provisions of the Clean Air Act before EPA's Environmental Appeals Board.
United States Navy, Judge Advocate General's Corps
San Diego, California
Washington, D.C.
As an officer in the Navy JAG Corps, Richard Rice achieved a stunning acquittal rate of over 80% in contested courts-martial. These results are more impressive given the fact that he tried more cases than any other defense counsel in the second largest military district. This success continued as Richard Rice next served as appellate defense counsel for defendants in the Navy and Marine Corps located throughout the world. For instance, Richard Rice appealed the conviction and sentence of a senior non-commissioned officer who had been sentenced to over twenty years in prison. The conviction and sentence were overturned and then the client was acquitted of all charges when the Government again prosecuted the Marine. Richard Rice obtained the rank of Lieutenant Commander and was awarded both the Navy and Marine Achievement Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal for his work as a defense counsel.
Education
Richard Rice received his law degree from the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he was the Managing Editor of the Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy, and was a White Scholar at the Thomas J. White Center on Law and Government. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia.
Frank Podesta is a tax and litigation attorney with The Rice Law Firm, LLC. Mr. Podesta is a member of the American Bar Association, in which he is a member of both the Financial Institutions and White Collar Crime Committees.
Mr. Podesta earned his B.A. in History and English, as well as his M.A. in Theology from Boston College. He then earned his J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law, winning the Pro Bono Service Award. Mr. Podesta also attended Rutgers University School of Business for an M.B.A., majoring in Accounting and Finance.
Frank Podesta began his career as a litigation associate with Lipman Antonelli in New Jersey, where he successfully defended county entities in dozens of actions including alleged civil rights violations and labor & employment suits. Mr. Podesta also won a landmark decision on behalf of Cumberland County in the New Jersey Superior Court Appellate Division extending continuing torts to environmental damage as a result of faulty construction.
After relocating to Atlanta, Mr. Podesta joined a small firm in metropolitan Atlanta where he represented county entities, such as sheriffs’ departments, police departments, in civil rights actions. Mr. Podesta won numerous decisions in civil rights and environmental actions. Mr. Podesta now utilizes that experience is helping victims of civil rights abuses recover for their injuries.
As part of the Tax Team at The Rice Law Firm, Frank Podesta effectively utilizes his Accounting and Finance background and experience to become one of the preeminent tax attorneys in Atlanta. Mr. Podesta has successfully resolved scores of tax controversy and tax audit matters before the Internal Revenue Service, the Georgia Department of Revenue, and the Alabama Department of Revenue, often eliminating or reducing tax debt to a fraction of the assessed amount.
Mr. Podesta has taken tax matters to United States District Court and the United States Tax Court, where his unique blend of litigation and tax experience has proven to be invaluable. Recently, Frank Podesta also won a major decision in Georgia Superior Court, demonstrating that a judgment creditor could not pierce the corporate veil to jump ahead of business creditors to garnish the assets of a single member LLC.
Frank Podesta is admitted to practice in Georgia, Florida and New Jersey. He is also admitted to the Northern and Middle Districts of Georgia, the Northern and Middle Districts of Florida, the District of New Jersey, the United States Tax Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
