• Duncan Getchell, of Richmond, Virginia, is a highly accomplished and well-respected appellate lawyer who has litigated a wide range of cases at every level in state and federal courts.
  
  
  • Duncan Getchell has been nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, which hears appeals from the federal district courts of Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
  • Mr. Getchell is known for his fairness, integrity, efficiency, excellent work product, intellect, and good demeanor.

• Mr. Getchell has an outstanding record as a practicing attorney, particularly at the appellate level, and as a public servant.
  
  
  • Duncan Getchell has been with the law firm of McGuireWoods (formerly McGuire Woods & Battle) full time since 1977 and currently heads the Appellate Litigation Practice Group at this widely respected firm. In his practice, Mr. Getchell has argued before the Supreme Court of the United States, appeared in every United States Court of Appeals, and is a regular litigant in the Fourth Circuit and Supreme Court of Virginia.
  • In addition to his work in private practice, Duncan Getchell served as an Air Force JAG Officer in the Office of the General Counsel, attaining the rank of Captain.
    
    
• Duncan Getchell is widely respected and recommended by Virginia lawyers.
  
  
  • On May 1, 2007, after assessing criteria such as integrity, fairness, intellect, and temperament (as set forth in the ABA Judicial Selection Guidelines), the Old Dominion Bar Association (the "oldest African American legal association in Virginia") recommended to the Virginia Senators that Duncan Getchell is qualified to be a nominee to the Fourth Circuit.
    
  • On April 20, 2007, the Virginia Women Attorneys Association concluded, based on the criteria of fairness, experience, intellect, temperament, professionalism, integrity and other basic criteria, that Duncan Getchell is qualified to be a judge on the Fourth Circuit.
    
    
    • The VWAA specifically noted that, based on his interview and submissions, Mr. Getchell "exhibited the requisite fairness and temperament to sit as an appellate court judge."
    • Moreover, the VWAA concluded that "Mr. Getchell possesses the requisite integrity to serve as a judge on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals."
      
      
  • On April 17, 2007, after candidate interviews and investigations, the Virginia State Bar’s Judicial Nominations Committee concluded that Duncan Getchell is "Highly Qualified" to be nominated to the Fourth Circuit.
    
    
    • The Virginia State Bar noted that Mr. Getchell "is of the highest integrity," "is temperamentally well-suited," "lacks any bias or prejudice for or against any individuals or classes of litigants who would appear before him, and would be able to act with impartiality as a judge."
    • Overall, the Virginia State Bar found that Mr. Getchell is "regarded as an extremely able and intelligent appellate practitioner by his colleagues" and has "excellent communication skills" based on the record before the Bar.
    • As the Virginia State Bar noted, "Mr. Getchell has achieved a high level of distinction in the field of appellate law, and his long and exceptionally varied appellate experience render him a highly suitable candidate for a position on the United States Court of Appeals."
      
      
  • Also on April 17, 2007, the Virginia Bar Association announced that it had recommended Duncan Getchell to the Virginia Senators as a candidate for the Fourth Circuit.

• Duncan Getchell possesses excellent academic credentials and professional training.
  
  
  • He graduated with distinction from Duke University Law School, where he was on the staff and editorial board of the Duke University Law Review.
  • He graduated from Emory University with high honors, which he attended on an Air Force ROTC Scholarship.
    
    
• Mr. Getchell has long served the legal community and the community at large.
  
  
  • He served on the Board of Directors and did pro bono legal work for the Riverside School, a school for dyslexic children, for 20 years.
  • He is a permanent member of the Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference, a fellow of the National Academy of Appellate Lawyers, an elected member of the American Law Institute, and a member of the Virginia State Bar and the Bar Association of the City of Richmond.

E. Duncan Getchell

Related Links

September 6, 2007
Nominations Sent To The Senate

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