U.S. Attorney Pak announces the appointment of thirteen new Assistant U.S. Attorneys

ATLANTA – U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak announced the appointment of thirteen new Assistant U.S. Attorneys who will immediately employ their talents to support the Northern District of Georgia’s (NDGA) mission to enforce the law and defend the interests of the citizens we serve in this district.

“Citizens expect exceptionally talented and dedicated lawyers to represent the United States in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Byung J. “BJay” Pak.  “These outstanding Assistant U.S. Attorneys have proven they are committed to excellence in their service to our country, and the citizens of the Northern District of Georgia.”

• Miguel R. Acosta is a former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Texas, where he prosecuted immigration offenses.  Prior to that he was an attorney with Gobel Flakes, LLC in Orlando.  Miguel served as a law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Judge Karla Spaulding in the Middle District of Florida.  Miguel graduated magna cum laude, from University of Tampa with a degree in Criminology, and he received his law degree, cum laude, from Florida State University College of Law, where he served as Administrative Editor of the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law.  He began his career in the U.S. Air Force JAG Corps, and is currently a JAG in the Florida Air National Guard.  Miguel is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Carolyn “Tippi” Cain Burch handled complex civil litigation and appeals for Chalmers Burch & Adams LLC.  Earlier in her career, she was a senior litigation associate with King & Spalding LLP and Swift Currie, McGhee, & Hiers, LLP.  She was a law clerk for U.S. District Judge C. Ashley Royal in the Middle District of Georgia.  Tippi graduated, cum laude, in political science from Auburn University, and received her law degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia —where she was Vice Chair of the Moot Court Board.  Tippi currently serves as Chairwoman of the Board of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.  Tippi is a member of the Appeals and Legal Advice Division.
   
• Anthony DeCinque was a Senior Associate at Morris, Manning & Martin, LLP, where he handled complex commercial litigation and appellate matters. Previously, he practiced at Mayer Brown LLP and Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP in NYC.  Anthony graduated from Georgia Tech, where he majored in chemical engineering. He graduated from NYU Law School. Upon graduating, Anthony clerked for Hon. Morton Greenberg, U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.  Anthony is a member of the Civil Division.
   
• Akash Desai joins us from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, where he was an associate in the trademark litigation group. Akash graduated magna cum laude in Political Science from the University of Rochester, and he received his law degree from Vanderbilt University School of Law.  He also holds an LLM from NYU Law School.  He clerked for Hon. Jon McCalla, U.S. District Judge in the Western District of Tennessee, and for Hon. Aleta Trauger, U.S. District Judge in the Middle District of Tennessee. Akash is a member of the Civil Division.
   
• Irina Dutcher served as a Chief Senior Assistant District Attorney for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office.  She was previously an Associate at Kilpatrick Townsend and a Law Clerk for Honorable C. Lynwood Smith, U.S. District Judge for the Northern District of Alabama. Irina received her J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and her B.A., magna cum laude, from the University of Southern California.  Irina is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Soo Jo served as the senior staff attorney for the Magistrate Court of Gwinnett County, and has over two decades of experience representing city and county governments in numerous subject matter areas.  Soo received her J.D. from Georgia State University College of Law and her B.S. from Georgetown University.  Soo is a member of the Civil Division.
   
• Alex Joseph was an Assistant Solicitor in the Fourteenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office in Beaufort, S.C., where she handled felony prosecutions.  She was previously an Assistant District Attorney in the Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit, serving as the lead prosecutor in several trials.  She previously served as an extern for U.S. Magistrate Judge Linda T. Walker, and after law school, she was a law clerk to Superior Court Judge Robert Chasteen of the Cordele Judicial Circuit. Alex received her law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law, cum laude, where she was a member of the Journal of Intellectual Property Law. She received her B.A. in Political Science from Wellesley College. Alex is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Cal Leipold was previously an AUSA in the Middle District of Louisiana, where he prosecuted OCDETF and violent crime cases. Prior to becoming an AUSA, he served as a JAG officer in the Army.  He has done a tour of duty in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for his service.  An Atlanta native, Cal earned a B.A. in History from Furman University and his law degree from Georgia State College of Law, where he was the Chief Justice of the Student Honor Court, and a member of the Moot Court Board.  He also earned an L.L.M. in National Security law, with distinction, from Georgetown University Law Center.  Cal is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Mellori Lumpkin-Dawson was a litigator at Greenberg Traurig, where she handled all aspects of employment litigation.  Previously, she practiced law at Holland & Knight LLP in Atlanta.  Originally from Bainbridge, Georgia, Mellori graduated summa cum laude from Florida A&M University, where she majored in Business Administration.  She received her law degree from UC-Berkeley, where she was the Supervising Editor of the California Law Review and served as the Articles Editor of the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law & Policy.  From August 2012 to October 2012, she served as a Special Assistant District Attorney for the South Georgia Judicial Circuit, where she tried two felony jury cases to verdict.  Mellori is a member of the Civil Division.
   
• Scott McAfee was a Senior Assistant District Attorney in the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office, where he was a member of the Major Case Division handling murder cases. He previously served as an intern for Justice David E. Nahmias on the Supreme Court of Georgia. He is an Eagle Scout.  Scott earned his law degree, cum laude, from the University of Georgia School of Law, and earned his B.A. in Political Science and Music from Emory University.  Scott is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Annalise Peters came from Alston & Bird, where she was an associate in the Litigation and Trial Practice Group.  She was an intern with our office in the Major Crimes Section from August to December 2013, during which time she co-tried a marriage fraud case through the 3rd year law intern program.  Annalise was a law clerk to Hon. Julie Carnes, 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.  A native of Atlanta, Annalise earned her law degree from UVA Law School, where she was the Assistant Managing Editor of the Virginia Law Review.  She received her B.A. from University of Georgia, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and she was the captain of the UGA Varsity Track & Field Team.  Annalise is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Teresa Marie Stolze was a Senior Assistant DeKalb District Attorney in the Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit.  Teresa has tried over two dozen cases as lead and was an intern in our office on two occasions – from February to May 2007 and from June to August 2009.  Teresa served as a law clerk for then-Superior Court Judge Tilman “Tripp” Self III and Judge Edgar W. Ennis, of the Macon Judicial Circuit.  She also worked as a law clerk for Judge Steve Jones, who was then on the Superior Court of Athens-Clarke County.  She is a double dawg, earning her law degree, cum laude, from UGA Law School, where she was the Managing Board Notes Editor of the Georgia Law Review.  She earned her B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. Teresa is a member of the Criminal Division.
   
• Samuel Williams served as a Trial Attorney for the U.S. Department of HUD in Atlanta. Previously, he worked as an extern for the U.S. EEOC and as a Judicial Intern for Hon. Linda M. McGee, North Carolina Court of Appeals. Sam received his J.D. from the University of North Carolina, where he was a Chancellor Scholar, and earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Appalachian State University.  Samuel is a member of the Civil Division.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga.