Laurel Pyke Malson is a partner in Crowell & Moring's DC-based International Disputes Resolution Group, specializing in international and governmental litigation, mediation and arbitration, and complex appellate and administrative litigation. She routinely counsels foreign and domestic clients regarding litigation risk management; and has litigated extensively under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Alien Tort Statute, Federal Tort Claims Act, and other "public law" provisions where foreign and U.S. government, and related entities, are involved. She also has litigated numerous complex federal court cases involving, e.g., issues of federal-state relations, foreign sovereign immunity, and educational, employment, consumer fraud and health care issues. In addition, Ms. Malson has counseled and litigated on behalf of a variety of public and private entities, including public school systems, universities, academic medical centers, professional associations and non-profit organizations. Ms. Malson also serves as a mediator and arbitrator in a wide range of disputes, including commercial and employment matters.

Ms. Malson is an experienced litigator with substantial expertise in class-actions, employment discrimination and other civil rights cases, and "public" litigation involving the federal, state and foreign governments. She has litigated cases involving, e.g., Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Federal Tort Claims Act, Federal Arbitration Act, IDEA, ERISA, HIPAA, Class Action Fairness Act, the Health Care Quality Improvement Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Food and Drug Act, reimbursement and other regulatory issues under Medicare and Medicaid, and reporting obligations of providers and credentialing entities. She represented the District of Columbia Public Schools in a major class action under the IDEA and defended the American Psychiatric Association in multiple jurisdictions in the Ritalin and ECT class action litigations.

Ms. Malson is a Mediator for the US District Court for the District of Columbia, and she chaired the Committee on Grievances for the US District Court for the District of Columbia from 2001-2004. She also currently serves on the National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals for the International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution. Before entering private practice in 1985, Ms. Malson served in the Office of Legal Counsel of the US Department of Justice for four years, where she was responsible for a broad range of constitutional and federal statutory matters. She served as a member of the DC Circuit Advisory Committee on Procedures from 1986-1991 and clerked for the Hon. Damon J. Keith on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and the Honorable Harry T. Edwards on the United States Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit. She received her JD from Harvard Law School in 1979, and her BA from Wesleyan University in 1976.

Professional Activities and Memberships
International Institute for Conflict Prevention and Resolution - National Panel of Distinguished Neutrals
U.S. District Court, District of Columbia - Panel of Mediators
D.C. Bar - International Law Section
International Bar Association - Litigation Section
American Bar Association - International Law Section
Alternative Dispute Resolution Section

Recent Representations
Pugh v. Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , et al. (D.D.C) (awarded $6.1 billion judgment, January 24, 2008); Pugh v. Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya , et al. , No. 02-2026 (HHK) (D.D.C. Sept. 3, 2006) aff’d, No. 06-7167 (DC Cir. April 8, 2007) (unpublished order granting summary affirmance)
Smith v. Hope Village, Inc. , 481 F.Supp. 172 (D.D.C. 2007)

Education
Wesleyan University , B.A., 1976
Harvard Law School, J.D., 1979

Affiliations
Admitted to practice: District of Columbia; U.S. Supreme Court; U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Publications
"The ABCs of Cross-Border Litigation in the United States," (February 2008). Co-Author and Editor: Laurel Pyke Malson.

Speeches & Presentations
"Mediation Advocacy: Advanced Techniques and New Developments," ABA Section of Litigation (April 2008). Speaker: Laurel Pyke Malson.

"Challenges in Negotiation and Settlements," ABA Section of Litigation, National Conference for the Minority Lawyer (June 2007). Speaker: Laurel Pyke Malson.

"ADR in Bloom," ABA Section of Dispute Resolution (April 2007). Speaker: Laurel Pyke Malson.