Drake Birnbaum
Drake Birnbaum was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest in Puyallup, Washington. He developed a familiarity with the law at a young age by assisting his father Adam Birnbaum, who is a sole practitioner at Birnbaum Law Offices PLLC. Drake gained an appreciation for family law through his volunteer work as a Court Assigned Special Advocate (CASA) for the organization Family Law CASA. As a CASA, Drake gave testimony, drafted legal recommendations, and conducted interviews and home visits on behalf of minor children.
During law school, Drake completed two criminal law clerkships with different Attorney General Offices (AGOs). With the Washington AGO, Drake reviewed officer testimony, met with assistant attorneys’ general to discuss case theory, and researched the admissibility of evidence in a first-degree murder case. With the Maryland AGO, Drake took on a more active role in drafting reports used by state attorneys in determining whether to press charges against specific officers for unauthorized use of force by reviewing forensic data and body-worn camera footage.
Following graduation, Drake returned to family law as a law clerk for the Law Office of LaSheena Williams. Each morning, Drake would meet with his coworkers to discuss priorities and maintain oversight over each case. Throughout the rest of the day, Drake would conduct research, meet with clients, assist attorneys in trial preparation, and revise pleadings. In the office, each team member had a specialty. Drake’s specialty was complex pleadings, including drafting appellate briefs and answering a Writ for Petition of Certiorari when an opposing party wanted to take her case to the Supreme Court of Maryland. After Drake received his bar license, he took on a more active role in settlement negotiations and litigated a trial on his own where his client received a favorable verdict.
Seeking to gain additional courtroom experience, Drake joined the D.C. Superior Court as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Judge Marblestein-Deare, who manages a family law and immigration calendar. Drake operated in a fast-paced environment and quickly drafted court orders during each fifteen-minute hearing. While drafting, Drake coordinated in real-time with team members to ensure each order included relevant information and was properly docketed. Drake was also responsible for addressing all motions and Chambers’ correspondence in a timely manner. Through this judicial clerkship Drake was able to learn a variety of litigation styles from both attorneys and pro se parties. Drake was also able to acquire knowledge from multiple judges regarding their methods for conflict resolution and case management.
