Hilary P. Gerzhoy

Hilary Gerzhoy, Vice Chair of HWG’s Legal Ethics and Malpractice group, focuses her practice on legal ethics, white collar defense, and complex civil litigation.

Legal Ethics and Malpractice
Hilary represents lawyers and law firms in disciplinary investigations, prosecutions, and malpractice matters. She has handled matters before numerous state bars, including D.C.’s Board on Professional Responsibility and Maryland’s Attorney Grievance Commission, as well as matters before the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline (OED), the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia’s Committee on Grievances, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland’s Disciplinary and Admissions Committee. She represents lawyers and law firms in high stakes arbitrations related to partner departures and regularly counsels lawyers and firms regarding conflicts, partner admissions, and law firm dissolutions.

Since 2020, Hilary has served on the D.C. Bar Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee which drafts proposed amendments to the D.C. Rules. In 2022, the Judges of the D.C. Circuit appointed her to serve as one of the six members on the D.C. Circuit’s Advisory Committee on Admissions and Grievances. Hilary is an adjunct professor of law at the Georgetown University Law Center where she teaches legal ethics and professional responsibility. A frequent writer on developments in legal ethics, Hilary’s work has been published by the Chicago Tribune, Bloomberg Law, and Law360.

White-Collar Criminal Defense and Civil Litigation

Hilary represents plaintiffs and defendants in civil and criminal litigation. She has represented clients through all stages of litigation, from the initial complaint through trial and appeal in both state and federal courts. She represents companies and individuals in a range of white-collar criminal investigations. Her representations include investigations by the Department of Justice, the New York Attorney General, the D.C. Attorney General, SDNY, and EDNY, among others. For her white-collar work, she has been recognized as “One to Watch” by Best Lawyers.

As an active member of the legal community, Hilary currently serves on the Membership Committee of the District of Columbia Women’s Bar Association and is a Barrister at the William B. Bryant Inn of Court.

Before entering private practice, Hilary clerked for the Honorable Kermit V. Lipez of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She received her J.D. from the University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), where she served as Online Editor of the California Law Review and a teaching assistant for the Legal Research and Writing Program, and where she received the Prosser Award for Written and Oral Advocacy. She received her B.A. from the University of Chicago, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.