The D.C. Bar Association recently named GW Law Alumnus Paul Cornoni, JD ‘03, the 2025 Laura N. Rinaldi Pro Bono Attorney of the Year.
Cornoni is a partner at Regan Zambri Long, a DC-based personal injury law firm. He also teaches trial advocacy at GW Law. Each year, the DC Bar Association presents the Rinaldi Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award to a lawyer for their excellence, achievement, and commitment to providing legal services to D.C.’s low-income and/or disadvantaged individuals as well as organizations serving such individuals.
The award was named after Laura N. Rinaldi, a former D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center and Children’s Law Center attorney who died in 2013. She was also a GW Law alumna from the Class of 2001. Cornoni has a special connection to Rinaldi, as his legal team represented her estate in connection with the accident that caused her death.
“I gained first-hand knowledge of what an inspiring person (Rinaldi) was,” Cornoni said. She is one of the main reasons why I chose to staff the DC Bar legal clinic each month.”
Throughout his career, Cornoni has obtained some of the largest settlements and verdicts in the DC area. He spends most of his time representing families that have suffered catastrophic events.
Recently, Cornoni, as co-counsel with his law partners Pat and Chris Regan and Sal Zambri, obtained several jury verdicts on behalf of his clients, including a $15 million verdict in the D.C. Superior Court, a $6.4 million verdict in Montgomery County, Maryland, and a $4.2 million verdict in the D.C. Federal Court.
“GW Law School also had a key role in fostering my interest in giving back and helping others,” Cornoni said. “While at GW Law, I was able to participate in a terrific clinic called DC Law Students in Court. It's now known as Rising for Justice. The clinic allows law students (while supervised) to represent indigent persons in DC Superior Court. It was fertile ground to gain trial skills while helping others. I chose to focus on the criminal law section which allowed me to represent persons charged with misdemeanors. This experience led me to the courtroom for the rest of my career.”
Cornoni has received multiple awards for his client work, including Trial Lawyer of the Year by the DC Trial Lawyers’ Association, Best Lawyer by Best Lawyers of America and a Washington, D.C., Super Lawyer by Super Lawyer Magazine.