Gerald Thomas Zerkin[3] (born March 1, 1949) is an American lawyer. He is a senior assistant federal public defender in Richmond, Virginia.

Gerald Zerkin
Born
Gerald Thomas Zerkin

(1949-03-01) March 1, 1949 (age 75)[1][2]
EducationBrandeis University (BA)
University of Virginia (MA)
Boston College (JD)
Occupationlawyer

Career

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Zerkin attended Brandeis University, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1971, University of Virginia where he received his master's degree in 1973, and Boston College, where he received his degree in Law in 1976.[4][5] He began private practice in 1978, and began his work defending death row inmates in 1980, including Earl Washington.[6][7] He has specialized in death penalty defense and civil rights. At their annual dinner in 1999, Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP) awarded and praised him as an expert capital case litigator. In 2001, he joined the public defender's office.

Zerkin led the penalty phase defense, with Edward B. McMahon Jr., at the trial of Al Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui,[8][9] which resulted in a life sentence.[10]

Zerkin heads Zerkin & Associates.

References

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  1. ^ Hubbell, Martindale (December 2007). Martindale-Hubbell Law Directory 2008 (Volume 11): Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Puerto Rico, & U.S. Territories. Martindale-Hubbell. ISBN 9781561607983.
  2. ^ United States Public Records, 1970-2009 (Virginia, 1991-2007)
  3. ^ "Gerald Thomas Zerkin Profile | Richmond, VA Lawyer | Martindale.com".
  4. ^ Asah-Kwashie (October 20, 2010). "Gerald T. Zerkin". Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project & Capital Resource Counsel. Capdefnet.org. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  5. ^ LinkedIn Profile
  6. ^ Edds, Margaret (August 2003). Expendable Man : The Near-Execution of Earl Washington, Jr. New York, NY, USA: NYU Press. ISBN 978-0-8147-2244-2. OCLC 614981217. Retrieved April 21, 2011.
  7. ^ McGlone, Tim (January 22, 2001). "A Near-Fatal Injustice". Virginian-Pilot. Norfolk, VA, USA: Landmark Communications. ISSN 0889-6127. OCLC 12227724. How one man's wrongful murder conviction almost cost him his live and led the state that held him for 18 years to question its faith in the death penalty.
  8. ^ Konecky, Chad (Winter 2006). "Inquiring Minds". BC LAW Magazine. Boston, MA, USA: Boston College Law School. Retrieved April 21, 2011. Gerald Zerkin '76 reveals what it was like taking on a federal public defender's worst nightmare
  9. ^ Donahue, Katherine C (2007). Slave of Allah : Zacarias Moussaoui vs. the USA. Anthropology, culture, and society. London; Ann Arbor, MI: Pluto Press. pp. 22, 28, 36–37, 62–64, 80–81, 89, 90, 92–93, 99, 103. ISBN 978-0-7453-2619-1. OCLC 124964364.
  10. ^ "The Zacarias Moussaoui Trial: A Chronology". law2.umkc.edu. Retrieved 2023-08-28.