Reva Chopra

Experience

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  Hon. James C. Cawood, Jr., Circuit Court for Anne Arundel County

  Aug 2000 - Aug 2001

  JUDICIAL LAW CLERK
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  Office of the State's Attorney for Anne Arundel County

  Nov 2001 - Apr 2019

  ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY

  I held multiple roles as follows:Special Victims Unit (07/2015 - 04/2019), Property Crimes Division (06/2011 - 07/2015), Juvenile Division (06/2009 - 06/2011), District Court Division (11/2001 - 06/2009)I primarily administered an extensive and concurrent caseload in a fast-paced environment covering all practice areas, including high-profile cases of homicide, human trafficking, adult sex offenses, CSAM, and exploitation. I met current laws in criminal analysis, drafting indictments, expert witness preparation, pre-trial motions, plea negotiations, and trial preparation. I communicated clearly and concisely with social workers, health professionals, fingerprint/handwriting analysts, DNA experts, forensic chemists, and Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) nurses. I also interacted with victims, witnesses, and police in preparation for bench and jury trials. I collaborated with the legal team of case managers, law clerks, victim/witness specialists. My key contributions:• Achieved the first maximum sentence for a human trafficking case in the county.• Received a ‘Project Safe Childhood Award’ in 2018 from the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of MD for service and commitment to the protection of children.• Presented a case study as MD Human Trafficking taskforce member at an annual seminar.• Delivered elaborate, detailed, and impactful sentencing arguments using multimedia and videos.• Drafted high-quality legal documents, including recommendations, motions, and memoranda.• Boosted skills of less-experienced attorneys by acting as a mentor.• Attained senior level in District Court Division to take on 200-300 misdemeanor cases weekly. Show less

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  Office of the State’s Attorney for Caroline County

  May 2019 - Sept 2019

  CHIEF (SEX CRIMES UNIT) / ASSISTANT STATE’S ATTORNEY

  As team leader in litigation, I prepared and presented cases for trial involving human trafficking, child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and sex abuse, interacting with victim/witness specialist and legal support. I defined the litigation strategy, evidentiary themes, legal, and factual theories to evaluate the quality of data collected across the unit, resolve issues, and determine motions. I built knowledge of fact-finding by attending industry conferences and building expertise to conduct complex research, present insights and analytics on case law, court holdings, and policies. I applied attention to detail to create progressive solutions to respond to lack of evidence and challenging facts, involving further research into statutory and regulatory laws, as well as capturing public opinions. I shared knowledge of problem-solving and case best practices with fellow attorneys and team leaders, based on current laws. My key achievements:• Delivered expert advice to the FBI and Homeland Security in complex and serious cases.• Prepared and presented a 120-count indictment case to the Grand Jury for a child exploitation case. Show less

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  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

  Sept 2019 - Sept 2021

  ASSISTANT CHIEF COUNSEL

  Operating under the Chief Counsel, I represented the United States Department of Homeland Security during immigration removal cases before the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR). I facilitated expert legal advice, guidance, and client representation for cases in line with internal policies and shaped litigation strategies for trial preparation. I conducted legal research and investigations to collect and analyze evidence for a large caseload of matters of national security, non-citizen criminal offenses, human rights abuse, and terrorism. I prepared for federal court trials as attorney to draft motions, pleadings, and briefs based on evidence scrutinized. I shared knowledge with Homeland Security Investigation (HSI) agents and Deportation Officers with ICE Enforcement & Removal Operations (ERO). My key contributions:• Delivered specialized legal advice and hands-on training to multiple ICE counterparts.• Built knowledge of laws, regulations, rulings, and legal principles to draft briefs for BIA.• Enhanced communication skills to superior level to document sensitive cases.• Advised the OPLA Baltimore office as a designated attorney and expert of VAWA.• Served as a focal point of contact on the denaturalization team for FOIA data disclosure cases and privacy matters.• Championed continuous improvement by creating a standard operating procedure (SOP) for caseload management.• Adapted litigation management expertise to the prosecution of various ICE legal cases for the Department of Justice (DOJ). Show less

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  Office of the State’s Attorney for Howard County

  Feb 2022 - now

  DEPUTY CHIEF (BODY WORN CAMERA UNIT) / SENIOR ASSISTANT STATE'S ATTORNEY

  My remit is to take ownership of unit operations and daily tasks, overseeing a team of eight administrative technicians to review hours of footage from body worn cameras (BWC), highlight key evidence from 1000s of files for prosecutors while shielding sensitive data. I am a point of contact for workflow queries. I review BWC footage to investigate police misconduct/concerns when needed, requiring ad hoc training, memorandum creation, and escalation to senior staff for action planning, with full involvement. I also operate as sole prosecutor for high-profile cases and engage in weekly senior staff meetings. I develop protocols and e-sharing processes with Howard County Police Department (HCPD), MD State Police (MSP), and Sheriff’s Office, in line with best practices. I build relationships to create a safe and growth-oriented environment for the team to thrive. I monitor programmatic activities to maintain detailed statistics for budgetary reports and requests. My key achievements:• Nominated for the 'Howard County Government Employee of the Year Award' in 2023.• Won the 2023 Howard County State's Attorney's Office 'Employee of the Year Award'.• Grew the unit to meet demand for BWC review due to police issuing more cameras.• Met compliance in BWC analysis by developing protocols and e-sharing processes.• Simplified workflows via new BWC request, review, processing, and discovery system.• Developed an Excel tracker to monitor BWC cases assigned through to discovery.• Established a robust governance process for the BWC unit for evidence collection/review.• Partnered with Chief to train HCPD on legalities of BWC.• Refined policies for reviewing, shielding, and disseminating BWC footage.• Commended by community groups for exceptional efforts in notable school employee assault case.• Selected as a Special Prosecutor for a multi-defendant case in Talbot County, MD.• Admitted 100+ pieces of cell phone analytics/search warrant/surveillance/BWC evidence in case. Show less