Administrative Law Judge
Christopher Costa was appointed as an Administrative Law Judge for the District of Columbia Office of Administrative Hearings in May 2018.
Prior to his appointment, Judge Costa served as an Assistant County Attorney in Fairfax, Virginia, where he managed a litigation and transactional practice. Judge Costa also lobbied in the Virginia General Assembly on behalf of Fairfax County. Before joining Fairfax County, Judge Costa practiced law in a number of small-, mid-, and large-sized law firms.
Judge Costa’s law practice was focused on civil litigation in state and federal trial and appellate courts, administrative adjudications and rulemakings, and legislative drafting and enactment. His experience includes a wide variety of substantive and procedural issues, such as constitutional and open government issues, medical malpractice and other torts, professional licensing, regulatory enforcement actions, and contracts and employment disputes. He has frequently represented parties in formal and informal alternative dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration.
Judge Costa served as law clerk or legal intern for federal and state judges and was appointed through the U.S. Attorney General’s Honors Program as an attorney-advisor to a federal administrative law judge. Throughout his career, Judge Costa enjoyed handling pro bono cases and staffing free legal clinics through the DC Bar Pro Bono Center and other legal services organizations.
Judge Costa began his public service in earnest when he served as an educator and community developer in the U.S. Peace Corps in the Transylvanian region of Romania. Thereafter, Judge Costa received his Juris Doctor Cum Laude from George Mason University School of Law and is a member of the bars of the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland.