Stradley Ronon Partner Mark E. Chopko served as a speaker for the 27th Annual National Catholic Risk Retention Group Meeting on Jan. 30 in St. Petersburg, FL. Chopko’s topic, “Litigation Under a Spotlight: Drawing Lines and Protecting the Church,” explored how litigation can be used, and sometimes misused, by litigants. Given the very public nature of all cases involving religious organizations in the U.S., the litigation goals of a church have to align with the values and expectations of the church. He discussed practical approaches to the use of statutory and constitutional defenses, and alternative means to resolve disputes.
Chopko chairs Stradley Ronon’s nonprofit and religious organizations practice group and advises clients, including colleges and universities, in matters involving structural, business, governance, regulatory and complex litigation. He specializes in defending religious organizations and also teaches a seminar on church-state law at Georgetown University Law Center. A former general counsel for the U.S. Conference on Catholic Bishops, he has participated in more than 30 Supreme Court cases as counsel for religious groups in friend-of-the-Court briefs.
About Stradley Ronon
Counseling clients since 1926, Stradley Ronon has helped private and public companies – from small businesses to Fortune 500 corporations – achieve their goals by providing pragmatic, value-driven legal counsel. With offices in eight strategic locations, our responsive team of more than 200 attorneys seamlessly addresses the full spectrum of our clients’ needs, ranging from sophisticated corporate transactions to complex commercial litigation.