Cynthia Goode Works maintains a law private law practice located in Maryland where she provides representation in civil, employment and criminal matters. An accomplished trial attorney, Works holds bar memberships in the state and federal bars of both the District of Columbia and Maryland. Attorney Goode Works received a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Juris Doctor from The American University, Washington College of Law, and a Master of Laws, (LL.M) in Trial Advocacy, with highest honors, from Temple University, James E. Beasley School of Law and was voted the most outstanding advocate by her peers.
Following her graduation from law school, Attorney Goode Works was a law clerk for the Honorable Henry Francis Greene, District of Columbia Superior Court. Following her clerkship she worked as a criminal defense attorney at the D.C. Public Defender Service (PDS) representing individuals in both misdemeanor and felony matters in bench and jury trials and at the appellate level. Following her tenure at PDS, Works left criminal litigation and worked as a corporate and civil litigator for law firms specializing in corporate, insurance and medical malpractice defense. Prior to opening her own law office, she served as the Director of Training and Education for the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) the national membership association for legal aid and public defenders. At NLADA, Attorney Goode Works had responsibility for the content, direction and development of educational training programs for civil legal aid attorneys and public defenders across the country.
In addition to the practice of law, Attorney Goode Works has a solid background in the academic arena. She has held faculty appointments at The George Mason University School of Law, The Howard University School of Law, and The American University, Washington College of Law. During her tenure as professor at Howard, the team compiled an impressive number of accolades and titles. A few of them include: being named as one of the top sixteen trial advocacy programs in the nation for three straight years; including winning the National Championship of Trial Advocacy, a first for an HBCU. Works was also a Visiting professor at Howard University School of Law during which time she taught in and managed the Criminal Justice Clinic component of the Law School's Clinical Law Center.
Attorney Goode Works concentrated her legal research agenda and teaching activities in the fields of Criminal Law and Procedure, Evidence, and clinical education. For her writing in the areas of Trial Advocacy and Evidence, she received the Distinguished Faculty Author Award from the president and provost of the university. Attorney Goode Works also served as a guest lecturer at the Howard University School of Medicine, presenting lectures to physicians regarding medical malpractice defense. Her work was also published in the Howard University Hospital Newsletter.
In addition to the practice of law, Attorney Goode Works specializes in the development of trial advocacy training programs across the United States, Africa and the Caribbean to law firms, government agencies, legal aid attorneys, public defenders, and corporations. She has also taught for Lawyers Without Borders and the National Center for State Courts along with members of the federal judiciary. Attorney Goode Works has also served as a faculty member and program director National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) in both their public and in-house training programs for almost 20 years.
