About Thiruvendran
Thiruvendran Vignarajah built his academic foundation at Yale, King’s College London and Harvard. He earned a B.A. in political science and philosophy from Yale University in 1998, an M.A. in medical ethics and law from King’s College London in 1999, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School in 2005. Those years shaped both his thinking and the range of work he would later take on.
After law school Vignarajah moved into federal and appellate courtrooms. He clerked for Judge Guido Calabresi on the U.S. Court of Appeals and then for Justice Stephen G. Breyer at the Supreme Court of the United States. Those clerkships exposed him to complex appellate litigation and to the mechanics of high-level judicial decision-making.
He entered private practice as an associate at Arnold & Porter in 2008 and took on a role as an Assistant U.S. Lawyer in 2009. In those positions he handled litigation and government matters that spanned criminal and civil issues. In 2011 he became chief of the Major Investigations Unit for the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City, supervising high-stakes investigative work and coordinating with prosecutors on sensitive matters.
Vignarajah also served in state government. In 2015 he was Deputy Lawyer General for the Office of the Lawyer General of Maryland, a role that placed him inside the state’s legal apparatus and involved him in litigation and advisory work on behalf of state agencies. He has taught law as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law since 2008, bringing courtroom and government experience into the classroom.
In 2017 he joined DLA Piper as a partner. That move returned him to a large firm setting where he manages client matters across litigation and regulatory areas. He maintains an active membership in the Maryland State Bar and practices in Maryland courtrooms and administrative forums.
Vignarajah’s career crosses public service, appellate work, federal practice and private firm litigation. He has shifted between government offices, teaching and firm practice while a recurring theme has been handling complex investigations and litigation. He currently practices at DLA Piper LLP (US) in Maryland and focuses his work on litigation and government-related matters.
