Greg Castanias, JD'90
So far, snapshots of Greg Castanias's young career form an impressive scrapbook.
Last year, the 1990 Indiana Law graduate argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. As a partner with Jones Day in Washington, D.C., his counsel has played significant roles in matters such as class action suits, NAFTA investor-state arbitrations, and in intellectual property and technology matters. Past clients include Abbott Laboratories, Chevron Texaco, and Procter & Gamble. His pro bono work and professional affiliations add to the laundry list of accomplishments.
"I am enormously happy and satisfied with what I do professionally and am very fulfilled personally, but I will never be content," he said. Passionate in every endeavor, Castanias offers tireless and energetic support to Indiana Law because the people and the education here touched his life deeply.
To stay connected to his peers, Castanias helped to start an Indiana Law Society for alumni in the Washington, D.C. area. He visits Bloomington often as treasurer for Indiana Law's Alumni Board, as a judge for the Sherman Minton Moot Court Competition, and an on-campus interviewer for his firm.
"IU taught me to think outside the box in regard to a lot of legal theories, doctrines, and arguments. I don't necessarily see that from top graduates from other top schools," said Castanias. Jones Day recently hired two graduates from the School through Career Services' on-campus interviews, and Castanias believes bringing firms to campus is one of the most important contributions an alumnus can make.
He is also a committed donor. "Now, more than ever, with diminished support from legislatures, it's crucial we step up on this new Campaign and get a sufficient amount of money in the works for scholarship money and to maintain the unforgettable faculty and staff at Indiana who weave a thread through generations of students."
"I will always be active because of the life lessons I learned in law school," he said. "You walk in on day one and are immediately confronted with the reality that you are part of something much larger than yourself."
Castanias knew at age nine that one day he'd work in a courtroom. The epiphany arrived in the dim, wood-paneled dining room of The Executive Club, an Indianapolis restaurant his father owned. When Castanias discovered that many of the men were judges and lawyers, he said he wanted to be a judge. "Dad told me that would be pretty tough," he said. "So I said, 'Ok then, I want to be a lawyer.'"
And lawyer he is. After graduating in 1990, Castanias practiced in Indianapolis and clerked for a U.S. Federal Appeals Court judge in New York before being recruited to join the Issues and Appeals practice of Jones Day in Washington, D.C., in 1992. Castanias, whose practice includes a focus on technology and intellectual property cases, is a barrister of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court and a member of The Federal Circuit Bar Association and the International Trade Commission Trial Lawyers Association. In 2004, he joined the board of the Council for Court Excellence in Washington, D.C. Castanias frequently speaks and has appeared on national radio and television broadcasts and is admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for all 13 circuits, and seven U.S. District Courts.