Meet Our Partners
Managing Partners
Glenn R. Bergmann,
Managing Partner
Prior to our founding in 2004, Mr. Bergmann served as an appellate litigator in VA’s Office of the General Counsel, Appellate Litigation Division, in Washington, DC. He currently supervises the firm’s appellate practice and has successfully represented more than 12,000 Veterans and their family members before the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
Mr. Bergmann currently serves on the Court’s Judicial Advisory Committee. He previously served as the president of the US Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association from 2010 to 2011, and also served on its Board of Governors from 2009 to 2012. He is a past member of the Court’s Rules Advisory Committee and Admission and Practice Committee. He is a frequent lecturer on Veterans’ law issues involving disability claims before Veteran Service Organizations and testified before Congress on behalf of one of his clients before securing a complete grant of benefits.
He has been interviewed about Veterans’ benefits issues by the Washington Post, Austin American Statesman, USA Today, and FOX News.
Mr. Bergmann graduated from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, in 1994, with a double major in History and German. He received his Doctor of Jurisprudence from Indiana University School of Law in 1999. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland (1999) and the District of Columbia (2000). He currently practices before the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (2001) and the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (2005).
Joseph R. Moore,
Managing Partner
Prior to our founding in 2004, Mr. Moore worked as an attorney for VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals (Board) in Washington, DC. Mr. Moore personally represents and oversees the work done on behalf of every Bergmann & Moore client with a case before a VA Regional Office or the Board.
Mr. Moore is a member of the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA), which is a non-profit association of more than 600 attorneys who represent Veterans, and previously served on their Board of Directors for many years. Mr. Moore has presented on numerous topics related to VA law over the years. He is often called to meet with decision-makers in Congress and VA regarding Veterans’ benefits issues.
Mr. Moore has been interviewed about Veterans’ benefits issues by the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, the Washington Examiner, FOX News, ABC News, and BBC.
Mr. Moore graduated from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota, in 1992 with a double major in English and Theology. He then attended the University of Minnesota Law School in 1995. He is licensed to practice law in Maryland (1996).
Partners
Thomas Polseno, Partner
Tom Polseno is a partner at Bergmann & Moore and currently serves as the Principal Managing Attorney of the firm’s United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC) litigation group. He represents military Veterans before the CAVC in cases concerning disability compensation and other benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Tom additionally serves on the CAVC Rules Committee and chairs the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates (NOVA) Amicus and Litigation Committee.
Tom earned a BA from Hartwick College, an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and his JD from the University of Minnesota Law School, where he served on the Minnesota Law Review. Tom was the first non-founding attorney promoted to partner on January 1, 2019.
James Ridgway, Partner
James Ridgway is a partner and the Director of Training and Programs at Bergmann & Moore. He teaches law as an adjunct professor at George Washington University Law School, and he is the author of Veterans Law: Cases and Theory and other publications. His work has been cited by the Solicitor General and the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.
James served as a judge on the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, where he was Chief of Policy and Procedure and later Chief of Strategy, Innovation, and Programs. He is a past president of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Bar Association and the Veterans Law Journal editor-in-chief. James received his undergraduate degree with the highest honors in physics and history. He graduated in the top ten percent of his law school class at the University of Virginia.
David Ames, Partner
David Ames is a partner at Bergmann & Moore and currently serves as the Director of Appellate Operations. He oversees the firm’s intake process for Veterans disability compensation cases being appealed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims (CAVC), and he monitors and improves the firm’s internal Court-related processes. Prior to joining Bergmann & Moore, David worked for the Board of Veterans Appeals for 12 years, including as the Chief of the Office of Quality Assurance. He currently serves on the Court’s Rules Advisory Committee and is the Treasurer of the CAVC Historical Society, and he was named to the HillVets 100 Class of 2019 for his continued support within the Veteran community.
David earned a BA in History at Wesleyan University where he graduated with Honors and received the Robins Prize for Outstanding Thesis in the area of European history. He then attended William & Mary Law School where he earned his JD. Additionally, David has published academic articles on Veterans law in Stanford Law Review, the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, and Syracuse Law Review.
James March, Partner
James March is a partner and manager at Bergmann & Moore where he represents Veterans and their survivors before the Department of Veterans Affairs at both the Regional Offices and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. He is also part of the Training and Programs office at Bergmann & Moore and has been a frequent speaker at the National Organization of Veterans’ Advocates semi-annual conferences.
He earned his undergraduate degree in biology from Salisbury State College and conducted neuropathology research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he coauthored several published medical studies concerning Alzheimer’s disease. James earned his JD from the University of Maryland School of Law and began his career as an attorney in Veterans law in 1992 at VA’s Board of Veterans’ Appeals in Washington, DC. During his time at the Board, he served as a Veterans Law Judge and Chief Veterans Law Judge, deciding over 18,000 Veterans’ appeals and supervising over 100 attorneys and judges. After retiring from the Board, James joined Bergmann & Moore where he continues advocating for our nation’s Veterans and families.
One of the largest law firms in the country practicing solely in the area of Veterans’ benefits. Managed by former VA attorneys. We know the journey and can get you through.
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