At the start of his legal career, Urda spent three years in private practice and served as a law clerk to Judge
Daniel Anthony Manion of the
United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit. From 2012 to 2015 Urda was an adjunct professor at
American University Washington College of Law.
Department of Justice career Before becoming a judge, Urda held several positions with the
United States Department of Justice Tax Division. He was counsel to the Deputy Assistant Attorney General, where he advised him and the Tax Division front office on legal and administrative issues facing the Division, particularly regarding appellate and settlement matters. He also served on two temporary detail assignments outside the Tax Division, at the Office of Legal Policy Nominations Counsel, and the Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development Assistance and Training. In addition, he was a member of the Tax Division's Appellate Section, which he joined in 2006. While working in the Appellate Section, he litigated more than eighty appeals from the United States Tax Court and the
United States District Courts and has presented oral argument on behalf of the United States in more than forty-five appeals, including arguments in each of the
United States Courts of Appeals. He was also one of the principal drafters of the United States' successful brief in
Hall v. United States, 566 U.S. 506 (2012). == Awards ==