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Astrachan Gunst Thomas: James B. ► Astrachan (advertising law; communications
law; copyright law; litigation – intellectual property; trademark law, 2006) contributed an op-ed to The Baltimore Sun, “Baltimore’s broken roadways,” about traffic gridlock in the city.
Ballard Spahr: Thomas A. Hauser (real ► estate law; securitization and structured
finance law, 2010) led a team of attorneys advising a client in a $110.5 million acquisition of a Washington, D.C., apartment complex. Jon M. Laria (land use and zoning law; real estate law, 2007) was tapped to lead Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s Bicycle Advisory Commission, which serves to promote and facilitate safe and convenient biking in Baltimore. Laria’s leadership was also covered in the Baltimore Business Journal article, “How real estate lawyer Jon Laria became an unlikely leader for Baltimore’s bicyclists.”
Bowie & Jensen: Mark T. Jensen (closely ► held companies and family business law,
2014), a martial arts enthusiast, has earned a second-level black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has competed in several state and national championships. Michael Siri (construction law, 2015) was part of a team that won a unanimous victory from the Maryland’s Court of Appeals for a homeowner’s association, winning the association a right to further litigate their case against a homeowner who wanted to build a second residence on their lot, in contravention of the association’s rules.
Brown Goldstein Levy: Andy Freeman ► (commercial litigation; employment law –
individuals; litigation – labor and employment; mass tort litigation / class actions – plaintiffs, 2012) was part of a team that represented an African American woman who was fired from her job as a waitress at a Hooter’s restaurant for having blonde highlights in her hair, in supposed opposition of the company’s “image policy.” The arbitrator ANDY FREEMAN in the case decided that Hooter’s had discriminated against the waitress and awarded her $250,000. Dan Goldstein (civil rights law; commercial litigation; criminal defense: white-collar, 2012) represented the National Federation of the Blind and two blind students in their complaint against a local community college. The complaint was resolved when the school agreed to include improvements to school computers to make them accessible for the blind and address alleged discrimination against the students. Andrew D. Levy (betthe-company litigation; commercial litigation; criminal defense: white-collar; litigation – labor and employment; litigation – real estate, 1999) received the Mosaic Community Services’ 2015 Visionary Award for his advocacy for the civil rights of the mentally ill.
DLA Piper: Brett Ingerman (commercial ► litigation; legal malpractice law – defendants,
2011) is part of a team representing a Baltimore prisoner who lost one of his eyes in retaliation for not cooperating with a prison gang. The man is suing the Baltimore City Detention Center.
Gallagher Evelius & Jones: Ward B. ► Coe III (litigation – banking and finance;
bet-the-company litigation; commercial litigation; litigation – ERISA; litigation – trusts and estates, 1995) was honored with the University of Maryland law school’s Benjamin L. Cardin Public Service Award.
Clements, Bekman, Marder ► &Salsbury, Adkins: E. Dale Adkins III (medical
malpractice law – plaintiffs; personal injury litigation – plaintiffs, 1993) and Paul D. Bekman (admiralty and maritime law; arbitration; mediation; medical malpractice law – plaintiffs; personal injury litigation – plaintiffs; product liability litigation – plaintiffs, E. DALE ADKINS 1989) are part of a team representing over 750 Guatemalans who were intentionally infected with syphilis and other STDs in the 1940s and 50s as part of an experiment by a forerunner of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The plaintiffs allege that the government agency was assisted by Johns Hopkins University, the PAUL D. BEKMAN Rockefeller Foundation, and other organizations, which they are suing for a total of $1 billion in a Maryland court.
Goldstein & Russell: Thomas C. ► Goldstein (appellate practice, 2008) argued
at the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s 2015 Mock Trial in Washington, D.C. The mock trial was based on Cervantes’ classic novel Don Quixote. Goldstein appealed a guardianship decision for Don Quixote to the Supreme Court of La Mancha, presided over by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. The court ruled “that without impossible dreams there would be no progress” and that Quixote does not need a guardian to look after him.
Gordon Feinblatt: Abba David Poliakoff ► (commercial litigation; corporate law;
securities / capital markets law; securities regulation, 2007) was appointed by Governor Larry Hogan to co-chair Maryland’s Regulatory Reform Commission, established to examine what Hogan says are “outof-control regulations” that are “making it impossible for businesses to stay in Maryland.” Michael C. Powell (environment law; litigation – environmental, 1995) has become the managing member and chief operating officer of the firm.
Stein Sperling Bennett De Jong Driscoll: ► Paul T. Stein (commercial litigation; criminal
defense: non-white-collar; family law, 2012) successfully defended a police officer accused of perjury. Stein argued, in part, that the officer had not been familiar with the rules of the court when representing himself in a previous case decided in his favor, and that the prosecutor in the case took the officer back to court for perjury, seemingly out of spite and to protect his own reputation. The circuit court found that the prosecutor failed to adequately prove his case.
Janet, Jenner & Suggs: Robert K. Jenner ► (mass tort litigation / class actions – plaintiffs; personal injury litigation – plaintiffs, 2006) helped win $36 million for a construction worker who was severely burned and paralyzed while working on a power company substation.
Joseph Greenwald & Laake: ► David Bulitt (family law, 2007)
Venable: Thomas M Lingan (environmental ► law; litigation – environmental, 2011) was part
of team that helped get the permits to open a new gold mine in South Carolina, along the Carolina slate belt. Gold mines have been operating sporadically in this area since the early 19th century, but this is the first new gold mine in many years to be permitted for construction in the eastern U.S. Kevin THOMAS M. LINGMAN L. Shepherd (real estate law, 2006) is part of one of the teams composed of attorneys from eight different firms who are representing seven players in the complicated $675 million sale and purchase of a 36-story Manhattan skyscraper.
published his first novel, Card Game, about a divorce lawyer whose friend’s death leads him to re-evaluate his life.
& Graham: James ► P.Kramon Ulwick (bet-the-company
litigation; commercial litigation; criminal defense: white-collar, 1993) was part of a team representing the credit card company Capital One in a successful defense against a company alleging patent infringement.
Levin & Curlett: Steven H. Levin (criminal ► defense: non-white-collar; criminal defense: white-collar, 2013) co-authored an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun about the charges brought by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby against six Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray. The op-ed is entitled “Mosby has a second chance to get the Freddie Gray charges right.”
Zavos Juncker Law ► Group: Michele Zavos
(family law, 2012) was honored by the Rainbow History Project in Washington, D.C., as an important leader and champion of LGBTfriendly family law.
Ober Kaler: S. Craig Holden (health care ► law, 2007) was elected chair and CEO of the
firm. E. Scott Johnson (entertainment law – motion pictures and television; entertainment law – music; copyright law; trademark law, 2001) was elected chair of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation.
MICHELE ZAVOS
Compiled by Nathaniel Barr.
NOTE Lawyers listed in Best Lawyers are indicated by their selected practice area(s) in parentheses along with the first year they were included in the Best Lawyers list. To be included in next year’s feature, please email us your news at: news@bestlawyers.com.
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