PESSIN KATZ LAW, P.A.
PESSIN KATZ LAW, P.A. (“PK Law”) was founded in Towson in 1988 as a small estate planning firm. The firm moved to its current 901 Dulaney Valley Road office in 1997 and has grown into the largest law firm headquartered in Baltimore County. For the past 20 years, PK Law has held a steady count of approximately 50 attorneys. With that number, it has been identified within the top 10 listings of the largest law firms in the Baltimore area throughout those 20 years. In 2025, it is ranked as the sixth-largest law firm. The majority of PK Law’s attorneys are based in the Towson office headquarters, with 10 attorneys in the firm’s Columbia office and six in the firm’s Belcamp office.
Photo courtesy of Travis Marshall Photography
PESSIN KATZ LAW, P.A. CULTIVATING SUCCESS
PESSIN KATZ LAW, P.A. (“PK Law”) was founded in Towson in 1988 as a small estate planning firm. The firm moved to its current 901 Dulaney Valley Road office in 1997 and has grown into the largest law firm headquartered in Baltimore County. For the past 20 years, PK Law has held a steady count of approximately 50 attorneys. With that number, it has been identified within the top 10 listings of the largest law firms in the Baltimore area throughout those 20 years. In 2025, it is ranked as the sixth-largest law firm. The majority of PK Law’s attorneys are based in the Towson office headquarters, with 10 attorneys in the firm’s Columbia office and six in the firm’s Belcamp office.
Photo courtesy of Travis Marshall Photography
L to R: Lauren B. Ades, Kimberly L. Battaglia, Chantelle M. Custodio, Aidan F. Smith
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One of PK Law’s founding members, David Pessin, is still actively practicing in the firm, having developed one of the region’s most well-known and respected wealth preservation and business planning practices for professional athletes, entertainers, and broadcasters. Gerald Katz, another PK Law founding member, was widely recognized in the Baltimore legal and business communities as one of the area’s preeminent business and tax attorneys. Katz passed away on November 3, 2014.
reach their goals. Those attorneys who take advantage of the opportunities provided to them at PK Law have a leg up on making it to the partnership level.
In addition, PK Law offers all of its associates an opportunity to be paired with a PK Law attorney mentor. Mentors are encouraged to meet informally with their mentees regularly, take mentees to client dinners and lunches, and networking, bar association, trade group, and other marketing-related events, as well as pair up with other PK Law mentors/
The bottom line is that at this point, we know how to grow practices and have gotten very good at developing associates into equity members. If they are willing to put in the time and effort, we are willing to do the same."
Under the guidance of the strong leadership of Mr. Pessin and Mr. Katz, and the firm’s Managing Member for the past fifteen years, Drake Zaharris, PK Law has provided a strong platform for the distinguished careers of its members in wealth preservation, corporate and real estate, commercial litigation, insurance, insurance defense, education, labor and employment, medical malpractice defense and white collar criminal defense. Many of PK Law’s current members, including David Pessin, Patricia McHugh Lambert, Edmund O’Meally, Catherine Steiner, and Paul Finamore, have been recognized as a Baltimore Region Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers for their area of practice in these fields. Steiner and Gus Brown are both fellows of the prestigious American College of Trial Lawyers.
A Focus on Growth and Development
PK Law has a robust entrepreneurial marketing and business development program that strongly encourages all attorneys in the firm, from first year associate to equity member, to develop an annual marketing/business development plan. The firm provides resources, including one-on-one coaching sessions and financial support, for the attorneys to
mentees. The firm also hosts quarterly mentor/ mentee get-togethers for panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and informal gatherings with other firm members and of counsel. “The bottom line is that at this point, we know how to grow practices and have gotten very good at developing associates into equity members. If they are willing to put in the time and effort, we are willing to do the same,” says Nicole Ames, PK Law’s chief business development officer. Ames elaborates, “While I would like to say the firm’s success at growing associates into equity members is solely attributable to the marketing and business development department’s efforts at the firm, I believe there is more to it. There is an environment in the firm among the equity members that developing young attorneys is necessary for the greater good of the firm, to pass the firm on to the next generation, and allow it to continue to grow over the next 35 years and beyond. I think that sets PK Law apart.”
The success of PK Law’s efforts is evidenced by the number of attorneys at PK Law who have traveled the associate-to-owner path. Currently, six of the firm’s 15 equity members started as associates at PK Law. Along with Pessin (founding member), in the past
10 years, Kimberly Battaglia from the firm’s Wealth Preservation Group, Lauren Ades from the firm’s Corporate and Real Estate Group, Chantelle Custodio and Kimberly Longford from the firm’s Medical Malpractice Defense Group, and Aidan Smith from the firm’s General Litigation Group, have been elected to PK Law equity member. When asked what they thought attributed to their successful rise to the top at the firm, there is recognition that they did not do it alone.
Battaglia attributes her progression at PK Law “to not only the partners within my own department but many of the partners within the firm who rallied behind me to be successful.” Battaglia believes what sets PK Law apart is the fact that PK Law “invests in their associates.” Ades attributes her progression at PK Law to the “excellent legal training from Katz, who was a legal giant in the real estate and tax world, and Zaharris, who showed me the art of business development. I try to pay it forward by mentoring our young associates, not only on legal skills but also on business development.” When asked what she thinks sets PK Law apart from other firms in this area, she added, “PK Law has always encouraged its associates not only to excel in the legal field, but also to think about business development.”
Longford attributes her success to the fact that at PK Law, she “was very fortunate to work with partners who were committed to my development and growth as an attorney, as well as within the firm.” She added, “As an equity member, I consider it my job to foster the same opportunity for today’s associates and non-equity members at PK Law.”
Custodio said what sets PK Law apart is that “many attorneys are very protective of their own book and are hesitant to help others to develop new clients of their own. At PK Law, our philosophy is the opposite—we are all stronger together than separately. We are committed to helping
young lawyers develop and grow with the goal that they will one day be our partners.”
Smith said that he has “been provided wonderful mentorship from top-notch trial lawyers. When I have a problem with a complex business or estate issue, there are subject matter experts right down the hall who are willing to share their expertise.”
There are more on the horizon. Elliott Petty, Robert Campbell, David Burkhouse, Andrew Scott, Kambon Williams, Megan Anderson, and Adam Konstas are poised to grasp this PK Law associate to equity member distinction. Konstas, currently a non-equity member in the firm, reflecting on his experience, stated, “The journey to where I am today and where I hope to be in the future began when I walked in the door of PK Law as a summer associate in 2011. Right out of the gate, associates gain meaningful work experiences—whether it be in the courtroom, working directly with clients, or drafting significant motions. The mentorship and training given to associates by the partners at PK Law lay the foundation for those Associates to grow professionally. With the added support of our marketing department, Associates have the opportunity to engage in business development that will propel them to more senior roles within the firm.”
PK Law has always encouraged its associates not only to excel in the legal field, but also to think about business development.
MSBA mourns the recent passing of Steven Allen, a Member at Pessin Katz. A full In Memoriam of Katz will be published in the Fall 2025 issue.