Meet the Authors
Since graduating from the University of Colorado School of Law in May 2003, John Cord has represented people injured by automobile negligence, on-the-job accidents, medical negligence and pharmaceutical and product liability. He is licensed to practice in Maryland, the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. John is on the Board of Governors of the Maryland Association for Justice (MAJ, formerly Maryland Trial Lawyers Association), has formerly chaired the Technology Section, and now co-chairs the New Lawyers’ Section and the Sponsorship/Marketing Committee.
He regularly authors Legal Tech, a column in MAJ’s Trial Reporter. He is also a member of the American Association for Justice (AAJ). You can contact him at cordjj@gmail.com.
Michael W. Siri is a partner at Bowie & Jensen LLC. Michael has experience with various construction projects and has represented owners, general contractors, and subcontractors on issues involving mechanic’s liens, suspensions of work, warranty claims, requests for equitable adjustments, prompt payment and conditional payment disputes and construction and design defects.
Michael earned his bachelor’s degree in 1997 from the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2001. In law school, Michael served as managing editor of The Business Lawyer and was president of the Student Bar Association.
Michael is the former Chair of the Maryland State Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Section and is currently the YLS’ Board of Governors Representative for the MSBA. Michael recently completed his fifth marathon.
Heather R. Pruger (@HeatherPruger)
Heather is an associate in the Labor, Employment, and Employee Benefits practice group at Saul Ewing LLP’s Baltimore office. She graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2009 and clerked for Magistrate Judge Susan K. Gauvey of the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland following graduation. During law school, Heather was the Executive Notes and Comments Editor for the Maryland Law Review, and enjoyed helping other students improve their writing through her work with the law school’s Writing Center and legal writing program.
Since graduation, Heather has written numerous law- and legal career-related articles. In the free time she had before law school and kids, she also enjoyed writing poetry (some of which has been published) and short stories. Heather currently co-chairs the Publications Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association Young Lawyers’ Section and co-edits the MSBA YLS quarterly publication, The Advocate.
Before law school, Heather worked as a paralegal for various Maryland and Washginton law firms. A Maryland native, Heather is a proud Terps fan—she attended the University of Maryland at College Park, then completed her degree online from the University of Maryland University College.
Heather now lives with her husband and two children (both of whom were born during law school) in Howard County.
Hae earned her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2009, where she served as the Managing Editor for Law Forum. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2002. Hae is currently an associate at Nelson, Mullins, Riley & Scarborough in its Washington office, where she works with the business litigation group, and focuses on the defense of corporations in a variety of employment and toxic tort matters. She is admitted in Maryland, and is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association, Defense Research Institute, Asian Pacific American Bar Associations of Washington and Maryland and the Animal Legal Defense Fund.
When she’s not stuck in the office, Hae tries to squeeze in as many tennis matches as her week allows, spend quality time with her two dogs Dexter and Luca, experience food and drinks with close friends, design and draft posts for her fashion and style blog, and encounter all the other joys that accompany the precarious work/life balance of a single lawyer in D.C. She loves watching and participating in most sports recreationally, and most especially enjoys attending sports events in person. Being born and raised in the Windy City, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago Bears hold a special place in her heart, as well as the Fighting Illini from her undergraduate days.
Hae is excited at the new insights and networking prospects that blogging will create in this stage of her life and career, and hopes that she will make a meaningful contribution to the community of young lawyers in the DC/VA/MD area.
Jen grew up in Bel Air and studied psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. After college she went straight to the University of Maryland School of Law where she was an editor on the Maryland Law Review and a member of the Student Bar Association. She graduated in 2009 and then served as a judicial clerk for Harford County Circuit Court Judge Emory A. Plitt, Jr.
After her clerkship she moved on to a position as a civil litigation associate for Moore & Jackson LLC in Towson. She is a member of Maryland State Bar Association.
Jen lives in Fells Point and enjoys walking her fluffy corgi, trying new restaurants, Michael Phelps and listening to Aerosmith. She hopes to one day write and illustrate children’s books.
A 2010 graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, Cara Lewis began practicing law as an associate at Tydings & Rosenberg LLP in Baltimore. While at Tydings, she worked in the commercial litigation and bankruptcy and creditors’ rights practice groups. She is taking a sabbatical from private practice to clerk for Judge Robert E. Cahill Jr. in Baltimore County Circuit Court.
Cara grew up in Carroll County and graduated from North Carroll High School. She was a journalism major for the first two years of college, so blogging for Generation J.D. gives her a chance to see what might have been. She ultimately received her bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Maryland, College Park, leaving many to wonder if she has ever left the state.
In the gratuitous amount of free time she has as a young lawyer, Cara enjoys watching bad reality television, reading books halfway through, and rebuilding the friendships she neglected in law school.
Sarah D. Mann is an associate at Bodie, Dolina, Smith & Hobbs PC in Towson, focusing her practice on general civil litigation, labor law, contracts and estate planning and administration. Sarah earned her bachelors degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and her J.D. from the University of Baltimore School of Law. While in law school, Sarah was a law clerk at Bodie Dolina and, after graduating, had the privilege to serve as the judicial law clerk to Judge H. Patrick Stringer Jr. in Baltimore County Circuit Court. After her clerkship, Sarah returned to Bodie Dolina.
Sarah is a Baltimore native, growing up in northeast Baltimore City and attending Notre Dame Preparatory School in Towson. She is the eighth of nine children and the daughter of Baltimore City District Court Judge James L. Mann Jr.
Sarah serves on the Planning Committee of the Maryland State Bar Association’s Litigation Section and is on the Editorial Board of the Litigator, a publication of the Litigation Section of the MSBA. Sarah also serves on the Technology Committee and Young Lawyers Committee of the Baltimore County Bar Association.
Erek L. Barron is counsel to Whiteford, Taylor & Preston, LLP where he focuses on appeals, business litigation, and white collar criminal defense. He also has experience advising nonprofits, small businesses, and technology companies.
Erek began his career as a state and federal prosecutor before serving in Congress as counsel to the Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. on the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee, and later, as a member of President Obama’s Transition Team. Erek earned his bachelor’s degree in 1996 from the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated from The George Washington University Law School in 1999. He also earned an advanced law degree (LL.M.) in international law from the Georgetown University Law Center in 2007.
Erek volunteers in a number of nonprofit organizations, including as a member of the boards of the Legal Aid Bureau Inc. and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. He lives in Prince George’s County where he is actively involved in mentoring and community service activities.
William “Billy” Cannon III (@wcannonIII)
Billy is an associate in the landlord representation group in the Bethesda office of Offit Kurman P.A. He graduated from The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law in 2008 and clerked for Judge William P. Greene, Jr., Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, following graduation. Following his clerkship, Billy worked as a trial lawyers in the plaintiffs’ group at a law firm in Montgomery County for nearly three years. Billy was selected as a Super Lawyers Rising Star for 2012 in Maryland.
Billy was born and raised in the Washington, D.C area. He graduated from Gonzaga College High School in 1994. He obtained his undergraduate degree in philosophy from Loyola College in Maryland in 1998. He obtained a Master of Fine Arts in Poetry from the University of Maryland in 2002. He taught English at Gonzaga from 2001-2008. While teaching, he obtained his J.D. from the Columbus School of Law at Catholic University of America in May of 2008 While in law school, he was a moot court associate and teaching assistant to Professor Marshall Breger.
Billy serves as a member of the Jesuit Gridiron Classic Committee, the John Carroll Society and on the board of the Gonzaga Business Network. In 2012, he will be the President of the Catholic Business Network of Montgomery County and of the Loyola University Maryland Regional Alumni Board, Washington D.C.
He lives in Chevy Chase with his wife and three children.
Mahasin El-Amin is a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Bureau, Inc.’s Metropolitan Office. She practices domestic law and provides free legal services to low-income persons in Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties. Prior to joining Legal Aid, Mahasin clerked for Prince George’s County Circuit Court Judge Beverly J. Woodard from 2009 to 2010.
Mahasin received her bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Florida in 2003 and graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2009. During law school, she served as a co-director of the University of Baltimore Chapter of the Student Hurricane Network and was a member of the Black Law Students Association. Mahasin is currently serving as the corresponding secretary for the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association and is a member of the Prince George’s County and Maryland State bar associations.
After being admitted to the Maryland Bar 2009, Mahasin discovered her love for running. She completed her first race, the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon, in May 2010 and completed the Marine Corps Marathon in 2011. Since then, she has successfully recruited her father, mother, sister and two brother-in-laws to participate in the 2012 Historic Half Marathon Relay.