The Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City held its second in a series of three “Meet the Prosecutors” events last week at Hargrove District Courthouse on Patapsco Avenue.

Hosted by State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy and her team of prosecutors, the event was designed to introduce each prosecutor to the community and give residents the chance to ask questions and learn the duties of that office.

In Jessamy’s opening statement, she remarked, “These attorneys, and the individuals who work with them, are presenting cases in our courts every day. But we are part of the community. We work on your behalf. We are public servants.”

Jessamy’s office and those in her employ are no strangers to public feedback and, at times, controversy. In May of 2008, Exhibit A published a story in which Margaret Burns, Jessamy’s public spokeswoman, made some disparaging comments regarding the case of Zach Sowers, a 2007 victim of violent crime who was beaten and later died from his injuries.

Burns’ remarks sparked backlash from residents who felt her comments were inappropriate and insensitive.

Jessamy has also been criticized by residents who feel that Baltimore City’s prosecution and conviction rates are too low and feel this is a direct result of Jessamy’s leadership in the State’s Attorney’s office.

But the “Meet the Prosecutors Night” had a more lighthearted tone, as attorneys joked with one another and took the opportunity to catch up with their colleagues and Baltimore residents. Jessamy said she hopes that the forums are educational and allow residents to connect with prosecutors on a personal level.

The final meeting in the three part series will be held tomorrow, Tuesday evening, at 5:30 p.m. at Borgerding District Courthouse on Wabash Avenue.

On the Cover: The Money Issue

• Riding out the downturn: Even for big firms, the soft market could turn into a shakeout. 
• Over 40: Financials for nine law firms with $40 million or more in revenue.
• The bubble bursts: Our third annual salary survey for incoming associates.
• Golden opportunity: Big firm deferrals lead to AG fellowship program.
• Not rich or famous: How to live the lifestyle you want on a public-interest salary.
• Still no offer? Try working for free.

Thomas Cardaro, the next president of the Maryland State Bar Association, says the current economic conditions will effect his year at the helm of the state bar “quite dramatically.”

In Breaking News, ex-Market House tenants seek millions; the Court of Special Appeals holds that grandparents have the burden in modification cases; and Geppi and Skayhan are sued for a loan default.  

Read about how a pension plan error cost an MTA worker $135,000 in Verdicts and Settlements.

The Editorial Advisory Board writes about misconceptions in the Sotomayor discussion.

Joe Surkiewicz writes about addressing needs as rights in his column Of Service.

Stay up-to-date with our Legal Briefs and Law Digest, with cases from the Maryland Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the U.S. Supreme Court, the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals and the U.S. District Court, Maryland.

I began last week by blogging about my search for people wearing the suits of summer, specifically white linen and seersucker.

Tips slowly trickled in throughout the week, which is all the more impressive considering the weather hasn’t exactly been conducive for summer suits.

I also received a e-mail from Ellicott City lawyer Terry McAndrews with a photo of him in his white linen suit. (He’s above, giving an award to outgoing Howard County Bar Association President Jack Willis.)

McAndrews wrote he wears the suit throughout the summer, mostly for weddings and similar special occasions, although you might see him wearing it to court in the days surroundig the various summer holidays.

“Old-fashioned fashion survives,” he wrote.

Please keep sending me pictures to make it thrive.

Happy Monday! Here are a few law links to start your week:

• Prosecutors and judges in Anne Arundel County need to be tough on the robbers who have been plaguing the Arundel Mills Mall and the surrounding areas, Red Maryland says.
• Superlobbyist Bruce Bereano has gotten 22 traffic tickets in the last 13 years, 18 of those for speeding, explaining his vehement stand against the speed camera bill.
• The New York Times had a piece a few days ago on big law firms getting rid of lawyers.
• Law firms are vulnerable to embezzlement, The National Law Journal writes. Featured in the story is Columbia lawyer Michael Nagle, whose firm, Nagle & Zaller, lost $700,000 to a crooked employee.
• Tell your clients: don’t violate bail, especially when there’s a chance someone could post the evidence on Facebook.

Today, check out The Daily Record’s first-ever Money issue of Maryland Lawyer, which contains our annual associate salary survey, financial information on the nine firms in Maryland with revenues over $40 million, and stories on the state of the big-firm economy, new challenges for incoming associates, buying and selling a law practice, and living well on a public-interest law salary.