Lydia Lawless

Bar Counsel
Maryland Attorney Grievance Commission

Lydia E. Lawless has worked as an attorney in both the public and private sectors. And throughout her career, she’s returned to a common theme.

“There have been multiple moments throughout my career that stand out and they all share the common threads of giving back to my profession and fostering a greater understanding of the law,” she said.

Lawless was named bar counsel for the Attorney Grievance Commission of Maryland In July 2017. The commission oversees the conduct of both Maryland attorneys and nonmembers of the Maryland Bar who practice law in the state. That year, the commission issued its annual report that found 93 attorneys had been sanctioned in the prior fiscal year, a figure that surpassed the 10-year average for all such sanctions.

Lawless joined the commission as an assistant bar counsel in 2011 and was promoted to senior assistant bar counsel in July 2016. She worked as an attorney at Vesper & Lawless in Bethesda prior to her stint with the state agency.

A 2007 graduate of American University’s Washington College of Law, Lawless served as staff editor of the school’s Administrative Law Review and was active with its civil practice clinic.

She has also served on the executive board of the Montgomery County Inns of Court and as a member of the Serjeants’ Inn Law Club, among other organizations.

“Having the opportunity to pass what I have learned on to others in the legal community is one of the most fulfilling things that I am able to do,” she says.

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