ADAM B. ABELSON

Partner
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP

Before attending law school, Adam B. Abelson worked for Human Rights Watch in Chile, where he fought to expose how some foreign governments were violating laws. Now with a juris doctor from New York University School of Law, Abelson often represents people, companies and other institutions in high-profile, high-stakes litigation for Zuckerman Spaeder clients.

“I have found it fulfilling to fight for my clients, and win, against the odds, whether defending people or companies against government investigations and enforcement actions, people in high-profile criminal cases or class actions to ensure access to mental health care,” Abelson said.

Abelson supervised the law firm’s discovery review team in 2019 as part of the group of lawyers defending Gregory Craig, White House counsel for President Barack Obama, in a 2012 criminal case. Abelson examined several witnesses and argued evidentiary issues and Craig was acquitted by a jury after just a few hours of deliberation.

Abelson was also part of the 2019 Zuckerman Spaeder team that convinced a federal court to rule that United Behavioral Health had wrongfully denied coverage for mental health and substance abuse treatment for more than 50,000 class members.

“Success in litigation, whether civil or criminal, requires being in the weeds and the treetops at the same time, being attentive to detail while maintaining a broad strategic perspective on how to most effectively and efficiently achieve my client’s objectives, all while building a relationship of trust and transparency with my clients,” he said.

Abelson has also been on the board of the Job Opportunities Task Force since 2017 and is now its vice president. The task force aims to move low-wage workers, often with criminal records, to high-wage jobs through policy advocacy, research and pre-apprenticeship job training.

“I consider barriers to reentry for returning citizens to be one of the core challenges for Baltimore. I am pleased and inspired to be part of an organization that is attacking those barriers in a strategic, long-term and multidimensional way,” he said.