Ward B. Coe III

Ward B. Coe III

Of Counsel
Gallagher Evelius & Jones LLP

After three years as a Marine Corps officer in the late 1960s, Ward B. Cole III earned his law degree in 1973 from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

He was an assistant attorney general in Maryland from 1974-1977 and has served on numerous internal investigations of publicly and privately held companies involving potential financial fraud and personnel matters.

In the mid-1980s, he helped investigate the savings and loan crisis in Maryland and was the primary author and editor of the report that formed the basis for numerous successful criminal prosecutions and civil lawsuits.

Since 2007, Coe has been a partner at the Baltimore law firm of Gallagher Evelius & Jones.

His most satisfying recent accomplishment, Coe said, has been as head of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission, which was reformed as an independent entity after sunsetting as part of the judicial branch.

“We hired Reena Shah as executive director, and she has led us to be a very effective organization,” Coe said. “We entered onto an agreement with the MSBA (Maryland State Bar Association), which has been a great partner with us and has provided us with financial stability.”

The organization also worked with Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh to form the COVID -19 Access to Justice Task Force to respond to the impact of the pandemic on the legal system and especially the poor.

The commission also, Coe said, “responded to the Trump administration’s campaign against immigrants by investigating its practices and convening service providers.”

The community group Coe is most passionate about is the Maryland Access to Justice Commission, a coalition of the Maryland attorney general, deans of area law schools, private practice lawyers and others that advocate for legal reforms to increase access to justice for all Marylanders.

His most recent satisfying recent accomplishment has been as head of the Maryland Access to Justice Commission.