Recent Articles from Lauren Kirkwood
Dimensions Healthcare to pay $125K to settle sex discrimination suit
Dimensions Healthcare System has agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission that alleged the company denied a promotion to an employee because she took several months of maternity leave. The EEOC filed suit on behalf of Cassandra Crawford last year in U.S. District Court in Greenbelt, claiming […]
Court of Appeals suspends lawyer for mishandling trust account
The state’s top court has indefinitely suspended a Frederick lawyer who commingled personal and client funds in his attorney trust account and failed to maintain records that accurately reflected the account’s status. A divided Court of Appeals found that Willie James Mahone’s misconduct did not warrant disbarment — despite his record of violating the Maryland […]
With Velazquez, a new day at MSBA
When longtime Maryland State Bar Association executive director Paul Carlin announced earlier this year that he planned to retire from the position, bar association leaders and members said it became inevitable that his departure would mark a time of transition for the organization.
ABA sues Department of Education over loan forgiveness for public interest lawyers
The American Bar Association filed suit on Tuesday against the U.S. Department of Education, alleging the department failed to provide a reasonable explanation for why it has decided to refuse to honor loan forgiveness commitments made to attorneys engaged in public interest law and other public service jobs. The suit names four individual plaintiffs affected […]
Family of man crushed in Baltimore construction accident files wrongful death suit
The family of a delivery driver who died after being crushed last year in Baltimore by wood trusses he was about to unload from a tractor trailer has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the foreman who caused the trusses to fall and the construction company that employed him. Charles Sibert, a 72-year-old driver for J&R […]
Court of Appeals indefinitely suspends Montgomery Co. solo attorney
The Court of Appeals has indefinitely suspended a Montgomery County solo practitioner who failed to maintain an attorney trust account, charged unreasonable fees and failed to keep adequate records of a client’s payments. The state’s top court compared the case to others in which attorneys mishandled client funds — but not as a result of […]
Court of Appeals suspends Harford Co. lawyer for ‘pattern of neglect’
The state’s top court has suspended for one year a Bel Air attorney who demonstrated a “pattern of neglect and non-responsiveness” in his representation of a client who retained him to handle a child support case. Jerome P. Johnson failed to enter his appearance in Terrance Venable Jr.’s case or pay related court fees, a […]
Excessive force suit alleges Montgomery Co. police officers assaulted minor
An excessive force lawsuit filed against Montgomery County alleges police officers retaliated against a Silver Spring minor who was legally filming his adult brother’s arrest on a cellphone by assaulting the 16-year-old without cause. Plaintiffs Johana Abrego and her son, who is identified as “J.A.,” claim a county officer pinned J.A. down and another officer […]
Mandatory e-filing expands to four new counties in Md.
Maryland’s electronic case filing system, known as Maryland Electronic Courts (MDEC), has expanded to Dorchester, Somerset, Wicomico and Worcester counties on the Eastern Shore. Starting Monday, attorneys filing civil and criminal cases in district and circuit court in those counties, as well as appellate court filings that originate there, are required to use the e-filing […]
Lead paint pioneer Saul Kerpelman retires from law practice
Veteran lead paint litigator Saul E. Kerpelman, whose Baltimore law firm has handled more than 4,000 childhood lead poisoning cases since he founded the firm almost three decades ago, retired Friday from the active practice of law. Kerpelman’s former colleagues, attorneys Brian S. Brown and Leah K. Barron, have assumed operations of the firm, Saul […]
Marilyn Bentley named Baltimore city court clerk
Marilyn Bentley, who has served as chief deputy clerk of the Baltimore City Circuit Court since May 2015, was named clerk of the circuit court on Thursday. Bentley will fill the vacancy created last month by the death of former clerk Lavinia G. Alexander. “Ms. Bentley’s dedication to all who enter our court and nearly […]
Pro bono and the young lawyer
For attorneys in the early stages of their career who may feel overwhelmed with the day-to-day tasks of building their own practice or racking up billable hours, taking on pro bono work can feel like a nearly impossible commitment. But legal professionals agreed the best way to foster a culture where lawyers are dedicated to […]