Commentary

Apr 5, 2023

Lessons from Attorney Grievance Commission v. Kalarestaghi

Last month, in Attorney Grievance Commission v. Kalarestaghi, the Maryland Supreme Court issued a 60-day stayed suspension with six months of probation for improperly handling a conflict of interest. Mr. Kalarestaghi represented a business (Catonsville Eye Associates, LLC) in lease negotiations with an entity (MAH Mountain, LLC) that he partially owned, after he provided legal […]

Apr 4, 2023

Silicon Valley Bank collapse an opportunity for Baltimore Equitech

Last spring, UpSurge and Brown Advisory organized a meeting with Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and 50 leaders of the city’s largest institutions to hear about our rising tech sector. The conversation was anchored around the idea that Baltimore’s future major companies will grow up here, and that we all have a role to play in […]

Apr 2, 2023

All sort of issues with artificial intelligence

“AI is the next revolution … there is no going back.” — M. Werneck, executive vice president, The Kraft Heinz Company. Not all revolutions benefit humanity. Tech luminaries Elon Musk and AI pioneer Yoshua Bengio recently warned we might be circling the drain. They, and others, have called for a six-month moratorium on training artificial […]

Mar 30, 2023

The evolving nature of the 4th US Circuit Court of Appeals

In April 1865, as Ulysses S. Grant and the Union army made their way into the Confederate capital of Richmond, fleeing rebel soldiers set fire to bridges and warehouses. That fire quickly spread out of control and torched huge swaths of Richmond’s downtown business district. After the dust settled, only two buildings were left standing, […]

Mar 30, 2023

Guaranteeing the right to abortion in Maryland

The Maryland General Assembly Thursday gave final legislative approval to the creation of a referendum asking voters whether to codify a right to abortion into the state constitution. This issue now heads to voters in the 2024 election. We support both the referendum initiative and also the amendment of the state constitution for this purpose. […]

Mar 30, 2023

How Maryland can fight triple-negative breast cancer

When I was diagnosed with stage three triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) that became metastatic within a year, I was given just two years to live. That was 11 years ago. Thanks to a second opinion, treatment with experimental drugs, and the support of my family and the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation, I am now […]

Mar 30, 2023

Reimagining Middle Branch would transform 19 city neighborhoods

Imagine a city with nearly a dozen miles of green ribbons of land bordering local waterways. Then imagine that these stretches of shoreline include trails to accommodate walkers, joggers, scooters and cyclists. Further imagine that these trails have more  connecting paths that bring you to neighborhood parks, outdoor recreation spaces, and picnic areas, as well […]

Mar 28, 2023

Protecting employer-sponsored health care plans

Each year during Maryland’s legislative session health care costs, needs, and other issues dominate the headlines for good reason — affordable and accessible health care is essential to a thriving, healthy, and productive Maryland. However, when lawmakers debate the complex issues surrounding prescription drug affordability and health care access, one key detail is typically overlooked: [&[...]

Mar 28, 2023

Easing Maryland’s horrid ER wait times

Baltimore is one of the country’s preeminent health care cities. Yet studies have shown that hospitals here as well as all Maryland hospitals have the longest wait times in their emergency departments for seven years running. The legislature has put forth HB274/SB387 to find out why. SB387 proposes creating a task force to study the […]

Mar 24, 2023

Why it’s risky for the government to rescue banks

“Moral hazard” refers to the risks that someone or something becomes more inclined to take because they have reason to believe that an insurer will cover the costs of any damages. The concept describes financial recklessness. It has its roots in the advent of private insurance companies about 350 years ago. Soon after they began […]

Mar 24, 2023

5 strategies that will help you reach a good outcome in mediation

Lawyers can create good outcomes for their clients in mediation when they employ strategies that underscore the importance of leverage, contact with participants on other side, and clear communication. Information is the real currency of negotiation. Everything matters and even the most benign thing may signal what the other side is thinking and valuing. For […]

Mar 24, 2023

Maryland lawmakers should vote yes on ‘The YES Act’

The Youth Equity and Safety Act, SB93/HB96, seeks to eliminate the practice of automatically charging minors as adults in Maryland.  The proposed bipartisan bill would end the practice by repealing statutory provisions that prevent cases from beginning in the juvenile court for children alleged to have committed certain offenses. Under current law, children as young […]

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