Jamie Alvarado-Taylor brings fluency in both English and Spanish to a practice built on individualized client strategies. Before joining the firm, she handled criminal, traffic and family law matters at a local firm.

Alvarado-Taylor earned a Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from Southern Connecticut State University in 2005; a Master of Arts in Spanish Literature from SCSU in 2008; and a Juris Doctor from the University of Connecticut School of Law in 2013. She served as president of the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association from 2022 to 2024.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The biggest challenge facing the legal industry today is definitely artificial intelligence, specifically, how to harness it for good, while maintaining the integrity of the profession and also enabling us to train the next generation of associates. Lawyers need to make sure we are using the available technology to maximize the value and efficiency we offer our clients, while staying on top of the court rulings, regulations and industry trends to ensure, amidst a backdrop of a constantly evolving legal and ethical landscape.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I ever received was from my mentor and friend, Sol Sterenberg, who would always say, “It’s not a problem until the other side makes it a problem.” In other words, maintain working relationships with opposing counsel whenever possible, and when you have an issue, pick up the phone and call the other side before firing off an email or motion.

How do you define success?

Success is a measure of the joy and fulfillment one takes from their vocation. I find joy in helping my clients reach the other side of their difficult and challenging situations. It is always an honor when they choose me to help them recover from and obtain compensation for their injuries and anguish, and support them during the process. I find fulfillment in the mental exercise of piecing together medical records, diagnoses, property damage reports, dash cam videos, police reports, photographs and other evidence, just like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, to present a client’s story to a judge, jury or opposing counsel. Some of these stories may be similar to others, but each has its own unique factors and elements, and it is my job to figure out the best way to put them all together.

A Harford County native, Miguel Castro earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy from St. Michael’s College in Colchester, Vermont, before going on to earn his juris doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 2014, the same year he joined Stavisky, Yoffe & Castro, P.A.

Admitted to the Maryland Bar in 2015, he handles automobile accidents, personal injury, workers’ compensation claims and criminal and serious traffic defense matters, practicing regularly in Baltimore City and in Baltimore, Harford and other counties. He is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Maryland Association for Justice.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The circuit court’s unwillingness to enforce the rules of discovery and impose sanctions against litigants who have not complied with those rules. The rules of discovery presuppose that both parties in a dispute are going to engage in good faith and participate in the free exchange of information and evidence. They require plaintiffs’ attorneys to trust and believe the representations made by opposing counsel concerning what their clients know, what evidence exists and to turn that evidence over when requested.

Moreover, when discovery disputes arise during litigation, plaintiffs need to feel confident that the court is going to resolve those disputes in accordance with rules. It disheartens me to say that many circuit court judges are completely unwilling to resolve discovery disputes, to compel compliance with lawful discovery requests and to impose sanctions against parties who have refused to engage in meaningful discovery. This has resulted in more and more defendants and their attorneys feeling emboldened to withhold evidence, to refuse to produce witnesses for depositions and to refuse to answer discovery truthfully. Without the court’s help to resolve these disputes, the courts are effectively rewarding bad-faith actors for engaging in this type of deceptive and obstructive conduct and practice.

This forces plaintiffs to either settle cases for far less than they are worth or to go to trial without meaningful discovery and to knowingly lose just so they can file an appeal later. This is certainly not how civil litigation is supposed to function, and this problem is only going to get worse if the circuit courts continue to refuse to enforce the rules of discovery and to hold bad faith actors accountable.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Slow down and take everything one step at a time.

How do you define success?

Being content with where you are.

Co-founding Alexander & Cleaver P.A. in 1984 alongside Gary Alexander, James Cleaver has built a career centered on personal injury law, serving as the firm’s president, primary negotiator and litigator. Cleaver earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1978, following a B.A. from the University of Maryland in 1973.

His record has brought recognition as a Maryland Super Lawyer in personal injury plaintiff work and inclusion among Maryland’s Top 100 Trial Lawyers by the American Trial Lawyers Association. He holds membership in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and serves as legal adviser to the Silesia Citizens Association.

After beginning his legal career as an assistant prosecutor in New Jersey, Paul D’Amore spent nearly a decade defending hospitals and corporations before pivoting to represent injured plaintiffs. As founder of D’Amore Personal Injury Law, he concentrates his practice on medical malpractice, birth injury, brain injury and wrongful death cases across Maryland; Washington, D.C.; New Jersey; and Massachusetts.

D’Amore earned a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Boston University’s School of Management and a law degree from Northeastern University. He serves on the boards of Medicine With a Mission and Zaching Against Cancer.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

Tort reform and equal access to justice.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

Every day you are in business is your first day in business.

How do you define success?

Making a positive difference for as many people as possible with whatever time I have in this life.

A clerkship under the Hon. William A. Snoddy at the Circuit Court for Prince George’s County launched Terence Davis’ legal career. Davis, a partner at Morgan & Morgan, earned a Bachelor of Science in management from Clemson University and a Juris Doctorate from Charlotte School of Law.

He later served as an associate county attorney for Prince George’s County, representing the county before the Workers’ Compensation Commission and the circuit and appellate courts of Maryland. Davis also served on the Executive Committee of the Langston Golf Course Conservancy. He has been recognized as a Top 40 Under 40 Trial Lawyer by the National Trial Lawyers.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

As a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney, the biggest challenge facing our industry today is the growing influence of insurance companies, which often prioritize profit over fair compensation for injury victims. This has led to low settlement offers and extended negotiations, making it difficult for clients to receive the full compensation they deserve. Additionally, rising healthcare costs complicate the assessment of damages, requiring thorough documentation and proof of both current and future medical expenses. Combined with evolving regulations and an increasingly adversarial legal environment, these factors create significant hurdles that demand strategic advocacy and persistent efforts to secure justice for our clients.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

As a plaintiff’s personal injury attorney, the best advice I’ve ever received is to always prioritize the needs of my clients above all else. This means listening intently to their stories, understanding their unique circumstances and advocating fiercely on their behalf. Empathy is crucial in this field; it helps build trust and allows me to present their cases more compellingly. Additionally, I was advised to remain persistent and resilient, as the path to justice can often be long and fraught with challenges. Staying focused on the end goal of securing fair compensation for my clients empowers me to navigate the complexities of the legal system effectively and ensures that I remain a strong advocate for those who rely on my expertise during some of their most difficult times.

How do you define success?

I define success not solely by the outcomes of individual cases but by the positive impact I have on my clients’ lives. Achieving favorable settlements or verdicts is certainly a part of that, but true success lies in helping clients navigate their challenges with compassion and integrity. It involves providing them with the support they need during difficult times, ensuring they feel heard and understood, and empowering them to move forward after their injuries. Ultimately, success is about creating a meaningful difference, whether that’s through securing fair compensation, fostering healing or advocating for justice in a way that restores dignity and hope to those I represent.

Andrew Janet joined Janet, Janet & Suggs LLC after serving as an associate in the litigation department of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he handled high-profile corporate litigation and investigations in New York. At JJS, he co-chairs the firm’s Sexual Abuse Division, representing clients in sexual abuse, medical malpractice and environmental cases.

Janet played a central role in litigation against the University of Southern California involving 139 plaintiffs, helping secure an $852 million resolution — the largest known sexual abuse recovery in U.S. history. He earned his law degree from New York University School of Law, where he was a Robert McKay Scholar and executive editor of the Law Review.

What is the biggest challenge facing your industry today?

The slow pace at which the wheels of justice turn.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received?

A nugget of wisdom from my brother: You only really learn by doing.

How do you define success?

Living a life where I can feel proud of the work I’m doing, can help others who need it and don’t need to worry about money.