Jason Keller – University of Baltimore School of Law Magazine

Practicing Law with Compassion

Posted on November 11, 2022September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Features, Features 2022

By Tina Collins

For as long as he could remember, Saad Malik, J.D. ’19, envisioned a life in medicine. Then fate intervened. At the orientation for a high school internship, a Muslim American physician noted that at that time, Muslim Americans represented 1 percent of the American population but made up 10 to 15 percent of American physicians.

“The statistic was presented as a point of pride, but I took it as a lack of diversification of Muslims in the American workforce,” Malik says. The need for better representation sparked a new vision: “I wanted to be an educated and credentialed voice for my community,” he says.

Malik found his niche in law school, where he served as a member of the Honor Board and the Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA).  His favorite classes were Evidence, with Prof. David Jaros, and Federal Courts, with Prof. Kim Wehle. “Both had a way to challenge the way we approach legal concepts. They allowed and encouraged active participation and discussion, which made grasping some of the more abstract concepts a bit easier,” he says.

As a law clerk for The Hon. Lawrence Fletcher-Hill in the Circuit Court for Baltimore City, Malik was introduced to the Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS) and embraced its vision of “a fair legal system that is free of injustice and equitably serves underrepresented Marylanders.”

Before transitioning to corporate law, Saad practiced civil defense litigation. COVID’s uncertain effect on the courts presented another opportunity for him to reevaluate his career. He recently joined Gordon Feinblatt as an associate in the real estate and EMERGE practice groups.  

Malik’s knack for adapting started as a child who spoke Urdu at home and English at school. Fluent in Hindi and Punjabi, Malik easily finds connections among people, cultures, work life and personal life. He sees inspiration all around him, from his father’s work ethic as he established a new home in 1980s America, to his wife’s commitment to her patients as a resident physician at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

He applies creativity and inclusiveness to his volunteer activities as well. He partnered with the Baltimore County Public Library to create monthly pop-up legal clinics that offer free, practical legal advice. He also chairs the risk management committee of the Islamic Society of Baltimore, which is responsible for determining financial, safety and security risks for the organization.

A self-avowed foodie and a sports fan, Malik also manages to find time to be an avid weightlifter. “Discipline is the key,” he says. “It is not so easy, at times, but I found that having a well-organized and comprehensive calendar can do wonders!”

Malik knows a balanced life, like a career in law, is always evolving and teaching new lessons. “What has prepared me is having excellent mentors along the way,” he says. He looks back on his time at UBalt Law with joy and gratitude. “I have truly enjoyed learning from some of the best legal minds in Maryland,” he says, “and taken a bit from each of my mentors to apply to my day-to-day practice.”  

Tina Collins is a writer based in Baltimore.

Share this story with your network:

The People’s Prosecutor

Posted on November 11, 2022September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Features, Features 2022

How Anne Colt Leitess put the Capital Gazette killer behind bars

By Christianna McCausland

There is a scale model of the Capital Gazette newsroom in the office of Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess, J.D. ’88. It was made for her by the FBI during the sanity trial of Jarrod Ramos, the man convicted of murdering five staffers at the newspaper in 2019. Even now, more than a year after Ramos lost his Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) bid in July 2021, Leitess can lean over that model, about the size of a ping-pong table, and transport you into its scene.

She shows you where he entered, how he tactically blocked the exit Gazette employees could use to escape, where he stashed his belongings. Then she takes you step by step through his movements inside the office, as he gunned down five people before lying face-down on the floor to await the arrival of police.

Her retelling is so chilling it can raise the hair on your neck. This is her gift.

“In this job, juries can sense B.S.,” says David Putzi, a former prosecutor who worked with Leitess for four years before becoming a criminal defense attorney, now with the firm of Fisher & Putzi, P.A.

“When someone presents to a jury with sincerity—and you add a good hand of facts to that—it becomes an almost insurmountable thing for the defense. That’s how I find Anne. Juries appreciate how she comes at them, by being who she is.”

Steven Grossman, professor of law emeritus, taught Leitess at UBalt Law and coached her trial advocacy team. He’s followed her career ever since. “I could see right away that she had a real talent for being a trial attorney,” he recalls. “She knew how to tell a story, which is very important with a jury, and she could develop a rapport with the listener and present the case in a way the listener could understand.”

The Ramos case was right in Leitess’ wheelhouse. From the time she was 15 and took a field trip to a federal courthouse and saw trials in action, she knew she wanted to be a prosecutor. It’s part of the reason she chose UBalt Law: its close connection with local employers and reputation for helping students get jobs. Leitess was a law clerk in the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office and got her first job there in 1988.

“I wanted to represent people in crisis, in peril,” says Leitess. “Homicide is my forte. I like homicide because the victims can’t speak for themselves. We’re working on behalf of the families.”

In 1990, Leitess became a prosecutor in Anne Arundel County. In 1998, she led the prosecution in the retrial of Scotland Williams for the murder of two attorneys in their Annapolis home. It was the first case to introduced mitochondrial DNA evidence in Maryland, which helped Leitess secure a conviction. She jokes that you know you’ve made it when the courtroom artist does your drawing. The Williams trial was the making of her.

In 2013 she became the interim state’s attorney when her boss retired. She lost in the election, so she went back to Baltimore, where she led a Special Victims Unit working on sexual assault and child homicide cases.

“I cried for every child,” she says. “What was always so shocking to me was the number of people who could have intervened but did nothing.

“The way I deal with that,” she continues, “is not letting any stone go unturned, and to make sure someone is held accountable.”

NO HIDDEN AGENDAS

Leitess has a reputation as a dogged prosecutor. Just speaking with her is an intense exercise. She talks quickly and steadily, with an air of unquestionable authority. One can only imagine what it would be like to be a defendant or jury in her laser-sharp sights.

Yet, despite her capacity to relentlessly pursue a case to the mat, she is also known for being selective in the cases she takes and giving people second chances.

“Anne is an extremely fair individual,” says Putzi. “When Anne believes a victim has been wronged, she’s extremely aggressive to right that wrong. Likewise, if she believes justice is better served with a case not being prosecuted, she will do that as well.

“She goes where the evidence leads here. She’s very forthright. There are no hidden agendas with Anne.”

Grossman says her balance has always impressed him.

“She could always distinguish between the serious cases and the cases in which you could give someone a break, when you didn’t want to make them a lifetime criminal,” says Grossman.

“People want the prosecutor’s office to be the bludgeon on their behalf,” says Leitess. “But we cannot blow with the prevailing winds. Prosecutors have to also look out for defendants’ rights. That’s where justice is served.”

The Ramos case was one she never thought she would have; it was going to be tried by the prior state’s attorney, as Leitess was in a bid for the elected office in 2018. Yet in 2019 she took ownership of the case. When she found out Ramos intended to plead insanity to get a lifetime sentence in a hospital, she was having none of it.

“There was absolutely no way I was going to allow Jarrod Ramos to make a farce of the legal system and be declared not criminally responsible,” she states.

A lesson Leitess learned working in the sex offense unit, which relies heavily on victim testimony, was to treat those cases like a homicide—you look for all the other evidence to help corroborate the crime. That’s what she did with the Ramos case.

“Not only do I prove my case, I try to disprove their case,” she states.

Enter the FBI model. And reams of evidence compiled by Leitess and her team that painted the portrait of a man who took meticulous care of his aging cat, got the oil changed in his car, and paid his rent on time. Even the fact that he put down his arms and waited in supplication for police—most mass shooters kill themselves or are shot by police—indicated a man who wanted a long, comfortable incarceration. In short, a sane man who did an insane thing. Which is exactly what the jury found in Leitess’ favor, and sentenced Ramos to five consecutive life terms.

After the trial, Leitess says she slept for 12 hours straight. She went to a legal conference the next weekend, which she found “relaxing.” She says people always ask what she’s going to do next, but the truth is she’s doing it now, and she was re-elected without opposition earlier this year.

“I hope to try one to two cases a year, especially cold cases,” she says. “I love this job.”

Christianna McCausland is a writer based in Baltimore.

Share this story with your network:

A PASSION FOR GIVING BACK

Posted on November 11, 2022September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Features, Features 2022

By Adam Stone

For Pooja Shivangi Amin, J.D. ’07, joining the UB Law Alumni Association board means that even though she lives some 1,400 miles way — in Houston, Tex. — she can still give back to the institution that gave her a strong start in her legal career.

“I’m not the only alumna who lives outside of the state. I hope I can build on my own experience to find ways for us to connect with other alumni, so we can all further the mission of the law school,” she says.

Amin recently accepted an opportunity of a lifetime that combines her passion to help those in need and make an impact in her community. Amin serves as the general counsel at one of the largest grant makers in Houston, the Greater Houston Community Foundation. Greater Houston Community Foundation partners with individuals, businesses and foundations to receive charitable donations; manage philanthropic assets; provide donors with programming, advising and educational opportunities; and make grants through a variety of diverse platforms, including donor advised funds.

Pooja Amin

The Foundation has distributed over $2 billion in grants at the direction of its donors since its inception in 1995. In addition to grantmaking, the Foundation provides leadership in addressing vital community needs, such as critical disaster relief and recovery efforts, among others.

Amin has always found a way to dedicate her time to aid those in need. Prior to joining Greater Houston Community Foundation, Amin not only served as associate general counsel of litigation at CenterPoint Energy, she also spearheaded the company’s pro bono program – in collaboration with the Juvenile and Children’s Advocacy Project of Texas, and Houston Volunteer Lawyers — to help seal felony and misdemeanor records of juvenile offenders.

“Having their records sealed means these individuals can secure public housing, they can enlist in the military, get a job, or go to college. The opportunities are endless once they have their juvenile record sealed —which should have been done earlier on, when they were younger,” she says. “Often, these young individuals either weren’t aware of the sealing opportunity, or someone just missed a step. We wanted to make sure a mistake made when they were younger doesn’t haunt them for the rest of their lives.”

Before she left the company, Amin also chaired CenterPoint Energy’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Council. “My passion to help others didn’t just happen overnight. I’ve been trying to raise awareness about diversity, equity and inclusion throughout my life,” she says. While in law school, Amin served as president of the International Law Society and editor of the international law journal, as well as helped organize the school’s Africa Symposium, which celebrated the diversity of students from the continent and created a forum to discuss critical issues related to health, human rights and commerce.

“I’ve been very fortunate to find ways to make an impact, and my new role as the general counsel at Greater Houston Community Foundation marks another evolution of all these passions and interests,” Amin says. She always keeps her favorite quote in mind from the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg as her motto: “Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.”

As she sets out to fulfill her role on the law school alumni board, Amin will continue to pursue those passions, while also looking to bolster the career readiness of up-and-coming lawyers.

“I want to make sure we are doing everything we can to put these new law graduates in the best possible position to advance their careers,” she says. “I’m excited to serve on the board’s career-development committee because I believe it’s important that students, before they graduate, have access to the professional tools they need to land a job.”

Adam Stone is a writer based in Annapolis.

SHARE THIS STORY WITH YOUR NETWORK:

Lawyer, Aviation expert pilots drone regulation – and a new course

Posted on November 11, 2022September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Features, Features 2022

By Adam Stone

A mentor once taught Timothy Tenne, J.D. ’19, the “yellow sticky” test. Give three people a yellow sticky and ask them what’s most important about it.

The pilot, thinking functionally, will merely note that it sticks. The engineer might describe the chemical makeup. The lawyer will come at it from a completely different angle. “That person will explain how it came about. They’ll give you everything from the liability to the contract that was used to buy the thing,” Tenne says.

Despite a ridiculously well-rounded CV, Tenne was missing that crucial point of view. And so he went back to school at the age of 47, earning his J.D. from UBalt Law in 2019. Today, as the newly hired CEO of the North American market for Nordic Unmanned, a Norwegian autonomous-drone manufacturing company, he’s putting that legal education to work.

A renaissance man

It’s fair to call Tenne a renaissance man. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served for 20 years in the Air Force. Along the way he picked up three (yes, three) master’s degrees, from George Washington University (organizational management); Webster University (an MBA in business administration) and from the U.S. Air Force Air Command and Staff College (master’s with a focus on strategy and international relations).

His professional and personal activities are similarly diverse. In addition to helping Nordic Unmanned expand its market in North America, Towson-based Tenne is also founder of T3 Ideas, where he serves as a consultant to the aviation industry. And he’s a certified flight instructor.

Tenne is busy outside the office too. He volunteers as a “Blue and Gold Officer” at the Naval Academy — a cadre of graduates who help to vet incoming candidates. “I consider that one of my top honors,” he says. “The Academy gets about 40,000 applications for 1,200 spots, and that Blue and Gold interview can really push you over the top with the admissions board.”

A competitive runner, he also has a side business organizing running-community events, like the annual Annapolis Run for the Lighthouse half-marathon, benefiting the homeless. “Most of the companies that put on running events are event planners, but that’s just one aspect,” Tenne says. “In a running event, the timing of everything has to be perfect. As a runner myself, I understand the importance of paying attention to the details.”

UBalt Law alumna Lisa Sparks, J.D. ’07, has helped Tenne in his running-event business. “So many lawyers are runners, and it makes sense: it’s a competitive, self-reliant sport,” she says. “After getting to know me as his professor and learning that I was a runner, Tim thought I’d be a good fit for race timing — and he was right. 

“Timing and managing a race is a lot like trying a case: the prep is more than the event itself, you’re on alert with high adrenaline the whole time, and there is a lot of thinking on your feet and dealing with issues as they arise.

“Tim’s a classic UB evening student,” she says, “successfully marrying his legal education with a lifetime of work experience to upgrade his career path.”

With all that under his belt, Tenne has turned his attention lately to the legal aspects of unmanned-aerial operations. He’s known as one of the founding voices in the effort to promulgate drone regulations.

The regulatory landscape

Before joining Nordic Unmanned in August, Tenne was COO of Easy Aerial, which makes commercial and military-grade unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, that can effectively fly themselves. In that role, he learned that present-day regulation presents all kinds of hurdles.

“The regulations right now say that you have to have a human operator for your drone, and a human visual observer to look and see your drone while you’re operating it,” he says. Under current regulations, full autonomy is not possible.

With his law degree in hand, Tenne is working to help shift that regulatory landscape, advocating for change through his involvement in FAA working groups as they go through the public rulemaking process. He is also teaching a new course in Drone Law this spring at UBalt Law.

“The FAA has the aviation rulemaking committee, which operates under a very unique federal-agency mandate. Congressional authorization allows FAA to partner with industry at the onset to create new regulation, which is great,” he says. For example, collaborative efforts led FAA to authorize commercial drone operations for small unmanned systems, below 55 pounds, relatively quickly.

“Right now, the FAA is meeting on what the new rules are going to be for operations beyond visual line of sight, so that we can get true autonomy,” Tenne says.

His experience has taken him deep inside the mechanics of government regulation, giving him insight that he says could be applicable to attorneys in a range of regulated areas — from transportation to pharmaceuticals to the environment.

His advice? “The American Bar Association has a committee called regulatory administrative law. That would be my first stop,” he says. “Then there are 50 to 100 subcommittees underneath that. Those are great places where subject matter experts come together to collaborate and to help advocate. For a young attorney coming out of law school, that’s a great place to start building your experience.”

Adam Stone is a writer based in Annapolis.

Share this story with your network:

Supreme Court Scholar Lyle Denniston Donates Materials to Library

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Uncategorized

Recently, the law library received a substantial donation of books from the personal collection of Lyle Denniston, renowned author and scholar on the U.S. Supreme Court.

The donation stipulates that the School of Law library may use all or part of the collection for any educational purpose, and that students, faculty, staff and the general public will have free access to the books and journals for research, study and scholarship.

The collection consists of:

83 issues of scholarly magazines covering law and the Supreme Court;
Approximately 1,150 hardcover and softcover books on law, the Supreme Court, politics and American history, covering such topics as civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights, as well as the confirmation of recent Supreme Court Justices.

Denniston taught an online, eight-week, college-level course, “The Supreme Court and American Politics,” through the University of Baltimore School of Law, and it is still available at no charge. Although he is nominally retired, Denniston can still be found reporting on the Supreme Court and the law at his blog, Lyle Denniston Law News.

Share this story with your network:

Water, Water, (Not) Everywhere

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Uncategorized

In Closing – Fall 2021

By Jamie Alison Lee

Lawyers work toward many forms of justice. What does justice look like when we talk about water? Yes, that water: plain, simple H2O. Water is one of the few things that humans absolutely cannot live without, yet “water justice” is not a phrase often on the tip of our tongues. But it should be.

Water justice has a multitude of dimensions that require our attention and energy. Water justice means, among other things, addressing rising sea levels due to climate change, eliminating poisonous drinking-water pollutants, increasing water access by indigenous and other rural communities to make work and schooling more possible, and lowering water rates for urban communities for the same purposes.

In my 10 years of teaching community development and business law at The University of Baltimore, I have spent over half of that time studying water justice as it plays out right here in Baltimore City. In these years, I have seen more and more attention paid to water justice across the United States. Truth be told, this is both positive and alarming.

It is positive in that the crucial water-justice efforts being fought every day by lawyers and others, in every part of our country, are gaining greater recognition by the media, policymakers, legislators, government officials and everyday people. It is also positive in that water justice today is seen as relevant to all Americans, not just to faraway countries or to the western half of the United States (for a story about water’s importance to western land development, see the classic film Chinatown, though be warned that it involves some appalling racism and sexism).

Alarm bells are still ringing, however, because public engagement in water-justice issues simply remains too low. It is still not a common matter of conversation around the dinner table or on social media, nor do most Americans see water justice as something for which they need to fight. Perhaps it seems too prosaic, too commonplace? But its universality is exactly why it requires our attention. Water justice is already at a critical point for our communities, including in our own city and state, and the solutions do not appear easy. That should not dissuade us, but it does mean that greater numbers of energetic, knowledgeable people must loudly call for the necessary change.

Opportunities to make this call abound. On the national level, at the time of this writing, politicians continue to wrangle over water infrastructure legislation. While a solution is desperately needed, we must not settle for one that encourages the privatization of our water supply and the prioritization of profit over the human need for water.

On the local level, we should appreciate local and state leadership for their efforts at water justice, but not settle for partial action. For example, while homeowners in Baltimore City with unpaid water bills are now better protected against the extortionate and labyrinthine “tax sale” foreclosure process, more reform is needed to prevent low-income, elderly and non-white homeowners from losing both the roofs over their heads and the life savings that could be passed on to their children in the form of home equity.

Similarly, at the local level, more work is needed to address skyrocketing water rates in Baltimore City, and a billing system long plagued with inaccuracies and a lack of due process. While there is promising new leadership, and a strong new law to reform the local water utility was passed in 2020, the new law still has not been implemented. This is despite the fact that water customers in both the city and Baltimore County would benefit from its affordable water rates, due-process reforms, tenant protections, customer advocacy office, and transparent accountability structure.

We can no longer take water access and water justice for granted. We know that public engagement is crucial to making concrete and meaningful change. One way to get involved is to join forces with nonprofit experts, such as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and Food and Water Watch, among others. Feel free to reach out to me personally, as well. Water justice affects every one of us, and we must act together accordingly.

Jaime Alison Lee is a professor and director of the Community Development Clinic at Baltimore Law.

Share this story with your network:

Faculty Notes – Fall 2021

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Uncategorized

JOSE ANDERSON

Article, “What Will Protect Us from the Protectors? The Civil Rights Paradox of Qualified Immunity,” The Trial Reporter, Maryland Association for Justice, 2021 (Issue Number 2) (with F. Michael Higginbotham)

“Urban Trauma Drama: The Intersecting Path of Criminal Justice and PublicHealth Revealed During the COVID-19 Pandemic,” St. Louis U. J. Health L. & Pol’y (forthcoming)

JOHN BESSLER

The Death Penalty’s Denial of Fundamental Human Rights: International Law, State Practice, and the Emerging Abolitionist Norm. Cambridge University Press (forthcoming)

“The Rule of Law: A Necessary Pillar of Free and Democratic Societies for Protecting Human Rights,” Santa Clara L. Rev. (forthcoming)

FRED BROWN

Understanding Business Entity Taxation, 2nd Edition, Carolina Academic Press (with Walter Schwidetzky) (2021)

“Designing Nonrecognition Rules Under the Internal Revenue Code,” Fla. Tax Rev. (2021)

PHILLIP CLOSIUS

“Myth, Manipulation and Minor League Baseball: How A Capitalist Democracy Engenders Income Inequality,” U. Cin. L. Rev., with Joseph Stephan (2020)

GILDA DANIELS

Promoted to full professor

Testified on voting rights June 11 to a congressional subcommittee on elections

MICHELE E. GILMAN

Digital Barriers to Economic Justice in the Wake of COVID-19, Data & Society Research Institute (2021)

“Feminism, Privacy & Law in Cyberspace,” in The Oxford Handbook of Feminism and Law in the United States, Oxford U. Press (forthcoming)

DANIEL HATCHER

His work fighting systematic exploitation of the poor was included in three investigative series this past year: the HBO docuseries “The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez,” the NBC docuseries “Children That Pay,” and the NPR/Marshall Project investigative series on states that financially exploit foster children.

NIENKE GROSSMAN

Elected in March to a three-year term to the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law (ASIL). Currently serving a three-year term as co-chair of the Women in International Law Interest Group of ASIL, through 2022.

“Litigating US Policy toward the ICC,” ASIL Insights, with co-author (2021)

MICHAEL HAYES

“‘Sorry, It’s My Bad, but You’re Still Fired — & Have No Case’: The Honest Belief Defense in Employment Law.” Drake L. R. (forthcoming)

F. MICHAEL HIGGINBOTHAM

Race Law: Cases, Commentary, and Questions (5th Edition ed., pp. 793). Durham, North Carolina: Carolina Academic Press (2020)

“Saving America’s Racial Soul,” Harvard Kennedy School Journal of African American Policy (forthcoming)

MARGARET E. JOHNSON

“Menstrual Dignity for Bar Examinees,” with co-authors, U.C. Davis L. Rev. (forthcoming)

“Title IX and Menstruation,” with co-authors, Harv. J. L. & Gender (2020)

ELIZABETH KEYES

“Hamilton’s Immigrant Story Today,” in Hamilton and the Law, Cornell University Press (2020)

“Duress in Immigration Law,” Seattle U. L. Rev. (2021)

ROBERT KNOWLES

Received tenure

“Torture and Institutional Design,” Yale L. J. Forum (2020)

DIONNE L. KOLLER

“‘Keep It in the Locker Room’: How Athletic Departments Stifle Controversy and Dissent,” in Not Playing Around: Intersectional Identities, Media Representation, and the Power of Sport (forthcoming)

“Magnifying the Problems with Collegiate Sports in the Impact of COVID-19 on Sports: A Mid-Way Assessment,” Int’l Sports L.J. (2020)

ROBERT H. LANDE

“The Sherman Act Is a No-Fault Monopolization Statute: A Textualist Demonstration,” Am. U. L. Rev. (forthcoming)

“Preventing The Curse of Bigness Through Conglomerate Merger Legislation,” Ariz. St. L. Rev. (2020)

JAIME A. LEE

“Turning Protest into Reform: Creating Structural Power for Public Voice,” Geo. Mason L. Rev.(forthcoming)

Testified before the Taxation, Finance, and Economic Development Committee of the Baltimore City Council regarding the implementation of the Water Equity and Accountability Act (2021)

SHELDON B. LYKE

“Can Affirmative Action Offer a Lesson in Fighting Enclosure?” in The Cambridge Handbook of Commons Research Innovations, Cambridge University Press (2021)

Elected for a three-year term to the board of directors for the Association for Law, Property & Society

JAMES R. MAXEINER

“America’s COVID-19 preexisting vulnerability: a government of men, not laws,” The Theory and Practice of Legislation / Taylor & Francis (2020)

HUGH MCCLEAN

Promoted to associate professor, with tenure

“Discharged and Discarded: The Collateral Consequences of a Less Than Honorable Military Discharge,” Col. L. Rev. (2021)

AUDREY MCFARLANE

Panelist, Managing Integration: Race, Class, Privilege and Inclusionary Housing, University of Florida 27th Annual Public Interest Environmental Conference

Presenter, Black Transit, Iowa Law Review Symposium, “The Future of Law & Transportation”

NANCY M. MODESITT

“The War on Whistle-blowers,” U. Pa. J. Law & Pub. Affairs (2021)

“The Biden administration should use OSHA to help curb the pandemic,” The Hill, Nov. 22, 2020

MAX OPPENHEIMER

“Truth,” Harvard Bus. L. R. (2021)

“The Species of Origin,” Mich. State L. Rev. (2021)

ROBERT RUBINSON

Ethical Problems in the Practice of Law, 5th Edition ed., with Lerman, L.G., and Schrag, P.G. (Walters Kluwer, 2020)

WALTER SCHWIDETZKY

Understanding Business Entity Taxation, 2nd Edition, Carolina Academic Press (with Fred Brown) (2021)

Partnership Taxation, 5th Edition, Carolina Academic Press (forthcoming)

MORTIMER SELLERS

“The Universalism of International Law,” in Tipping Points in International Law, Cambridge University Press (forthcoming)

“Formal and Informal Constitutional Amendment,” in General Reports of the General Congress of the International Academy of International Law (Heidelberg, 2021)

MATTHEW SIPE

“A Fragility Theory of Trademark Functionality,” U. Pa. L. Rev. (forthcoming)

AMY SLOAN

Basic Legal Research: Tools & Strategies, 8th Edition, Wolters Kluwer (2021)

COLIN STARGER

“The Argument that Cries Wolfish,” MIT Computational Law Report (2020)

CHARLES TIEFER

Regular columnist for Forbes magazine

KIMBERLY WEHLE

Received the 2020 University of Maryland System Board of Regents Faculty Award for excellence in scholarship

How to Think Like a Lawyer — A Common Sense Guide to Everyday Dilemmas, Harper Collins (forthcoming 2021)

Regular columnist for The Hill, The Bulwark, Politico and The Atlantic

SONYA ZIAJA

How Algorithm Assisted Decision Making Is Influencing Environmental Law and Climate Adaptation, Ecology L. Q. (forthcoming). Paper was presented at the Sabin Colloquium for Innovative Environmental Scholarship and the University of Michigan Law School’s Junior Scholars Conference this past spring.

International and Comparative Law Scholar at the University of Michigan Law School, summer 2021

In Memoriam – Fall 2021

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Uncategorized

1950S

Martin Moncarz, J.D. ’51

Hon. Richard O. Motsay Sr., J.D. ’52

Leonard E. Trout Jr., J.D. ’52

Edna L. Williams, LL.B. ’52

William R. Benson, LL.B. ’53

Norman W. Lauenstein, J.D. ’53

John J. Brocato, LL.B. ’54

Otto P. Schulze, LL.B. ’55

Alan Getz, LL.B. ’57

1960S

Robert R. Cassilly, LL.B. ’60

Melvin R. Guy, J.D. ’61

William L. Freeh, LL.B. ’62

John B. Maier, J.D. ’63

R. Roland Brockmeyer, J.D. ’64

James C. Hoeck, LL.B. ’64

Thomas L. Lovelace, J.D. ’64

John F. X. O’Brien, J.D. ’64

Albert R. Wilkerson, J.D. ’65

Gary E. Good, LL.B. ’66

Thomas Salvatore, III, J.D. ’66

William T. Glasgow, J.D. ’67

Robert C. Hardy, LL.B. ’67

Joseph M. Nolan, J.D. ’67

George Barkman, LL.B. ’68

John B. McCrystle, J.D. ’69

Eugene J. Pawlikowski, J.D. ’69

Paul M. Plaia, Jr., LL.B. ’69

1970S

Jerry A. Berardi, J.D. ’70

Charles R. Boutin, J.D. ’70

Ara M. Crowe Jr., J.D. ’70

Michael F. Gilligan, J.D. ’70

Leah B. Graff, J.D. ’70

Edwin M. Kahoe, J.D. ’70

Irene C. Santoek, J.D. ’70

James R. Bell, J.D. ’73

Matthew S. Evans III, J.D. ’73

John T. Shaw, J.D. ’73

Hon. Ronald R. Donatucci, J.D. ’74

Howard B. Gerber, J.D. ’78

Jules G. Kollar, J.D. ’79

Andrew G. Shank, J.D. ’79

1980S

Jeffrey A. Weber, J.D. ’80

Hon. Alexandra N. Williams, J.D. ’81

Kenneth L. Hooper, J.D. ’83

Charles J. Ryan, III, J.D. ’85

Katherine A. Holmes, J.D. ’88

Jane R. Luckey, J.D. ’88, LL.M. ’93

Katherine E. Wilson, J.D. ’88

Maureen Vilanova, J.D. ’89

Susan Weinstein, J.D. ’89

1990S

Olivia N. Graham, J.D. ’93

2000S

Rosemary C. Smart, LL.M. ’04

2010S

Darren Sanborn, LL.M. ’10

Alumni Notes – Fall 2021

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Uncategorized

1970s

STUART M. GOLDBERG, J.D. ’74, is the chairperson for the Stratford University Professional Advisory Committee and is the chair of its Alumni Project, which was created to establish an alumni association and an alumni relations office for the university. Additionally, Goldberg is a foundation trustee for the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Foundation in the United States.

BARNETT Q. BROOKS, J.D. ’75, is of counsel at Smithey Law Group LLC.

HON. GLENN L. KLAVANS, J.D. ’78, is county administrative judge on the Anne Arundel County, Md., Circuit Court for the Fifth Judicial Circuit.

1980S

DONALD C. FRY, ESQ., J.D. ’80,received the Henry A. Rosenberg Distinguished Citizen Award from the Boy Scouts of America Baltimore Area Council.

STEPHEN W. LAFFERTY, J.D. ’83, is director of the Baltimore County, Md., Department of Planning.

DAVID J. SMITH, J.D. ’84, was interviewed on the TODAY Show on Monday, August 24, 2020 for the segment “The New Normal,” providing tips on working from home. Smith is a career coach based in Rockville, Md.

HOWARD L. ALDERMAN, JR., J.D. ’85, is managing partner at Alderman Law LLC.

LINDA S. WOOLF, J.D. ’85, was named a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

WILLIAM D. MORSE, J.D. ’86, celebrated 30 years with Shore United Bank and currently serves as executive vice president and legal counsel.

HON. JEFFREY S. GETTY, J.D. ’87, is circuit administrative judge on Maryland’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, which includes Allegany, Garrett and Washington counties, and is county administrative judge for Allegany County, Md., Circuit Court.

HON. FRED S. HECKER, J.D. ’87, is circuit administrative judge on Maryland’s Fifth Judicial Circuit, which includes Anne Arundel, Carroll and Howard counties.

WILLIAM J. MCCARTHY, JR., J.D. ’87, LL.M. ’92, joined the Baltimore board of directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

1990S

PATRICK PALMER, J.D. ’90, was named to the board of directors of Queenstown Bank of Maryland.

HEATHER L. PRICE, J.D. ’91, is associate judge on the District Court of Maryland, District 3, Caroline County.

LESLEY A. DAVIS, J.D. ’92, is executive vice president of the Mississippi Center for Public Policy.

SANDRA A. BANISKY, J.D. ’93, joined the board of directors of WYPR.

SHELLY L. BROWN, J.D. ’94, joined the board of directors of 211 Maryland.

KELLY A. KOERMER, J.D. ’94, joined the foundation board of directors of The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region.

BOB SHILLINGER, J.D. ’95, is county attorney of Monroe County, Fla.

DANIEL P. VAVONESE, J.D. ’95, is deputy commissioner for trademark operations at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

GLENN M. SULMASY, J.D. ’97, is president of Nichols College.

DAVID M. CONNELLY, J.D. ’98, is a partner in the energy practice at Balch & Bingham in Washington, D.C.

NEIL E. DUKE, ESQ., J.D. ’98, is practice group leader and chief legal counsel for employee affairs and accessibility coordination at the Johns Hopkins Health System Legal Department.

STEPHANIE A. LAMONACA, J.D. ’98, is associate dean of students at the University of Redlands.

KRISTIE SCOTT, J.D. ’98, is general counsel at Xometry, a provider of on-demand manufacturing solutions.

CLAUDE DE VASTEY-JONES, J.D. ’98, joined the board of directors of the Heritage Housing Partner Corp.

HON. BRYON S. BEREANO, J.D. ’99, is associate judge on the District Court of Maryland, District 5, Prince George’s County.

LORI L. SHERWOOD, J.D. ’99, is director of commercial and market development at Render Networks.

2000S

AMY E. ASKEW, J.D. ’01, was named a fellow of the American Bar Foundation.

REBECCA N. CORDERO, J.D. ’02, received the 2020 Respect for Law Award from the Optimist Club of Calvert County, Md.

JOHN A. CARPENTER, JR., J.D. ’03, is a partner at Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, LLP.

JAMES F. ELLIOTT, J.D. ’03, is state’s attorney for Allegany County, Md.

LUISELLA “SELLA” PERRI, J.D. ’03, is a partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Holland & Knight, where she concentrates her practice on federal tax laws and regulations related to tax-exempt financings.

GENEAU MARIE THAMES, J.D. ’03, joined the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel.

ADAM D. BAKER, J.D. ’05, is a partner at Rosenberg Martin Greenberg, LLP.

ERIK S. ATAS, J.D. ’06, is associate judge on the Baltimore City, Md., Circuit Court for the Eighth Judicial Circuit.

DAVID J. WEISHAUS, J.D. ’07, is manager of Tunie’s Market in Coral Springs, Fla.

KEMP W. HAMMOND, J.D. ’08, is associate judge on the District Court of Maryland, District 7, Anne Arundel County.

JASON F. WEINTRAUB, J.D. ’08, is counsel in the government relations practice at Gordon Feinblatt LLC.

LYDIA S. HU, J.D. ’09, is network correspondent at FOX Business Network.

2010S

LEAH CONWAY DEMPSEY, J.D. ’10, was recognized as a top lobbyist by The Hill newspaper.

HENRY L. GREENIDGE, J.D. ’10, is a fellow-in-residence at the New York University McSilver Institute for Poverty Policy and Research.

MYSHALA E. MIDDLETON, J.D. ’10, is associate judge on the Baltimore City, Md., Circuit Court, Eighth Judicial District.

CAILIN J. TALBERT, J.D. ’10, is a senior associate at JDKatz P.C.

MATTHEW HUDDLE, J.D. ’11, is a partner at the Baltimore firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, working in the firm’s corporate, private equity and venture capital practice groups.

BABAK MONAJEMI, J.D. ’11, is a shareholder at Polsinelli in Washington, D.C.

RACHEL C. SNAVELY, J.D. ’11, is executive director of Region 9 at the Eastern Panhandle Regional Planning and Development Council.

ZAINAB ALKEBSI, J.D. ’12, is policy counsel at the National Association of the Deaf, where she advocates for regulatory changes to improve the quality of life of deaf, hard of hearing, late-deafened, deaf with mobile disabilities, and deaf-blind people. She is also president of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Bar Association.

BRANDON S. BUTLER, J.D. ’13, is government relations consultant at Greenwill Consulting Group.

KATHLEEN R. KERNER, J.D. ’13, was named co-chair of the Maryland Association for Justice’s Product Liability Section.

ADAM E. KONSTAS, J.D. ’13, is a member at Pessin Katz Law.

KIM E. STEPANUK, J.D. ’13, is an attorney at MBH Settlement Group.

TIFFANY F. BOYKIN, J.D. ’15, is chief compliance and fair practices officer at Anne Arundel Community College.

SOPHIE GAGE, J.D. ’15, was named senior business counsel for NFL Players Inc., the licensing and marketing arm of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA), the union for professional football players. Gage has served in several capacities at the NFLPA since 2012.

RAYMOND L. GAMBRILL, J.D. ’15, is an attorney in the litigation practice group at Miller, Miller & Canby.

ADAM SCHARFF, J.D. ’15, is an associate at the Baltimore firm of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, working in the firm’s business and commercial real estate practice groups.

GRASON M. WIGGINS, J.D. ’16, is senior government affairs manager at the Maryland Multi-Housing Association.

CAYLIN A. YOUNG, J.D. ’16, is public policy director at the American Civil Liberties Union

of Maryland.

HOWLETT “JR” JACKSON, J.D. ’17, is an associate at the employment law firm of Luchansky Law in Towson, Md.

ERIK L. JOHNSON, J.D. ’17, is an attorney in the coverage and commercial litigation section at Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers, LLP, in Atlanta.

ERONCIA BERRY, J.D. ’19, is a corporate attorney with Miles & Stockbridge in Baltimore.

BRANDON CAHEE, J.D. ’19, was named senior program/policy analyst for The National Education Association, where he leads the union’s African American outreach and engagement for its members and students.

ALANNA CASEY, J.D. ’19, has joined Wright, Constable and Skeen LLP as an associate in its employment law and litigation practices at the Baltimore office.

EDWARD DENT, J.D. ’19, is an agent with The Sports & Entertainment Group in Washington, D.C.

LAUREN R. MULLIN, J.D. ’19, is an associate in the medical malpractice group at Goodell DeVries in the firm’s Baltimore office.

VALERIE E. TAYLOR, J.D. ’19, is an associate in the general litigation group at Pessin Katz Law, P.A.

JOHN K. THOMPSON, J.D. ’19, is an associate at Rollins, Smalkin, Richards & Mackie, LLC.

2020S

SUMBUL ALAM, J.D. ’20, is an associate at Ballard Spahr in Baltimore.

EMILY (SCHULTHEIS) DEBENEDETTO, J.D. ’20, is an associate with Shaw Keller LLP in Wilmington, Del.

RYAN FRACE, J.D. ’20, is an attorney advisor at the Executive Office for Immigration Review, Department of Justice, in New York.

JOSHUA R. PERRY, J.D. ’20, is a fixed income portfolio manager and partner at Brown Advisory in Baltimore.

ALANA QUINT, J.D. ’20, is a staff attorney at Maryland Legal Aid.

JORDAN CULLEY, J.D. ’21, is a contract specialist at the U.S. General Services Administration.

2021 Alumni Award Recipients Honored in Virtual Celebration

Posted on September 14, 2021September 10, 2024 by Jason Keller in Features

Every year, the School of Law honors the extraordinary accomplishments of its graduates through the Distinguished Alumni Awards program. On May 20, law school Dean Ronald Weich and Alumni Board President Jasmine Pope, J.D. ’18, hosted the first-ever virtual alumni awards celebration.

“We are thrilled to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of some of our shining stars and to capture them here in this program,” says Weich in the video. “The extraordinary contributions of University of Baltimore School of Law alumni rising to the occasion make us all proud.”

Award recipients are chosen by the UB Law Alumni Board. This year, the board received and reviewed nearly 40 nominations.

The Dean’s Award was awarded to Barry M. Chasen, J.D. ’80, founder and shareholder of ChasenBoscolo. This award, chosen at the discretion of the dean, recognizes outstanding contributions and extraordinary service, commitment and dedication to the School of Law community and to the legal profession.

The Byron L. Warnken Alumni Award, named after the legendary professor known as “Mr. UB,” recognizes a graduate who has enhanced the reputation of the School of Law and the legal profession by consistently demonstrating excellence in their practice through high ethical standards, commitment to community service, and commitment to mentoring law students and fellow attorneys. This year’s recipient is Isabel Mercedes Cumming, J.D. ’93, inspector general for the City of Baltimore.

The Distinguished Judicial Award was awarded to Hon. Stuart R. Berger, J.D. ’84, who currently serves as a judge on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. The award recognizes a graduate who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication to the rule of law and the administration of justice and who is considered a role model in the legal community and in the Maryland judiciary.

The Rising Star Award recognizes a recent graduate who is already making significant leadership and service contributions to the legal community and to the School of Law. This year’s recipient is James R. Torrence, Jr., J.D. ’17, a member of the Baltimore City Council.

The Judge Robert M. Bell Award recognizes a graduate who has demonstrated commitment to public service and social justice during their legal career. This year’s recipient is Jill J. Myers, J.D. ’81, professor and director of the Western Illinois University School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.