As the home of Maryland’s legal profession, the Maryland State Bar Association celebrates the accomplishments of all of its members. MSBA is proud to highlight the recent achievements, career moves, and impact members are making within the legal profession. Please join us in congratulating the following members on their recent moves.
Alireza Behrooz has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Behrooz is Counsel in the Litigation Department, based in Washington, DC. Alireza is a patent attorney with a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Microbiology. A member of the Firm’s IP Practice, he assists companies and universities in protecting intellectual property connected to inventions in the life sciences. Drawing on years of private practice experience, Mr. Behrooz prepares, files, and secures patents as well as provides opinions and due diligence analysis. He also represents clients in challenges to patent validity and inter partes reviews before the U.S. Patent Trial and Appeal Board.
Neel Lalchandani has been named Partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy. Neel joined the firm in 2017 as an associate and has since built a wide-ranging practice representing individuals, nonprofits, and companies in a diverse array of civil and commercial matters. Neel has significant experience with complex litigation in both state and federal court, as well as in arbitrations. He has successfully resolved cases involving employment discrimination and retaliation, unpaid wages, wrongful convictions and police misconduct, reasonable accommodations and disability discrimination, fair housing, and the Randolph-Sheppard Act. Neel has also successfully represented plaintiffs and defendants in commercial matters involving breach of contract, business torts, and trade secrets. He is well-versed in appellate litigation, having filed briefs in the Court of Appeals of Maryland and U.S. Court of App.
Stephanie L. Denker has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Denker is an Associate in the Litigation Department, based in New York City. A member of the Insurance Practice, Stephanie focuses on complex commercial litigation involving insurance and securities law. Her practice includes representing clients in both state and federal lawsuits involving contract disputes, business torts, and property damage claims, as well as defending individuals and companies in FINRA arbitrations. Ms. Denker also represents companies in lawsuits concerning federal trademark and copyright infringement, unfair competition, unfair business practices under the Lanham Act, and misappropriation of trade secrets under both state and federal law.
Jessica M. Jones has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Jones is an Associate in the Litigation Department, based in Wilmington. She focuses primarily on disputes affecting colleges and universities, including representing institutions in matters ranging from tenure disputes and discrimination claims to issues involving Title VII and Title IX, including cases involving sexual assault allegations. Beyond her higher education work, Ms. Jones assists with litigation involving clients in the healthcare industry, including medical practices and nursing homes.
Joseph P. Kavanagh has joined the law firm Goodell DeVries as an associate in the Medical Malpractice Practice Group. Joseph represents healthcare providers, healthcare organizations, and insurance carriers in various malpractice claims. Before joining the firm, he was an associate at a Baltimore civil defense firm, where he handled a wide range of litigation matters, including premises liability cases, strict liability actions, and bad faith complaints against insurance carriers. He also served as an Assistant Public Defender at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender and as a Reentry Fellow in the Civil Legal Initiative of the National Juvenile Defender Center. While in law school, he was a Judicial Intern for The Honorable Sally D. Adkins of the Supreme Court of Maryland.
Steven C. Kerbaugh has been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Kerbaugh is Counsel in the Litigation Department, based in Minneapolis. A member of the Labor and Employment Practice, he represents companies in employment and commercial litigation, and advises them on employment matters affecting their daily operations. On the litigation side of his practice, Mr. Kerbaugh represents clients in unfair competition claims, including actions involving alleged violations of restrictive covenants, tortious interference with contracts, and misappropriation of trade secrets. He also defends employers and executives accused of discrimination and unfair employment practices, including wrongful termination and retaliation matters.
Leah D. Leyendecker has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Leyendecker is an Associate in the Transactional Department, based in Minneapolis. She is a member of the Corporate Practice and focuses on commercial transactions driven by intellectual property, intangible assets, and technology. Her experience includes reviewing, drafting, and negotiating complex technology-related license and master services agreements, SaaS agreements, technology development agreements, and sponsorship agreements. Ms. Leyendecker also advises clients in connection with the intellectual property and information technology aspects of general corporate transactions, including mergers, acquisitions, recapitalizations, leveraged buyouts, and venture capital investments. Ms. Leyendecker is a Certified Information Privacy Professional (CIPP/USS).
Megan E. Moyer has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Moyer is an Associate in the Transactional Department, based in Philadelphia. She is a member of the Real Estate Practice and assists clients with matters involving leases, property sales and acquisitions, development projects, and financings. Her work has supported REITS, particularly those who own and invest in shopping centers and medical office buildings, as well as health care providers and institutions of higher education. Her experience also includes work for ports and for pipeline companies. Ms. Moyer has represented numerous property owners in connection with real estate tax appeals and applications for real estate tax exemptions.
Alexander L. Reich has been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Reich is Counsel in the Litigation Department, based in Chicago. He is a trusted litigator and advisor who counsels employers on an array of matters involving federal and state statutes such as Title VII, Title IX, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Mr. Reich regularly drafts employment agreements and litigates issues relating to restrictive covenants and trade secrets. He defends employers in cases ranging from single-employee discrimination claims to class action wage and hour matters.
Paige V. Schroeder has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Schroeder is Counsel in the Litigation Department, based in Boston. She is a general commercial litigator with broad experience handling civil disputes involving shareholder disputes, defamation claims, claims for breach of fiduciary duty, and title issues. Her practice also includes representing companies and individuals who are facing government investigations related to accusations of white-collar crimes and responding to subpoenas from state and federal agencies in connection with such investigations, including the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). Ms. Schroeder also assists higher education institutions and K-12 schools with internal investigations in connection with allegations involving their compliance with federal and state regulations.
Richard H. Topaz has recently been elected Partner at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Topaz is an Associate in the Transactional Department, based in Baltimore. He represents developers, owners, operators, landlords, tenants, and other businesses in real estate matters, including acquisitions, dispositions, financing, and leasing. His work on real estate financing includes reviewing, drafting, and negotiating loan documents, modifications, and forbearance agreements. Mr. Topaz also represents landlords and tenants in negotiating leases, including complex leases for national chain businesses.
Lindsay Barstow has been promoted to counsel at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Barstow is a real estate attorney who provides advice and counsel to Fortune 100 companies, including those in the industrial real estate, construction materials manufacturing and retail leasing industries. Ms. Barstow’s experience with real estate transactions includes acquisitions/dispositions, due diligence reviews, leases, licenses, real estate financings, broker agreements and other day-to-day agreements affecting the ownership and leasing of real property. She also manages pre-litigation real estate disputes and defaults.
Allison L. Burdette has recently been promoted to counsel at Saul Ewing LLP. Ms. Burdette advises clients on matters involving investigations by state and federal government agencies, including litigation and regulatory enforcement. Her experience includes negotiating settlements and defending clients in cases involving the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), anti-money laundering and tax laws, criminal fraud, and health care. Ms. Burdette also conducts internal investigations both to inform the defense of clients facing government scrutiny – including following search warrants and the receipt of target letters – as well as to help clients proactively assess their compliance with laws and regulations and mitigate their risks.
Jacqueline (Jacqui) Cadman joined Brown, Goldstein & Levy as a criminal defense attorney in the Washington, D.C., region, where she will represent clients in complex federal and state criminal prosecutions and investigations. Her practice also includes fighting for justice for individuals in cases involving wrongful convictions and police misconduct. Jacqui is widely regarded as one of the best criminal trial lawyers in the District of Columbia. She brings to the firm over eighteen years of experience as a seasoned trial attorney. Throughout her career, she has tried hundreds of cases, ranging from traffic and misdemeanor offenses to the most serious charges, including homicide and sexual assault. She has mastered complex issues of forensics, psychology, and conducted intricate constitutional litigation. She has extensive experience litigating complex pre-trial issues such as privilege, Brady sanctions, and double jeopardy, as well as identifying, consulting with, and preparing experts to testify. She is widely known for her expertise in conducting deep investigations and for trying and winning the most time-intensive and difficult cases. She is a regular trainer nationwide on countless topics involving criminal law and trial advocacy.
Brandon R. Clark has recently been promoted to counsel at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Clark advises clients on complex litigation and ADR proceedings involving disputes arising from commercial construction projects. He represents clients ranging from general contractors and developers to engineering firms and consortiums undertaking public works projects. His experience includes disputes arising from project delays, cost overruns and construction defects. Mr. Clark’s experience with construction matters is informed by his prior work as a mechanical engineer.
Dennis Ostrovsky, Ph.D. has recently been promoted to counsel at Saul Ewing LLP. Mr. Ostrovsky assists clients with patent portfolios involving obtaining patents in diverse technologies such as nanomaterials, cellular analysis systems, small molecule drugs, bactericides, abrasives, drug delivery systems, dental compositions, volumetric additive manufacturing (VAM), OLED materials, and polymer compositions. In doing this work, Mr. Ostrovsky draws on his doctorate in organic chemistry and his research experience as a principal scientist at a global pharmaceutical company.
Joel Plainfield has recently been promoted to counsel at Saul Ewing LLP.Mr. Plainfield’s practice often places him in the role of “outside general counsel” to clients, working closely with and advising company executives, boards, and members to successfully close transactional matters and manage corporate governance issues. Mr. Plainfield ‘s experience includes negotiating, drafting and advising clients on a variety of transactional matters, including stock and asset purchases, commercial real estate sales and acquisitions, debt financing and loan agreements, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements and corporate governance. He also has particular experience with contracts involving the use of technology in businesses, such as SaaS agreements, service and software license agreements, indefeasible rights of use agreements, data and personal information processing agreements, SLAs, as well as related ancillaries and schedules.
Courtney B. Amelung has been named Partner at the Baltimore-based employment and labor law firm, Shawe Rosenthal LLP. Amelung represents employers in a wide range of labor and employment matters in court and before federal and state agencies, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Department of Labor. A cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law where she served as Notes and Comments Editor on the Maryland Law Review, Amelung also provides human resources advice and counseling, and prepares and revises employee handbooks, personnel policies, employment audits, and non-compete and confidentiality agreements.
Craig Chaney has recently been named Counsel at Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Chaney practices in insurance defense/coverage, general liability, governmental liability, construction, and premises liability matters. In addition, he participates in panel arbitrations and mediations for the defense in various types of cases. Before joining HBS, he practiced for several years as an associate in other law firms handling litigation in various counties throughout New Jersey.
Alex N. Kim has been named Associate at Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Kim focuses his practice on the defense of public entities in matters pertaining to liability. He also represents clients in general liability, premises liability, construction, and insurance coverage matters. Before joining HBS, he clerked for the Honorable Thomas F. Brogan, P.J. Cv. with the Passaic County Superior Court. He also clerked for the Maryland Office of the Attorney General, Higher Education Division.
Michael P. Tonge has recently been named Associate at Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Tonge practices in medical malpractice and general liability matters. Prior to joining HBS, he clerked for the Honorable Ernest M. Caposela, A.J.S.C. (Ret.) and, upon his retirement, the Honorable Rudolph A. Filko, A.J.S.C. with the New Jersey Courts, Passaic Vicinage. He interned for late Assemblyman Herman Daniel “Denny” Farrell Jr., former Chairman of the New York State Assembly’s Ways and Means Committee, where he was nominated for the Internship Committee Chairman’s Award. He also was a paralegal for a local firm, where he gained valuable experience in medical malpractice matters.
Taylor D. Wood has recently been named Associate at Hall Booth Smith, P.C. Wood focuses her practice on labor and employment matters. Before joining HBS, she worked for a local full-service firm, where she acted as counsel in labor and employment, municipal and public entity, public utility, and real estate and land use cases. She also served as staff attorney to the Honorable Christopher C. Edwards with the Superior Court of Georgia, Griffin Judicial Circuit, and clerked for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Georgia.
Jessica Gorsky has been named Partner of Whiteford, Taylor & Preston. Ms. Gorsky focuses her practice on private wealth and estates- and trusts-related taxation. She advises on estate and trust planning; estate and trust administration; estate, gift and business tax; business succession planning; guardianships; and special needs planning. She recently chaired the Maryland State Bar Association’s (“MSBA”) Young Lawyers Section, co-chairs the firm’s CLE Committee, and is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Fellows Institute of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, MSBA Estates and Trusts Law, Elder and Disability Law, Business Law and Taxation Law Sections. She is also active with The Associated: Jewish Federation of Baltimore, the Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Maryland Legal Aid, and CHANA of Baltimore, and is based in the firm’s Columbia, Maryland, office.
Anthony May has been elevated to partner at Brown, Goldstein & Levy. Anthony, who worked as a paralegal at BGL while in law school and joined BGL as an associate in 2017, has built a practice dedicated to representing clients in a variety of complex litigation matters including assisting employees with disabilities in obtaining accessible technology and accommodations in the workplace, representing individuals who have been wrongfully convicted, representing clients in commercial litigation disputes, and fighting workplace discrimination stemming from employers’ use of artificial intelligence as well as other forms of employment discrimination, such as discrimination based on sexual orientation.
Stephen M. Cornelius was recently named Managing Principal of Eccleston and Wolf PC’s Maryland Office. Steve began his career at Eccleston and Wolf as a Law Clerk in the Summer of 2009, before joining the firm as an Associate in December 2010. He has been a Principal at the firm since 2016, and presently serves as the firm’s President and Managing Principal. Steve’s litigation practice focuses on the defense of lawyers, health care professionals, directors and officers, Homeowner’s Associations (HOA), Community Organizations and Management Companies, employment matters, professional malpractice defense, products liability defense, premises liability defense, and general casualty matters.
Kathleen D. Adcock recently joined McMillan Metro Faerber as a Partner and works in the Estate Planning and Administration department – a results-oriented legal professional with wide-ranging experience as both an attorney and a tax analyst. Kate handles estate planning, probate and trust administration, and guides clients through the end-to-end support for tax-exempt foundations and charitable organizations. Kate graduated from Yale College (B.A.), and holds a J.D., LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Baltimore Law School and an M.B.A. from Merrick School of Business. She frequently speaks for the Maryland Department of Aging Senior Centers on estate planning and probate topics and has presented on tax topics to the Maryland State Bar Association and the D.C. Bar Association and is a contributing author to “Using & Drafting Trusts in Estate Planning” (M.S.B.A.).
Jennifer L. Curry, a partner in the Baltimore office of Baker Donelson, has been elected a member of Baker Donelson’s board of directors by the Firm’s shareholders. Baker Donelson has built a reputation for achieving results for its clients, both nationally and internationally, on a wide range of legal matters.