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.
PETER CIFERRI has become a shareholder of the McMillan Metro. Mr. Ciferri has been an integral part of the McMillan family since 2017 and has established himself as a leader in real estate law. He became a partner at the firm in 2022 and has been awarded the Super Lawyers Rising Star title every year in Maryland since 2016 and every year in Washington D.C. since 2019. Commercial real estate developers, builders, and investors know they can rely on Mr. Ciferri and his wealth of knowledge in commercial real estate to guide clients through their complex commercial transactional, development, zoning, land use and permitting, and commercial leasing matters. Mr. Ciferri is known for his ability to provide that level of service with an even-keeled approach.
MELODIE HENGERER has been elected shareholder at Baker Donelson. A member of the Firm’s Health Law Group, Ms. Hengerer focuses primarily on organ donation and transplantation law. She represents a broad range of health care providers, organ procurement organizations (OPOs), tissue banks, and other industry clients in navigating public policy and regulatory challenges related to organ donation and transplantation. Her diverse experience includes advising OPOs, transplant centers, and donor hospitals on the navigation of organ allocation, performance measurement standards, health equity in transplantation, and corporate governance. She also represents clients in federal government investigations and advises on OPO mergers, acquisitions, and strategic affiliations. Her background in defending health care providers in medical malpractice and professional liability matters combined with her passion for organ donation drives her client-centered approach to practice.
Ms. Hengerer is a member of the American Bar Association, American Health Law Association, Maryland State Bar Association – Health Law Section, and the Bar Association of Baltimore City, where she served as chair of the Health Law Committee from 2020 to 2021. She was a 2022 recipient of the “Leadership in Law Award” by The Daily Record. In April 2023, she was an invited speaker at the prestigious Thomas A. Pitts Memorial Lectureship in Medical Ethics Conference on Organ Transplantation at the Medical University of South Carolina. Ms. Hengerer holds degrees in Biology and Communication Studies from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and she is a magna cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law.
KEVIN P. LATULIP, JR. has been named chair of Baker Donelson’s Financial Services Transactions Group. A shareholder in the Firm’s Baltimore office, Mr. LaTulip will lead a team of attorneys across the Firm’s footprint who provide corporate, transactional, and regulatory advice in the financial services industry and represent lenders and lessors nationally in a broad spectrum of financing transactions. While serving as the group’s chair, he will maintain his legal practice, which focuses on helping financial institutions structure and close lending and leasing transactions including synthetic leases, capital leases, other structured-finance, commercial and industrial lending, and commercial real estate.
Mr. LaTulip has more than 21 years of experience working on a broad range of commercial finance transactions. He has handled the life cycle of transactions, from structuring, documenting, and negotiating a front-end transaction through closing, post-closing modification, and workout. Focusing his practice on structured finance, including synthetic leasing, Mr. LaTulip handles transactions for diverse assets including raw land, retail stores, company headquarters buildings, satellites, aircraft, and railcars. He also counsels clients on real estate matters, portfolio acquisitions, and the efficient workouts of special assets.A graduate of the University of Maryland School of Law, Mr. LaTulip is a member of the American Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association.
ERIC D. OBERER has been promoted to Maryland State Counsel at First American Title. Before serving in this role, he served as Maryland and Washington, D.C. Senior Underwriting Counsel from 2017-2023. Eric oversees underwriting and affiliated responsibilities, including legal oversight and compliance, risk management, regulatory matters, processes, and communications.
His background includes serving as a former prosecutor, civil litigator, trial lawyer, title attorney, and land development and acquisition negotiator for a Fortune 500 company at a major law firm. Eric’s pro-business methods were honed during his tenure as a law clerk for the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business. He also served as a law clerk for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for the First Infantry Division in Germany, as well as a White House intern, United Nations intern, and congressional page.
Eric received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and Bachelor of Science in finance from New Jersey City University. He chairs the Maryland State Bar Association real property section closings and title committee. Eric has authored articles published by both the American Bar Association and Maryland State Bar Association and is the author of the award-winning book Courts of Law, Not Courts of Justice from Atmosphere Press (2023).
MAUREEN QUINN was appointed by Governor Wes Moore to serve as Chair of the Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commission on March 14, 2023. Quinn has over 20 years of experience as a Maryland Workers’ Compensation Commissioner. She was originally appointed as a commissioner in 2002 by the former Maryland Governor, Parris Glendening. She was subsequently re-appointed by former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley in 2014 and has continued in her role as Commissioner ever since.
Quinn is the legislative liaison of the MSBA’s Animal Law Section. Her work advocating for animal rights was featured in the Spring 2023 version of the Maryland Bar Journal.
STACIE E. TOBIN has been appointed co-chair of the Litigation Division at Venable LLP. Ms. Tobin, who previously served as partner-in-charge of the Baltimore office, is a litigator who focuses on commercial and product liability matters. She brings extensive litigation experience spanning a diverse range of matters and has tried dozens of cases to verdict while serving as first-chair counsel or co-counsel before federal and state courts across the United States. She represents companies, manufacturers, and financial services clients as part of her commercial litigation practice. She has also counseled heavy equipment manufacturers, automobile and watercraft manufacturers, pharmaceutical companies, and tobacco companies in product liability disputes.
LERCH, EARLY & BREWER is pleased to announce the addition of 15 new attorneys to the firm, bringing the total number of attorneys to 75 and bolstering a number of practice areas including Estate Planning and Probate, Real Estate, Divorce/Family Law, Litigation, and Employment, while adding deep experience in Government Relations and Employee Benefits.
The new attorneys include:
Paula Calimafde, Principal in the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate practice group bringing expertise in retirement plans, employee benefits, and government relations. She is a nationally recognized leader in the field of creative retirement plan design with 35 years of experience advising companies and tax-exempt organizations on qualified and non-qualified retirement plans and employee benefits. Paula is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Michelle Chapin (She/Her), Principal in the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate practice group.
She works closely with her clients to create comprehensive and customized estate and business succession plans to achieve tax and non-tax wealth preservation objectives. Michelle is a member of the Maryland, the Virginia and the District of Columbia Bar Associations and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.
Glenn Cooper (He/Him), Principal in the firm’s Litigation and Divorce/Family Law practice groups. He is successful in complex business, financial, commercial, and domestic litigation involving significant business issues and frequently appears before federal and state courts at both trial and appellate levels. Glenn is a member of the Maryland, and the District of Columbia Bar Associations, and the U.S. Supreme Court Bar.
Hayes Edwards, Principal in the firm’s Litigation and Employment practice groups. His work ranges from disputes over business and employment relationships to real estate, construction, and probate cases. Hayes is a member of the Maryland and the District of Columbia Bar Associations. He is also admitted in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.
Wayne Eig, Principal in the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate practice. He works closely with individuals and closely held entities, providing advice in business, investment, financial and succession planning activities. Wayne is a member of the Maryland and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
James Hammerschmidt, Principal of the firm’s Litigation and Employment practice areas. His area of expertise includes commercial, corporate and employment counseling and litigation and involves real estate, land development, breach of contract, trusts and estates, construction, shareholder disputes, business disputes, protection of trade secrets and confidential information. Jim is a member of the Maryland, and the District of Columbia Bar Associations, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Daniel Hodin, Principal of the firm’s Real Estate practice group. He advises clients on commercial and residential real estate and loan transactions including acquiring, financing, developing, owning, leasing, managing, and selling real estate and represents local, national, and international owners, developers, and builders. Dan is admitted to practice in Maryland, the District of the Columbia, and Pennsylvania.
Lynette Kleiza (She/Her), Principal in the firm’s Divorce and Family Law practice group. She represents clients in areas of domestic relations law, marital agreements, adoption, complex equitable distribution, LGBTQ matters, custody and visitation, relocation, child and spousal support. Lynette is a member of the Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Alan Mark, Principal in the firm’s Real Estate practice group. He concentrates on corporate, commercial, and real estate finance and serves as outside counsel to local, regional, and national financial institutions, publicly traded biotechnology companies, hotel owners and operators. Alan is a member of the Maryland and the District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Amanda Sauer McGrath (She/Her), Associate in the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate practice group. She guides her clients through various components of lifetime wealth planning and post-mortem administration matters. Amanda is a member of the Maryland, Virginia, and District of Columbia Bar Associations.
Jennifer Pope (She/Her), Principal in the firm’s Estate Planning and Probate practice group. She advises on estate and income tax planning, creditor protection, and protecting assets for those with disabilities and the needs of blended families. She is admitted to practice in Maryland and the District of Columbia.
Miranda Ross (She/Her), Associate in the firm’s Divorce and Family Law practice group. She represents clients in matters involving divorce, child support, and property and asset division. Miranda is a member of the District of Columbia Bar Association.
Jessica Summers (She/Her), Principal in the firm’s Litigation and Employment practice groups. Jessica works with clients to establish and implement effective employment policies, employment policies, agreements and benefit plans, and advises on legislative and regulatory developments. She is a member of the Maryland, the Virginia and the District of Columbia Bar Associations, and U.S. Supreme Court Bar.
Jase Tilley, Associate and part of the firm’s Litigation and Employment practice groups with a focus on the science and technology industries. Jase works on cases ranging from probate matters, disputes over business relations, corporate transactions, and insurance disputes. Jase is a member of the Maryland Bar Association.
Trish Weaver (She/Her), Principal in the firm’s Litigation and Employment practice groups and brings more than 25 years of experience in handling a variety of cases and appeals spanning the civil spectrum, with a focus on complex commercial litigation and estate litigation. Trish is a member of the Maryland and the District of Columbia Bar Associations, and is admitted to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.