Maryland Chapter

Officers

Geoffrey H. Genth
President
Kramon & Graham, PA
1 South Street, Suite 2600
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-752-6030
geoffrey.genth@kg-law.com

Linda Hitt Thatcher
President-elect
Thatcher Law Firm, LLC
Belle Point Office Park
7849 Belle Point Drive
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770
301-441-1400
lht@thatcherlaw.com

Sharon A. Snyder
1st Vice-President
Ober, Kaler, Grimes & Shriver
120 East Baltimore Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-347-7379
sasnyder@ober.com

Gerard J. Gaeng
2nd Vice-President
Rosenberg | Martin | Greenberg, LLP
25 South Charles Street
Suite 2115
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-727-6600 Phone
410-727-1115 Fax

Stephanie Lane-Weber
Secretary
Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-576-6340
slaneweber@oag.state.md.us

James R. Hammerschmidt
Treasurer
Paley, Rothman, Goldstein, Rosenberg &   Cooper, Chtd.
4800 Hampden Lane
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-656-7603
jrh@paleyrothman.com

Henry Eigles
National Delegate
10729 Evening Wind Court
Columbia, MD 21044
410-730-1195
eiglesh@eiglesattorney.com

Peter Nothstein
Younger Lawyer Representative
Zuckerman Spaeder, LLP
100 East Pratt Street Suite 2440
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410.332.0444
pnothstein@zuckerman.com

Gregg L. Bernstein
Immediate Past President
Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
100 East Pratt Street, Suite 2440
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-547-8705
gbernstein@zuckerman.com

Felicia Cannon (Honorary/Non-Voting) Clerk of Court
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
101 W. Lombard St., 4th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21201
410-962-2600 Felicia_Cannon@mdd.uscourts.gov

Board of Governors
Hon. Nancy V. Alquist
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the
District of Maryland
U.S. Courthouse
6500 Cherrywood Lane, Suite 300
Greenbelt, MD 20770
301-344-3660
Judge_Alquist@mdb.uscourts.gov

Hon. James K. Bredar
US Magistrate Judge
101 West Lombard Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-962-0950
judge_james_bredar@mdd.uscourts.gov

Marie Celeste Bruce
Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver, LLC
6305 Ivy Lane, Suite 500
Greenbelt, MD 20770
301-345-7700
cbruce@rlls.com

Joseph M. Fairbanks
Saul Ewing, LLP
100 S. Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-332-8726
jfairbanks@saul.com

Martin T. Fletcher, Jr.
Whiteford, Taylor & Preston LLP
7 Saint Paul Street, Suite 1400
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-347-8700
mfletcher@wtplaw.com

Stephanie L. Gallagher
Assistant United States Attorney
36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-209-4893
stephanie.gallagher@usdoj.gov

James M. Greenan
McNamee, Hosea, Jernigan, Kim, Greenan
& Walker, PA
6411 Ivy Lane, Suite 200
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770
301-441-2420
jgreenan@mhlawyers.com

Gerald W. Heller
Linowes & Blocher LLP
Suite 800
7200 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-961-5178
gheller@linowes-law.com

Robert W. Hesselbacher, Jr.
Wright, Constable & Skeen
100 N. Charles Street, 16th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-659-1317
rhesselbacher@wcslaw.com

Steven P. Hollman
Hogan & Hartson, L.L.P.
555 13th Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20004-1109
202-837-5672
sphollman@hhlaw.com

Dale P. Kelberman
Miles & Stockbridge
10 Light Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
410-385-3608
dkelberman@milesstockbridge.com

Debra Lawrence
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
10 South Howard Street, Third Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 962-4349
debra.lawrence@eeoc.gov

James D. Mathias
Piper Rudnick, LLP
6225 Smith Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21209
410-580-4208
james.mathias@dlapiper.com

Kathleen McDermott
Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP
Suite 600 East Tower
1301 K Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20005-3364
202-408-3274
kmcdermott@sonnenschein.com

Roann Nichols
Assistant United States Attorney
36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-209-4827
roann.nichols@usdoj.gov

James J. Nolan, Jr.
Baltimore County Office of Law
Old Courthouse 2nd Floor
400 Washington Avenue
Towson, Maryland 21204
410-887-4420
jnolan@baltimorecountymd.gov

Lee Bryan Rauch
Tydings & Rosenberg LLP
100 East Pratt Street
Baltimore, MD 21202-1009
410-752-9745
lrauch@tydingslaw.com

Stanley J. Reed
Lerch Early Brewer Chtd.
Suite 460
Bethesda Metro Center
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
301-986-1300
sjreed@lerchearly.com

Dawn M.B. Resh
Rosenberg | Martin | Greenberg,LLP
25 South Charles Street, Suite 2115
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-727-6600
dresh@rosenbergmartin.com
Young Lawyers Representative

Rod J. Rosenstein
United States Attorney
36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-209-4800
rod.rosenstein@us.doj.gov

Michael Schatzow
Venable, Baetjer and Howard, LLP
Suite 1800
2 Hopkins Plaza
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410-244-7400
mschatzow@venable.com

Gloria Wilson Shelton
Chief Counsel
Maryland Automobile Insurance Fund
1750 Forest Drive
Annapolis, Maryland 21401
(410) 269-4984
gshelton@oag.state.md.us

Ronald Jay Tenpas
Assistant United States Attorney
36 South Charles Street, 4th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
(410) 209-4800
ronald.tenpas@us.doj.gov

Jerrold J. Thrope
Gordon Feinblatt Rothman Hoffberger & Hollander LLC
The Garrett Building
233 E. Redwood Street
Baltimore, MD 21202-3332
(410) 576-4295
jthrope@gfrlaw.com

Stephanie Lane Weber
Office of the Attorney General
200 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-576-6340
slaneweber@oag.state.md.us

James Wyda
Federal Public Defender
Tower II, Suite 1100
100 South Charles Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21201-2705
410-962-3962
jim_wyda@fd.org

Paula Xinis
Assistant Federal Public Defender
6411 Ivy Lane, Suite 710
Greenbelt, Maryland 20770-4510
301-344-0600
paula_xinis@fd.org

Lynne K. Zusman
Suite 701
1818 N Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20036
202-659-1971
lynnezusman@aol.com

Ricardo D. Zwaig
Zwaig & Zwaig PA
Suite 204
3454 Ellicott Center Drive
Ellicott City, Maryland 21043
410-583-2184
zwaig@cavtel.net

back to top

A Messsage from the Chapter President

We are always interested in ideas about programs that will help meet the needs of federal practitioners in this area, and of course we are also constantly looking for volunteers to help put those programs together. Please contact me if you have ideas or would like to volunteer. If you have something you’d like to submit for our chapter newsletter, contact Lee Rauch at 410-752-9700, lrauch@tydingslaw.com; or Jim Nolan at 410-887-4420, jnolan@baltimorecountymd.gov. We are particularly interested in receiving occasional pieces on recent cases of interest from either the District Court or the Fourth Circuit. Finally, we’re always delighted to hear from younger lawyers who would like to get involved and become more active members of the Maryland Federal District Court Bar.

Geoffrey H. Genth
Maryland Chapter President

back to top

Dear Colleagues:
Thank you for your membership and continuing support of the FBA - Maryland Chapter.

We are launching our first membership survey and need your input to make it a success. The survey is confidential and will take less than five (5) minutes to complete. Please go to the survey page and follow the survey prompts. We will report the results of this survey in the near future.

We appreciate your interest in Chapter activities.

The Officers and Board of Governors for the Maryland Chapter

back to top

Calendar of Events

Again this year, the US District Court will host several luncheons with the summer associates, law clerks and interns at the various law firms and government agencies in the region. The dates of this summer's luncheons are: Friday, July 11, Friday, July 25, and Friday, August 8. Attendees bring their own lunches, and drinks, chips and cookies will be provided. At each lunch, several judges from the Federal Bench will address the group. Please encourage the students in your various firms and agencies to attend.

Attendance is limited to 60 attendees. Please contact Ann Cahill at ann_cahill@mdd.uscourts.gov <mailto:ann_cahill@mdd.uscourts.gov> or by telephone at 410-962-0723 to RSVP no later than one week prior to each lunch. The lunches will take place at the United States Courthouse, Jury Assembly Room, 4th Floor, 101 W. Lombard Street, Baltimore, MD

back to top

Recent Events

March 25, 2009
What Every Lawyer Should Know about Bankruptcy
Location: Ceremonial Courtroom, U.S. District Court, Baltimore
Time: 3:00–5:00 pm

April 16, 2009
FBA White Collar Program: The Grand Jury
"The Proverbial Ham Sandwich"
Presented by the Maryland Chapter of the FBA
featuring panelists from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the criminal defense bar
Time: 2:30–5:30 p.m., reception to follow
Location: U.S. District Courthouse, Baltimore, 4th Floor Juror Lounge

June 3, 2009
Annual Dinner with Special Guest Speaker Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, U.S. Senator, and honoring Henry Eigles Esq., Recipient of the Peter A. DiRito Award
Presented by the Maryland Chapter of the FBA
Location: The Tremont Grand, 225 North Charles Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
Time: Open Bar: 6:00 p.m., Dinner: 7:00 p.m.

back to top

Chapter News and Notes

Course Material from Federal Appellate Practice Program Still Available
We still have approximately 20 copies remaining of the course materials from the last occasion in 2003 when we presented our program on “Federal Appellate Practice in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.” This 156-page volume includes extensive materials about the Fourth Circuit itself, as well as a number of articles about appellate practice and procedure more generally. It should be of use to anyone who regularly handles appellate matters in either state or federal court. If you are interested in receiving a free copy, contact our Chapter President, Jeff Gray, at Jefferson.M.Gray@usdoj.gov. First come, first served.

back to top

Chapter Newsletter

Congratulations to our newsletter editor, Sharon Snyder of Ober /Kaler, and to all who contributed to the newsletter this past year, thereby earning our chapter the Federal Bar Association’s Meritorious Newsletter Award in 2005!
We are always interested in receiving submissions for the chapter newsletter. Please contact Sharon Snyder at sasnyder@ober.com if you have an idea you’d like to discuss.

back to top

Chapter Awards

Peter A. DiRito Award
This award commemorates the memory and contributions of Peter A. DiRito, a past chapter president, national delegate, and long-time member of the board of governors who was active in the Maryland Chapter from 1964-1987. This award is given annually “to recognize public service that comports with the goals of the chapter and Federal Bar Association,” which are defined in the FBA’s Mission Statement as “strengthen[ing] the federal legal system and administration of justice by serving the interests and needs of the federal practitioner, both public and private, the federal judiciary, and the public they serve.”
The 2005 recipient of the Peter A. DiRito Award was Donna M. Shearer, who has served as the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Supervising Attorney at the U.S. District Court since 1997. The District of Maryland’s Criminal Justice Act (CJA) Panel is a group of lawyers who provide representation at greatly reduced rates to indigents accused of crimes when the Federal Public Defender’s Officer has a conflict of interest or is otherwise unable to handle the representation. The lawyers who do this work in the District of Maryland include some of the most accomplished members of the Maryland Bar, including now-District Court Judge Richard Bennett, who was an active panel member for years before becoming the panel’s first alumnus to join the federal bench. Shearer has been responsible for managing the assignment of cases to counsel and facilitating the payment and reimbursement of counsel for their efforts. In part because of her efforts to make the process as painless as possible for the attorneys who agree to accept CJA appointments, th District of Maryland has been able to continue to attract and retain the services of many of the best private criminal attorneys practicing in this area for the CJA Panel.

back to top

Getting Involved

If you are interested in getting more involved in the Maryland Chapter of the FBA or have an idea for a program that you would like to present, please contact any of the chapter officers.

back to top

back to top