Maryland Lawyer Blog

The Maryland Daily Record looks at the top 10 verdicts in Maryland in 2009.

Maryland Insurance Commissioner Ralph S. Tyler is stepping down early next year to become general counsel at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. That is a big time job.

Ralph has never turned down an invitation to speak at my insurance law class, and he just seems like a good guy. I have disagreed with some of the decisions that have come from his office, but I think losing him is a blow to the Maryland Insurance Administration both from the perspective of insurance companies and consumers/injury victims. This is probably the best compliment you can give an insurance commissioner.

Bar Counsel Melvin Hirshman will retire from the Attorney Grievance Commission this summer, according to commission chairwoman Linda Lamone. Mel Hirshman ran the office for more almost thirty years. He is to Maryland bar counsel as Tom Landry was to the Cowboys (or something like that). His name is synonymous with the office, entering the Maryland lawyer lexicon as an entity. "What would Mel Hirshman think of that?" is what you say if you think someone is considering an unwise practice.

A lawyer in O maha, Nebraskais being investigated for trying to smuggle marijuana into the Douglas County Correctional Center.

This feels like an episode of Oz. I think Adebisi was involved.

The Maryland Association for Justice has a fantastic listserv. I recommend it for anyone handling personal injury cases in Maryland.

On any listserv there is invariably bickering over what is appropriate on the listserv. What follows an arguably inappropriate post is scores of emails offering opinions, jokes and the rules of the listserv. It is as inevitable as death, taxes, and more Tiger Woods bimbos coming forward.

Above the Law has a great post on University of Maryland law students dealing with the problem of unnecessary listserv posts.

Yet another Lord & Whip P.A. partner has flown the coop. The Maryland Daily record reports that another lawyer has left, leaving the old school Baltimore firm with only two partners and one associate. The departing lawyer, Jennifer S. Lubinski, has been named at a partner at Funk & Bolton P.A., which seems weathering the economy quite well. The news has not yet hit Lord & Whip's website which still has Ms. Lubinski prominently profiled.

The nasty fight among Lord & Whip partners that culminated in an ugly lawsuit in February is set for trial in March.

The Maryland Daily Record reports that Montgomery County District Public Defender Paul B. DeWolfe Jr. has been named the new Maryland Public Defender, filling a void at the Public Defender's Office that began when Nancy S. Forster was fired this summer.

Governor O'Malley announced last week his appointments of Ann Brobst and John Nagle to the Baltimore County Circuit Court bench.

The Maryland Daily Record reports that juror in the Shelia Dixon trial Facebook friended each other before the jury verdict.

The messages were very 'no harm, no foul" but there were 12 lawyers working on this case for Dixon. Somehow, I expect this is going to come up. Judge Sweeney is not going to declare a mistrial over it and neither is the Maryland Court of Special Appeals. But expect a lot of trees to go in the process to this outcome.

Caryn Tamber from the Maryland Daily Record reports tragic news to all of us who felt a special level of esteem by the fact that a Baltimore lawyer, Paul W. Gardner II, was representing the White House party crashers. Turns out, he has lawyered up himself. Tragically, he did not chose one of his Baltimore brethren but instead chose a Fairfax, Virginia lawyer. The inhumanity of it all. Really. Our only roots in this case are with a potential defendant? Well, we will always have Linda Tripp.

The Maryland Daily Record reports that alleged White House party-crashers Tareq and Michaele Salahi are being represented by Baltimore lawyer Paul W. Gardner II. Apparently, they are frequent flyers as plaintiffs and as defendants in a multitude of lawsuits.

Would you be surprised if this lawyer is negotiating the movie rights for White House Crashers?

I hate when people say that some ordinary human weakness is now at an all-time high. It rarely is. But I really think the number of people seeking fame for the purpose of fame is at an all-time high.

What does Mayor Dixon's embezzlement conviction mean? Ostensibly, it means she can no longer be mayor. Does she get to exhaust her appeals? I have no idea.

Another juror note in the Sheila Dixon trial.

I'm not that wrapped up in local Baltimore City politics. But the drama of this is incredible. I'm surprised there is not more national media attention focused on these charges against a big city mayor.

P.S. - Now we have a verdict. Yet nothing on CNN about verdict yet. But we know Tiger had toast and eggs for breakfast and his wife reportedly glared at him when he asked for orange juice.