Joppa Business Lawyers

Advocate and adviser for government employees, business professionals, and businesses in a wide range of employment and civil litigation matters.

Civil Litigation:
- Represent individuals and businesses in various civil-litigation matters, including business litigation, contract disputes, partnership disputes, and insurance coverage.
- Represent licensed professionals in investigations, disciplinary proceedings, and appeals of adverse agency decisions regarding licensure.
- Experienced trial lawyer in state and federal court.
- Experienced appellate attorney in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, D.C. Court of Appeals, Maryland Court of Appeals, and Maryland Court of Special Appeals.
- Law clerk...

Jeffrey M. Orenstein is a skilled commercial litigator with a particular emphasis on bankruptcy litigation. He has been appointed to serve as Bankruptcy Trustee and Examiner in complex Chapter 11 cases. For more than 25 years, he has represented bankruptcy estates, bankruptcy trustees in multiple jurisdictions, creditors and debtors in a wide variety of high profile bankruptcy cases and in business and consumer litigation. Mr. Orenstein has assisted the Federal government in obtaining bankruptcy fraud convictions in numerous cases. The Martindale-Hubbell legal directory gave Mr. Orenstein an AV rating, the highest given for legal ability and professional ethics.

David Shapiro is the Chair of Paley Rothman's Health Law practice group, and a member of the firm's Corporate, Science & Technology, Employment Law and Government Contracts practice groups. David has an extensive background representing business entities, healthcare providers, surgical centers, professional service vendors and entrepreneurs in a broad range of general business, commercial, regulatory and complex transactional matters, including early-stage business planning, business management and operations, equity and asset transfers, inter- and intra-business contract relationships, mergers and acquisitions and collaborative and adversarial business owner and proxy dispute resolutions.
David’s business practice focuses on full life-cycle representation for emerging and established...

Ron Dweck is Chair of the firm’s Corporate practice group, and a member of the Tax, Nonprofit and Science & Technology groups. Ron acts as general counsel to a number of companies, including large and small corporations, limited liability companies, partnerships and business organizations in various fields. As such, he knows a great deal about many different practice areas and applies that knowledge to better serve his corporate clients. His corporate work includes preparing and negotiating a wide variety of business contracts, as well as counseling in conjunction with executive compensation, corporate governance and risk & litigation management. He has...

Chris is a partner at the firm, Dugan, McKissick & Longmore, LLC, whose practice areas include complex civil litigation, estate planning, zoning/land use and related real estate matters, and government contracts. His litigation practice focuses primarily on business and partnership disputes, construction-related contract disputes and other real estate related matters. He also represents clients in personal injury matters and leads the firm’s collections practice. Chris received his law degree, magna cum laude, from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1997 where he was Editor-in-Chief of the American Criminal Law Review and a Writing Law Fellow. Chris joined Dugan, McKissick and...

30 years experience as lawyer--10 years as a federal prosecutor employed by Tax Division of the United States Department of Justice and 20 years as solo practitioner in Oxon Hill, Maryland concentrating in family law, criminal law, tort law (including personal injury/auto accidents), civil rights, business counseling & litigation, and appeals. Reasonable fees and very high rate of satisfaction among former clients.

Kevin is a Principal in the firm and considers himself as a true business attorney. From start-up through transition, Kevin serves as outside counsel for a myriad of local businesses of varying size and industry. He is a member of the firm’s Corporate, Nonprofits, Science & Technology, and Real Estate practice groups, and regularly provides counsel in each of these areas, including general operation and governance of for-profit and nonprofit entities, business dispute resolutions, IP and technology licensing and transactions, private placements, the negotiation of employment relationships and separations, executive compensation, structuring and implementing corporate mergers and acquisitions, the negotiation...

Cristen Rose’s practice encompasses a wide variety of commercial & business litigation, with significant experience in mass torts, class actions, product liability defense, environmental litigation, contractual disputes and regulatory compliance. As a member of the firm’s Regulatory Law & Litigation practice group, she devotes a significant portion of her practice to the regulation of pesticides and other chemical products under the Federal Insecticide Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). Cristen also has extensive experience representing companies that are subjects of investigations by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the...

Mark Goldstein, one of the founders of the firm, is a member of its Corporate, Financial Services, Estate Planning and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates on corporate, business, estate and tax planning and advises large and small corporations, general and limited partnerships, associations and proprietorships on sophisticated business planning issues. He represents a large number of estate planning clients and is well respected for his ability to communicate and implement complicated plans in a practical manner. Mark has significant experience in structuring and negotiating business and financing transactions, reorganizations and private placement syndications. He has served as...

For more than 40 years, Art House has been working with businesses of all types as a corporate lawyer and litigator. He chairs the firm’s Science & Technology and Alternative Dispute Resolution practice groups, and is a member of the Corporate practice group. Art brings responsiveness and an ability to offer practical solutions to his clients, understanding that his clients’ business needs drive the deals, not the lawyer.
Art’s background in enterprise development, licensing for technology-based companies and assisting both established and start-up businesses in developing legal, business alliance and acquisition strategies gives him unique insight into the real-world problems facing...

Linda Schwartz is a senior member of the Professional Ethics & Discipline, Estate Planning, Estate & Trust Administration, Corporate, and Real Estate practice groups. She has considerable experience in complex real estate and commercial transactions, business planning, executive succession planning, and estate planning and administration for both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens. For more than 30 years, she has served as counsel to prominent national, regional and local developers and business owners. In 2006, she was elected to the American College of Real Estate Lawyers.
Throughout her legal career, Linda has been active in public service. She is a former Assistant Attorney...

Michael G. Wolff is a seasoned veteran with more than 30 years of experience practicing bankruptcy law. He is a respected bankruptcy attorney responsible for handling complex cases. He has served as a Bankruptcy Trustee for over 20 years in Maryland. He also enjoys a superior reputation among his clients and peers. His bankruptcy practice has been featured in several national publications. He is rated AV – the highest awarded for legal ability and ethics – by Martindale-Hubbell legal directory.

*Whenever possible, please contact me first via email: flee@steinsperling.com. Thank you.* Flora Lee always strives toward what she believes to be the right or best path, not the path of least resistance. Her drive to be better and do more, combined with her keen analytical ability, allows her to visualize and work to implement her clients’ goals. Flora was drawn to the legal profession by its unique combination of intellectual challenges, real-life stakes, and interpersonal collaboration. She works to understand her clients’ concerns even beyond the immediate case at hand, and to bring solutions that fit within their bigger picture. Prior to joining...

Bill is a founding partner of Dugan, McKissick and Longmore, LLC, and has been practicing business, corporate, real estate, zoning and other transactional law since 1989 . He earned his law degree with honors from the University Of Maryland School Of Law and attended Franklin and Marshall College. He grew up in Baltimore City and moved to St. Mary’s County after spending summers clerking at a local law firm while in law school. He has been involved with numerous local boards and task forces concerning issues affecting the business community and community at large and has been active with the...

JAMES J. GORNEY, a former insurance adjuster, is a graduate of George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia. He has been practicing law for over 25 years. His practice is primarily civil litigation with an emphasis in real estate, personal injury, commercial litigation, title insurance litigation, wills and estates. Mr. Gorney is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and currently serves as treasurer of the Charles County Bar Association. He is on the Board of Directors of the Charles County Chamber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club of Laplata, is a member of the Attorney Grievance...

Sam is an associate with Dugan, McKissick & Longmore, LLC whose practice focuses on real estate transactions and related litigation. He also assists clients in the creation and management of homeowners associations and condominiums, foreclosures, tax sales, and drafting contracts, loan documents, and leases. Sam earned his law degree from the Penn State Dickinson School of Law and a bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University. Upon graduation from law school he served as law clerk to the Honorable Robert C. Nalley of the Circuit Court for Charles County, after which he joined the firm. Sam speaks Spanish and enjoys travelling...

1981, New York; 1985, U.S. District Court, Southern and Eastern Districts of New York; 1991, Maryland and District of Columbia; 1992, U.S. District Court, District of Maryland and U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit; 1997, U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit; 1999, U.S. Supreme Court Law School: Hofstra University School of Law, J.D. Member: Montgomery County Bar Association, Maryland State and New York State Bar Associations; The District of Columbia Bar; Association of Trial Lawyers of America (formerly until name change); Bar Association Sections and Committees: Commercial Litigation; Real Estate; Estates...

Further information is at www.beatsonlaw.com

Almost three decades as a trusted legal adviser to small businesses, over a decade of operating a small brick and mortar business which also sells on line. I have a 360° view and understanding of how small businesses work from a legal, practical perspectives.

Jim Rathvon, chair of the firm’s Regulatory Law & Litigation practice group, maintains a broad environmental, chemical, food and drug and consumer product regulatory and litigation practice. He focuses on the regulation of pesticides and other chemical products under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), the Consumer Product Safety Act (CPSA) and other complex federal regulatory programs. His environmental law work ranges from counseling and advocating on regulatory and licensing issues to defending clients in government enforcement proceedings to representing them in federal arbitrations...

Victor Rosenberg, a founding member of the firm, is also a member of its Corporate, Tax, Estate Planning, and Estate & Trust Administration practice groups. He concentrates his practice on corporate, real estate, business, estate planning, probate and tax matters and is also involved in family wealth preservation and business continuity through the establishment of charitable trusts of all types, private foundations, family partnerships and limited liability companies.
Victor is active in trust reformation as well as the financing and sale of beneficial interests in trusts. He has extensive experience in structuring and negotiating business and financing transactions, including the sale...

Jim was born and raised in Hagerstown Maryland. He has practiced law in Washington County since 1982. Jim’s current practice emphasizes business, commercial and contract law, civil litigation and appeals, corporate and partnership law, estate planning, wills and trusts, probate and estate administration, and real estate development. Before co-founding Kane & Stone, Jim was a principal with Kane, Wilburn & Stone for six years and Poole & Kane for six years. Before that, Jim was managing principal of Miller, Oliver, Baker, Moylan & Stone, a firm with whom he was associated for 28 years. After receiving an...

Law Practice: I am very lucky to work with my father, Franklin Olmsted, and my brother, Edward Olmsted, in our general practice. Most of my work is in the field of domestic relations, criminal law and personal injury cases while my brother does most of our wills and estate work. We practice mainly in the Southern Maryland area of Charles, St. Mary's, Calvert and Prince George's counties. Our office is located in La Plata, MD, directly across from the Charles County Courthouse. Education: I graduated from the University of Virginia in 1986 and the University of...

Letoria G. Knight is a graduate of Howard University School of Law, and obtained a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Louisiana State University. Her practice areas include: business formation, criminal law, DUI, family law, protective orders, personal injury, and estate planning. She services Calvert, St. Mary’s, Charles, Prince Georges, and Anne Arundel Counties. Call us now to schedule your free consultation. www.Pierecklaw.com

Rose has been an attorney since 1994. She is a member of the Calvert County Bar Association and the Maryland State Bar Association. She is currently the president-elect of the CCBA, having served formerly as its treasurer and secretary. Rose was law clerk to the Honorable Steven I. Platt of the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County and practiced law with her father, George A. Wilkinson, in Hyattsville, Maryland, before starting her own law practice in Southern Maryland. She hails from a family of attorneys - her father, grandfather, sister, and uncle were all attorneys. She is a...

Laila Ghauri is the principal attorney and founder of the firm. She focuses her practice in trademarks, small business advising, and government contracts. Previously, she worked for large firms, including Kelley Drye Warren, government agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and midsize firms focusing on employment law and civil rights. She has experience in trademark prosecution and litigation, bid protests and claims in government contract matters, False Claims Act litigation, advising small to mid-size companies in protecting their intellectual property, and has aided nonprofits and start ups with formation and...

Peter Randolph takes particular pride in spotting risks his clients had not previously seen and in crafting solutions to mitigate those risks and advance client interests. His multi-jurisdictional practice is focused on probate and trust administration, business and taxation. Our clients’ lives don’t stop at the state line and Peter has ensured that he can advise clients comprehensively on issues that affect their lives and livelihoods across the region and as far west as California.

Peter advises executors, trustees, and beneficiaries in the areas of probate and trust administration, including pre and post-mortem planning, and estate and fiduciary income tax....

I have been practicing law in Montgomery County, Maryland, as well as Northern Virginia, and the Baltimore area for over 27 years.

My focus is on local businesses that need outside general counsel: both for routine business issues, and for litigation.

I am licensed in Maryland, DC, and Virginia.