Allegany County Appeals & Appellate Lawyers

Retired U.S. Marine officer (infantry), U.S. Naval Academy graduate, practicing land use, municipal, zoning, business, real property, landlord-tenant, homeowners association, litigation and other law.

Why me? Experience and intensity; honed through years of representing clients at trial and on appeal in state and federal courts. Pragmatic, results-oriented representation as an advocate and as legal counsel. Straight answers. Vigorous advocacy. I'll get you through the wilderness.

Mr. Smith is a seasoned trial attorney who has represented thousands of clients in State and Federal Court. Prior to his association with Silverman Thompson, Mr. Smith served as an Assistant Public Defender, Baltimore City, on the felony trial team. He was also an Associate at Schulman, Treem, Kaminkow, Gilden and Ravenell, P.A. in Baltimore.

Mr. Smith has tried hundreds of cases to verdict before a Judge or Jury. He is "legal encyclopedia" who is widely respected and sought out by his peers. His present practice is concentrated in the field of criminal defense law and civil forfeiture.

Roy Niedermayer is a member of the firm’s Litigation, Appellate Practice and Government Contracts practice areas. He excels in risk management - he identifies and assesses risk in each of his cases and then discusses alternative strategies in light of probabilities of outcomes to determine what the best cost-benefit course of action is. He may create decision tree analyses, determining what factors affect risk, how to reduce risk, and assigns probability of success. When first meeting with a client, Roy finds out what the client is hoping to achieve and what their goals are - in doing this he understands...

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...

Ms. McCann earned her B.A. degree in psychology from the University of Maryland Baltimore County in 1979. She graduated the University of Baltimore School of Law Magna Cum Laude in December of 1996 and was admitted to the Maryland Bar in June of 1997. She was a member of the University of Baltimore Law Review and the Heuisler Honor Society. After earning her law degree, Ms. McCann became associated with the Baltimore firm of Ober, Kaler, Grimes and Shriver. From there, she entered solo practice in Annapolis, Maryland. In 2001, she joined the...

Trish Weaver is Chair of the Appellate Practice group and a member of the Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Corporate practices. Over the past 20 years, she has handled numerous appeals, authored briefs and argued before the Maryland Court of Appeals, the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She is admitted to, and awaits the chance to argue before, the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to joining Paley Rothman, Trish clerked for the Honorable Howard S. Chasanow on the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Trish enjoys building ongoing relationships with her clients as their...

Matthew A.S. Esworthy is a partner in the Firmâs litigation department. He concentrates on general civil and criminal litigation, including white collar criminal defense, complex commercial litigation, securities litigation, partnership disputes, employment law, and appeals. In recognition of his accomplishments, Martindale-Hubbell awarded Mr. Esworthy its AV Peer-Review Rating, the highest rating available. Mr. Esworthy has achieved favorable results in a number of high profile cases. In recent years, he has successfully defended a Baltimore law firm in a multi-million dollar defamation/invasion of privacy lawsuit brought by a public official; successfully represented minority shareholders of a Fortune 500 company in a complex...

Luke is a career Criminal Defense Attorney in the State of Maryland having practiced criminal defense since 1997, after receiving a Bachelor from Reed College and a JD from Northwestern School of Law. He started his career as a DOJ law clerk for the landmark racketeering case against the tobacco industry, while serving as a JAG officer in the US Army Reserves. After those positions in the early 2000s, Luke centered his practice exclusively in DUI and criminal defense, including juvenile court, in multiple jurisdictions in Maryland, gaining trial experience through representation of clients in thousands cases in District,...

Allen manages a diverse litigation practice representing plaintiffs in civil rights, medical malpractice, and general negligence matters. Allen is a true trial lawyer and not just a “litigator”—feeling most at home inside the courtroom—having tried more than fifty cases to verdict. Allen also has significant appellate experience in both State and Federal courts. Allen’s recent successes include a $10 mil.+ medical malpractice settlement, a $2.7 million jury verdict against the State of Maryland for civil rights violations, a $700,000 jury verdict for excessive force and constitutional violations, a $500,000 jury verdict in a premises liability case against Baltimore City, a $500,000...

A Maryland family law attorney for over 40 years, Allen Kruger has earned an AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating by Martindale Hubbell, the highest recognition possible in the legal industry. He has also been recognized by Super Lawyers, Best Lawyers in America, and Best Lawyers in Maryland. Throughout the years, Mr. Kruger has acquired the litigation and mediation skills necessary to provide his clients with innovative solutions to satisfy their unique objectives.

Due to an emphasis on family law, as well as a considerable amount of experience in appellate cases, his expertise gives him the ability to handle a variety...

Jim Hammerschmidt is Co-President of the firm, Co-Chair of the Employment Law group, and a member of its Litigation and Appellate Practice groups. His practice includes a range of commercial, corporate, and employment counseling and litigation, but his primary task is listening. The first thing Jim does when meeting with a client is ask, “What is your goal?” In doing this, Jim is able to determine the client’s expectations and whether we will be able to meet them. Only then can he really set about meeting his clients’ business needs.
Jim has extensive experience representing and counseling clients on employment law...

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.

Top rated attorney George E. Meng concentrates his practice in the field of litigating estate, trust and real property cases. These include will contests, improper handling of estate or trust funds, disputes relating to distributions from estates and trusts, boundary disputes and title issues at both the trial and appellate level. Routine probate, wills, trusts and estate planning are also an integral part of his experience. In addition, Mr. Meng's practice experience includes personal injury litigation and civil litigation in a variety of fields. Mr. Meng has an established reputation among his clients and throughout the legal...

Marshall Yaap is a private practice family lawyer based in Chevy Chase, Maryland. His practice primarily focuses on helping clients throughout Maryland and the District of Columbia resolve issues related to divorce, legal separation, alimony, child custody, separation agreements, prenuptial agreements, property division, child support, and civil protection cases. Marshall’s practice also focuses on international family law issues. Marshall strives to achieve the best possible results for his clients while providing individual attention and guidance at all times.

Nearly 20 years of trial experience at the state and federal level handling complex civil and criminal cases. I have tried hundreds of cases before judges and juries. My current focus is representing railroad workers in personal injury cases under the Federal Employers Liability Act and in whistleblower cases under the the Federal Railroad Safety Act. Admitted to practice in Maryland and the United States District Court for the District of Maryland. Pending admission to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit.

David was born and raised in Baltimore. He attended Calvert Hall College High School and Graduated from Towson University with a B.A. in International Studies. After spending over 5 years as a Securities Analyst for a Fortune 500 Financial Firm, he attended the University of Baltimore School of Law. During law school David was a student attorney for three semesters with the University's Family Law Clinic. There, he argued cases for economically disadvantaged clients in the District Court, Circuit Court, and the Court of Special Appeals. David also participated in a campaign to reform Maryland's Domestic Violence laws, and was...

Attorney for leading law firms in Maryland and D.C.

Licensed to practice in District of Columbia , Maryland, Florida and all United States District Courts in those jurisdictions.