The Maryland Court of Appeals recent decision of, Tracey v. Solesky (No. 53, September Term 2012) holding owners of Pit Bulls to a strict liability standard has created great controversy.

If you are a pit bull owner, or you have a tenant who owns a pit bull, you will want to read carefully the opinion of Maryland’s highest court – there is a summary of the ruling on the first page of the case -…

MARYLAND LAWYER BUSINESS TIPS: WINDOW CLOSING ON GREAT TAX CREDIT OPPORTUNITY FOR BUSINESSES.

The “Vow to Hire Heroes Act of 2011” enacted last year is a program that offers special tax incentives to companies who hire veterans.

The program is a tremendous two-for-one that helps both veterans and companies satisfy needs in the work place. Military veterans are a highly skilled workforce that is often overlooked in job…

Fake Debt Collectors Attack MarylandAs if having to deal with third party debt collectors is not enough, see the link from an article in the Baltimore Sun today about fake debt collectors.  Now you have to check out the debt collectors before you make a payment.  Here are some ways to protect yourself:  

1.  Call or email the Maryland Attorney General's…

Peter Angelos, Billy Murphy file suit against Facebook

While some people complain that they are too old to understand computers, Peter Angelos & Billy Murphy remain "cutting edge" litigators. In announcing that they have filed a class action lawsuit against Facebook in California, Angelos & Murphy have…

Article written by Tyler Waldman of Patch.com about part of my Spanish4Lawyers initiative.

Read the Article...

It’s no surprise that applicants for Social Security disability benefits typically have more questions than understanding of the process at the beginning. I would too.

The process consists of a language of its own complete with unusual slang and rules. The manner in which a Social Security claim will be judged is dependent on several different classifications. The following is an introduction to some of the lingo.

Social Security classifies work as sedentary, light, medium and…

The Importance of Just Showing Up – Why You Should ALWAYS Go to Court When You Are Sued

Every week I receive a phone call from a present or prior client who is being sued by a creditor or a company who purchased the debt. “Should I go to Court or am I just wasting my time?” is the question that I am routinely asked.

My answer every time is the same “Yes, definitely go to court!”

Woody Allen is attributed with having said “Ninety per cent of life is just…

I don't know about you, but I always feel a little vulnerable at the beginning of a criminal case when a Court Interpreter translates my qualification of a client's rights that he/she is waiving, if we are proceeding on a Not Guilty Agreed Statement of Facts.  I try to listen real hard and act like I know what the interpreter is saying, but frankly, I don't have a clue.  What is worse is that the Judge and prosecutor have no idea either.  I have tremendous respect for our interpreters, but,…

This is a continuation of posts to help lawyers communicate better with their Spanish speaking clients.  In the last few posts, we have been asking questions in Spanish in order to interview a new client in a personal injury case.  One obvious question that will teach us a few new words is “In the accident were you a driver, passenger or a pedestrian?”

The Spanish translation is “En el accidente, fue usted el conductor, pasajero o peatonal (or peatón).”

Let’s dissect this…

Chief Judge Ben C. Clyburn of the District Court of Maryland signed an order on October 26, 2011 staying the cases filed by the the above companies for violations of the Maryland Collections Agency Licensing Act and the Maryland Consumer Debt Collection Act.  So, if you have been sued by any of the above named companies the litigation is terminated and you may also be able to strike the prior judgment.

Furthermore, the State of Maryland’s Collection Agency Licensing Board in the…

Homicide convictions on Amanda Knox and her co-defendant were overturned today by an Italian Appeals Court.  See the link

Here is the Announcement of New Judges appointed to the Circuit Courts today:

Governor O'Malley picks Seven Circuit Court Judges

The Maryland Judiciary website reports that more than 300 cases have been dismissed in which Sunshine Financial Group has filed suit to collect a debt.  Sunshine has agreed to dismiss the cases without prejudice and has voluntarily also agreed to reduce the interest and attorney fees on another roughly 340 cases.  Here is the link:

Maryland Judiciary reports lawsuits dismissed

The Baltimore Sun reported on September 7, 2011, that Maryland’s Court of Appeals has enacted new rules to protect Maryland debtors- http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-court-of-appeals-rules-change-20110907,0,3294034.story .

Reading the new Rules,…

Below is a link to a You Tube video I took today on my Flip Video Camera of Governor O'Malley's speech at the dedication of the Maryland September 11 Memorial Dedication followed by the reading of names of Marylanders who died that tragic day of September 11, 2001.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUSPY0MnPic

The Maryland 911 Memorial is dedicated today, on the tenth anniversary of that tragic event.  Among the 68 Marylanders who lost their lives that day, five are listed as living in Baltimore County.  Included in that list are Robert John Fangman, Linda Rosenbaum and Cortez Ghee.  A biography of each of can be seen at

http://maryland911memorial.org/in-memoriam.

However, I would like to highlight two young professionals who…

Please be safe in your travels:

Dozens of Roads Remain Flooded; Use Caution Page 1 of 2

http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/News/releases/0908flooding.html 9/8/2011• Dolfield & Owings Mills (tree partially blocking road)

Precinct 4/Pikesville

• Buckingham&PrinceGeorge • QueenAnnbetweenEssex&VillaNova

Precinct 7/Cockeysville

• Shawan Rd…

I am a member of a list serve for the Maryland Association for Justice.  Two attorneys who work downtown & drove to work today have lamented the state of traffic for the next couple of days.  The email below is from a wonderful attorney by the name of Wendy Shiff who is a partner with Salsbury, Clements, Bekman, Marder & Adkins, L.L.C.  I pass it along for your edification. Based on her email below, if you have Court in Baltimore City, depositions or other meetings, you want to allow…

The following courts are closed today as a result of Hurricane Irene damage per the Maryland State Courts website:

I don’t know about you, but I am expecting a lot of calls this week from clients who have sustained property damage in Hurricane Irene (or maybe as a result of the earthquake last week, that seemed so mild after Mother Nature's behavior over the weekend.)  I thought I would pass this along to give you some information that will make these calls easier for you.

The Maryland Insurance Commission has recently posted some useful Press Releases that should be helpful.  I would recommend…