Author: JGL Law

Joseph, Greenwald & Laake attorney Vijay Mani was recently elected as a JGL senior counsel and The Daily Record has recognized this in a formal announcement. Vijay is an attorney in the Qui Tam litigation and Labor/Employment Law practice groups. This honor comes as a result of Vijay’s committed work in defending whistleblowers who report their employers’ illicit activities at tremendous risk to themselves.

In their reporting on Vijay’s new position, The Daily Record noted that Vijay “frequently advocates on behalf of whistleblowers in claims against government contractors who have committed fraud.”

Vijay also represents employees throughout Maryland and Washington, DC who suffer workplace discrimination, harassment, retaliatory practices, unequal pay and unlawful termination. He also has experience working directly with vulnerable communities; before he began practicing law, he worked with children infected with HIV/AIDS in the Washington, DC area. His experiences both inside and outside of the legal system have made him uniquely positioned to deal with labor disputes compassionately and effectively.

Congratulations again, Mani!

JGL Principal David Bulitt is a featured contributor in this week’s special issue of The Daily Record: “Opioid Special Coverage: The Road to Recovery.”  The Daily Record’s reporting comes at the end of another year of record-high opioid abuse. Since the early 2000s, the level of opioid abuse and addiction has risen steadily.  Bulitt’s article, “Maryland’s Courts and the Opioid Epidemic” focuses on the Maryland Judiciary’s response to this growing crisis.  

Bulitt shares that Maryland is one of the states that was an early adopter of programs that work not only to enforce the law but also to coordinate teams of professionals to help families struggling with drug addiction.

He also notes that drug courts have been in place in the state since 2004 but have grown more prevalent because of the ongoing opioid epidemic. By creating a collaborative group of professionals in each case, David pointed out, courts can monitor and guide each step of a person’s recovery from drug addiction.

David focuses his practice on complex family law cases, helping clients in Maryland and Washington, DC, through difficult times, including divorces, custody battles and other contentious domestic conflicts. Clients regard David as both a skilled negotiator at the mediation table and as a staunch advocate in the courtroom. David is also the author of two popular books of fiction. He is a member of JGL’s Executive Committee.

To read Bulitt’s article, click on The Daily Record logo below. 

 

Principal Paul Riekhof has been named one of Montgomery County’s top estate lawyers in a feature article that appears in the July-August issue of Bethesda Magazine.

Paul was one of only 17 attorneys named by the magazine in its feature titled “Top Estate Lawyers.” He is a repeat recipient of this prestigious honor, having received it when the magazine last did a review of estate lawyers in 2011 as well.  

“I am honored to be chosen on this list and to be selected from among a great many fine estate lawyers,” Paul said.

Paul takes a personal approach to estate planning.  He strives to gain an understanding of his clients, their goals and their needs in order to develop a plan that reflects who the clients are through the wills, trusts and other documents that are developed for them.  He is happy to visit his clients at their homes, hospitals or nursing homes to make the process easier for them.

Paul is a shareholder and member of the Executive Committee of Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, which the article refers to as “a regional powerhouse with offices in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.”

At Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, Paul’s experience includes representing and advising clients concerning all aspects of estate tax planning, wealth preservation, family business preservation, gift and charitable gift planning, buy-sell agreements, establishing special needs trusts and discretionary trusts to conserve assets for the benefit of disabled individuals, establishing irrevocable trusts to remove insurance and other assets from estates, and establishing revocable trusts for probate avoidance and disability planning.

To read the article, please click on the Bethesda Magazine logo below.

 

In May 2018, Joseph Greenwald & Laake announced the hiring of associate attorney, Michael Joseck as part of the firm’s Estate and Trusts practice. This past week, the Maryland State Bar Association recognized Joseck in an official announcement in their Bar Bulletin newsletter. Joseck provides counsel to individuals on matters in estate planning, estate and trust administration, and estate and trust taxation issues.

Michael is a proud graduate of the Western Michigan School of Law. While in law school, he was a member of the Moot Court, the Tax Law Society, and he volunteered in preparing tax returns for low-income individuals through the VITA program. Before joining JGL, he was the Chief Auditor for the Howard County Register of Wills. While there, he oversaw the estate audit department and the unique Maryland Inheritance Tax. He has also worked for a Delaware trust company and an accounting firm.

Only 5% of lawyers receive this distiction each year. Jeffrey is known for his work in family law. He specializes in “gray divorce,” or divorces among those over 50. He has contributed to numerous publications on this topic. For more on Jeffrey, click the image below. 

For more than 43 years, Jeffrey N. Greenblatt has focused exclusively on representing individuals in complex, emotionally-charged family law matters in Maryland. Jeffrey has extensive trial experience and has negotiated out-of-court resolution experience in every type of family law dispute that impacts his clients’ lives.

On Tuesday, June 26, Joseph Greenwald & Laake attorney Megan Benevento served as Chief Judge of a voting precinct for the Montgomery County Board of Elections. In her capacity as Chief Judge, Megan worked to ensure fair and accessible elections for all voters and to protect the integrity of the election process.

Chief Judge, the highest of Election Day appointments, is vital to ensuring transparent and efficient elections operations. Each precinct is staffed with two chief judges of different party affiliations. The Chief Judges work together to coordinate pre-election and Election Day activities and make sure that the elections are conducted in accordance with Maryland and federal laws.

In addition to her service as a Chief Judge, Megan has an extensive community service record. In her professional capacity, she has dedicated herself to protecting and enforcing the rights of vulnerable populations. She is especially dedicated to defending the rights of children and victims, and handles a wide range of civil rights and general litigation matters in both state and federal courts throughout Maryland and Washington, DC.

Joseph Greenwald & Laake principal Jay Holland shared his thoughts on the legal aspects of workplace affinity groups with Law360. Workplace affinity groups are forums for employees with similar interests that provide support and social functions. Examples of such groups include parents’ caucuses, LGBT caucuses, and caucuses for individuals with physical disabilities.

Holland noted that it is important to recognize the legal risks involved for employers who sponsor these groups. “One of the concerns,” he added, is that “like anything else it has to be done right.”

Yet, Holland said that the benefits of such groups can be wide-ranging and significant for businesses: an increased ability to attract individuals from diverse backgrounds, creating understanding between management and individuals from those backgrounds, improving retention, and creating pathways for group members to move into leadership positions.

Mr. Holland also noted that employers should be cautious to not run afoul of anti-discrimination laws such as Title VII when they discuss diversity with an affinity group’s members, particularly if the parties brainstorm proposals for hiring a more diverse workforce.

“While the affinity group can certainly take ideas and adopt programs in response to suggestions from the affinity groups, [employers] have to be careful about stepping over the Title VII line,” Holland said. “While it’s perfectly appropriate to encourage a more diverse workforce and reach out to different communities to make sure you have a diverse workforce … they can’t step over the line into saying, ‘We now have to hire 25 individuals of a particular race or a particular sexual orientation.’ Then you are indeed discriminating upon a prohibited classification under Title VII.”

To read the full article, please click on the Law360 logo below.

Jay Holland is a principal in JGL’s Civil Litigation Group and the chair of the firm’s Labor, Employment and Qui Tam Whistleblower practice. He is a renowned employment and qui tam litigator known for taking on tough cases and achieving exceptional results. 

A team from Joseph Greenwald & Laake won a major appellate victory on June 21 in the Maryland Court of Appeals and it has made the front page of The Daily Record’s website. The court ruling upholds Governor Larry Hogan’s right under Maryland law to reappoint Cabinet positions under recess appointments to former secretaries Dennis Schrader and Wendi Peters, both of whom he had previously nominated and then withdrawn. The Joseph Greenwald & Laake team represented both Schrader and Peters and was led by principal Timothy Maloney with associates Megan A. Benevento and Alyse L. Prawde.

According to Maloney, the Court’s ruling was a “complete vindication” of Schrader, Peters and Hogan. “Reducing a Cabinet official’s salary to zero is a blunt device for enforcing legislative prerogative,” Maloney said. “This is not the way to resolve separation of powers issues.”

The Maryland General Assembly, regarding the appointments as illegitimate, had added a section to the annual budget act that was specifically intended to prohibit payment of salaries to the two appointees, Wendi Peters of the Department of Planning and Dennis R. Schrader of the Department of Health.

But in a 4-3 opinion written by Judge Alan M. Wilner, the state’s highest court ruled that the appointments were legal and that the budget insertion fell outside the powers of the legislature. The court ruled that the state Constitution permits the Governor to nominate any suitable person to a Cabinet post, except for someone whom the state Senate has previously rejected. Neither Peters nor Schrader was rejected by the Senate.

 “The comptroller will issue the warrant and the treasurer will issue the checks and this chapter will close,” Maloney said.

To read the rest of the article, click on the Daily Record logo below.

Maloney is a preeminent trial lawyer who has obtained millions of dollars in recoveries for his clients in a wide variety of matters, including civil rights, employment discrimination, whistleblower actions and high-stakes business litigation. He is a committed advocate for the public good who has held leadership roles with many civic and charitable organizations.

 

GREENBELT, MD., June 18, 2018 — Joseph Greenwald & Laake P.A. is pleased to announce that Vijay Mani has been elected as a Senior Counsel.

“We are delighted to promote Vijay to this highly responsible position,” said Burt Kahn, Managing Director. “Among his major contributions to the firm, he has been an indispensable member of our team that works on behalf of whistleblowers and victims of wrongful termination and employment discrimination.”

Vijay Mani is a member of the Firm’s Qui Tam Litigation and Labor/Employment practice groups. He is active in the firm’s False Claims Act practice, and he frequently advocates on behalf of whistleblowers in claims against government contractors who have committed fraud. He also represents employers in labor and employment matters. He earned his J.D. in 2012 from American University’s Washington College of Law in Washington, DC, and in 2000 received a B.S. degree, cum laude, from the University of Tulsa.             

About Joseph Greenwald & Laake

For more than 40 years, Joseph Greenwald & Laake has worked with individuals and businesses in Maryland and the District of Columbia, taking on the most complex of legal issues with sophisticated counsel and a personal touch. JGL serves clients in virtually all areas of the law.

 

 

This week, Joseph Greenwald & Laake would like to recognize David Bulitt for his selection as a 2018 Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters and Super Lawyer Magazine.  David has been named a Super Lawyer 12 consecutive years. Only 5% of attorneys nationwide receive this honor each year.

David Bulitt focuses his practice on complex family law cases, helping clients in Maryland and Washington, DC, through difficult times, including divorces, custody battles and other contentious domestic conflicts.  Clients regard David as both a skilled negotiator at the mediation table and as a staunch advocate in the courtroom.  David protects his clients’ rights through divorce while remaining passionate about the most important asset of all- the children. He is also the author of two popular books of fiction.

Click below for more on David.

In May, JGL attorneys Levi Zaslow, Maritza Carmona and Tim Maloney won nearly $260,000 in damages for their client, Mamoun “Mike” Ashkar, who faced ethnic discrimination within his community of Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County. The Washington Post has just published an article about this case as it has meaningful impact on not just the Prince George’s County town but also for broader communities.

Mr. Ashkar, a Palestinian-American, became the owner of Greg’s Towing in January of 2015. Greg’s Towing is the only tow company in the Town of Riverdale Park in Prince George’s County and, for 30 years, it was the exclusive tow service provider for the town and its police department. Once Mr. Ashkar took over Greg’s Towing, he contacted Town representatives, including the police dept., to continue the company’s long standing relationship with the Town, but he was denied the by the Town, its employees and the police department through numerous instances that included derogatory language, name-calling and discriminatory statements.

“My parents moved here because it’s supposed to be the land of the free,” Ashkar said. “It’s made up of a lot of people. We all live together and this is what makes this country up, people from all over . . . It’s a very normal life and I don’t know why they would think otherwise.”

When JGL’s Levi Zaslow was asked about proving his client’s case, he stated, “In court, the town asserted that it was their business decision to select an alternative towing company since Greg’s Towing was temporarily removed from a list of county-approved vendors as ownership was transitioning to Ashkar . . . We were able to systematically show that each purported business decision was actually a pretext.”

Joseph, Greenwald and Laake, P.A. is proud to continue its longstanding tradition of providing a voice to victims of discrimination, such as Mr. Ashkar.

To read the full story, click on The Washington Post logo below.

July 1^st marks the start of the 2018-2019 year for the Prince George’s County Bar Association and Joseph, Greenwald & Laake principal Jerry Miller has officially renewed his position as a member of the Board of Directors. The PGCBA has been dedicated to representing the legal profession and promoting justice and professional excellence in Maryland since its foundation in 1902. The PGCBA also affords its members extensive networking opportunities so Maryland-based lawyers can share their expertise and experiences with legal professionals from around the country.

Jerry Miller is a principal in JGL’s Business Services Group. For nearly 30 years, Jerry has guided clients through the legal challenges of owning and operating a business. He has helped both starting entrepreneurs and experience business professionals with a wide array of issues, ranging from selecting the proper corporate structure to helping entrepreneurs pass their businesses to succeeding generations.