Five Attorneys From Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. Named “Local Litigation Stars” by Benchmark Litigation

GREENBELT, MD (March 17, 2014) – Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. is pleased to congratulate attorneys, Jay P. Holland, Debora Fajer-Smith, Walter E. Laake, Jr., Timothy F. Maloney, Brian J. Markovitz on being recognized as 2014 “Local Litigation Stars” for Plaintiffs law by the rankings guide, Benchmark Litigation. This is the second year in a row that all five have received the “Local Litigation Star” acknowledgment. 

Benchmark Litigation also ranked Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A. “Recommended” for Plaintiffs law in the practice areas False Claims Act (Whistleblower), General Commercial and Personal Injury. 

“The firm is thrilled to have this group of attorneys recognized for the second year in a row,” said Burt M. Kahn, the firm’s managing president. “We are honored to have this high-profile recognition of our hard work and successes on behalf of our plaintiff-litigation clients.”

Holland is a principal and chair of the firm’s Labor & Employment and Whistleblower practices. He has broad experience in Whistleblower cases, commercial law and other civil matters. He also counsels clients in individual and class action cases involving gender and race discrimination and sexual harassment, violations of the wage and hour laws, and wrongful termination. Additionally, he co-chairs the Employment Law Section of the Prince George’s County Bar Association and is active in the Employment Law sections of the Maryland State Bar Association and American Bar Association.

Fajer-Smith is chair of the firm's Workers’ Compensation and Insurance Group. She has nearly 30 years of experience in representing people injured in auto or workplace accidents, and those suffering occupational injury or death. For the second time in her career, Fajer-Smith was recently recognized by The Daily Record as among the “Top 100 Women” in Maryland for her outstanding achievement in her professional accomplishments, community leadership and mentoring. Currently, she serves as an appointed public Member of the Senate-House Oversight Committee on Workers' Compensation and Insurance in the Maryland state legislature. She is also a member of the American Bar Association’s College of Workers Compensation Lawyers. In addition to this “Local Litigation Star” recognition, Benchmark Litigation named Fajer-Smith among Maryland’s Top 150 Women for Plaintiffs law for 2014.

Laake is a principal and a founding member of the firm and served as managing partner for more than 25 years. His litigation practice focuses on the legal matters pertaining to accidents, personal injury, traumatic brain injury, medical malpractice, premises liability, product liability and professional negligence. Laake has practiced law for more than 30 years and has helped more than 1,000 clients with all types of personal injury claims.

Maloney is a principal in the firm’s Civil Litigation Group. His practice focuses on criminal and civil issues in judicial matters as well as administrative proceedings. He has represented clients in a wide variety of complex actions, including civil rights, employment discrimination, Whistleblower cases and high-stakes business litigation. Maloney is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 2011, the Maryland Association for Justice named Maloney a “Trial Lawyer of the Year.” He serves on the Rules Committee of the Court of Appeals and the Maryland Appellate Nominating Commission.

Markovitz is a principal in the firm’s Civil Litigation Group and focuses his practice on civil litigation, employment, labor and Whistleblower cases throughout the country. He has presented oral arguments before the Maryland Court of Appeals and Maryland Court of Special Appeals, in the United States Fourth Circuit, in the District of Columbia and several other states, and administrative agencies. Additionally, Markovitz has arbitrated labor cases and has been before the District of Columbia Public Employees Relations Board.

About Benchmark Litigation

Benchmark Litigation—the definitive guide to America’s leading litigation firms and attorneys—is the only publication to focus exclusively on U.S. litigation. The results of Benchmark Litigation, Benchmark Canada, and Benchmark Plaintiff stem from the culmination of a six-month research period where our researchers conduct extensive interviews with litigators and their clients to identify the leading litigators and firms. During these interviews, researchers examine recent casework handled by law firms and ask individual litigators to offer their professional opinions on peers. Firms cannot pay to be recommended for the guide. Instead, firms have been independently offered the opportunity to take a professional listing regardless of editorial content. Recommendations are based on interviews with the nation’s leading private practice lawyers and in-house counsel. In an effort to provide the most accurate and comprehensive coverage of the litigation market, we have taken a two-fold approach to our research by analyzing the litigation market on both the national and local (state or provincial) level.

About Joseph, Greenwald & Laake, P.A.

For more than 40 years, JGL has provided sophisticated counsel with a personal touch for individuals and businesses facing complex and high-stakes legal issues. With offices in Greenbelt, Rockville, Columbia and Prince Frederick, Maryland, JGL has more than 40 attorneys with an established track record of working tirelessly to get exceptional results. The firm is well recognized for its leading-edge work in the areas of Business Law, Civil Litigation, Civil Rights, Criminal Defense, Estates & Trusts, Family Law, Labor & Employment, Medical Malpractice, Personal Injury, Real Estate, Whistleblower (Qui Tam) and Workers' Compensation law.

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